Thanks to the General Conference education department, the figures are now out on the current enrollments (fall 2003) at the 14 Seventh-day Adventist colleges and universities in North America. As represented in the accompanying table, with a total head count (HC) of 22,436 enrolled students, or full-time equivalent (FTE ) of 18,719 (805 HC or 802 FTE more than the previous year), this represents a small gain over last year of 3 or 4 percent.

Florida Hospital College was clearly the winner, with a gain of 212 FTE students, or 31 percent. Kettering College of Medical Arts also had a respectable gain of 12 percent. Pacific Union College, with a gain of 143 students, came next with a 10.3 percent gain and Southwestern Adventist University had a 10 percent gain over a year that had registered the lowest in five years. La Sierra College was up 8 percent.

Other colleges registered more modest gains, and two registered losses: Atlantic Union College saw a drop of 13 percent and Union College one of 2.6 percent. ?

Atlantic Union College had had another tumultuous year culminating in a change of presidency and a probationary status of accreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). NEASC had earlier voted to drop the accreditation, but with the new administration and an appeal by the school, it had reversed its decision subject to changes in several areas of concern, according to a Nov. 7 communique from George Babcock, AUC president.