2024 2025
ROOTED IN LEGACY, GROWING OUR FUTURE.
ReflectionsOnOur FirstYearTogether
Dear Faculty and Staff,
As I approach the end of my first year back at Monmouth College, I’ve taken a few moments amid a busy summer filled with Golden Scots events, facilities improvements, academic program planning, Higher Learning Commision preparations, and year-end financial and fundraising efforts to reflect on the past academic year and all that we ’ ve accomplished together.
It has been an honor to return to Monmouth, a place whose legacy I’ve long admired through personal experience and the stories of our alumni and friends.
We began the year by launching our Five Strategic Pillars and embracing the inauguration theme that continues to guide our work: “Rooted in Legacy, Growing Our Future.” This year has been one of hard work, relationship-building, and adapting to new external pressures particularly those emerging from Washington, D.C. Yet through it all, our community has remained focused on growth, innovation, and delivering the best possible experience for our students. While there are far too many accomplishments to list, here are just a few highlights that reflect our shared commitment to Monmouth’s future:
President
Dr. Patricia Draves
Pillar One: Enrollment and Revenue
Enrollment
We are excited that we will be welcoming a larger incoming class by 40-50 students this August in comparison to Fall 2024, with an estimated 62% being DIII student athletes. We are all still recruiting and connecting with deposited students and many incoming students were on campus last weekend and are excited to be a Fighting Scot!
Welcomed over 1,200 visitors to campus, attended 113 college and transfer fairs, and visited 167 high schools and community colleges not including our coaches’ outreach.
Reworked our affordability messaging which led to an 11% increase in FAFSA submissions among admitted students as of early June for a total of 68.1%, a number higher than institutions in our market.
We are welcoming 26 new students in the nursing track in our inaugural class
Experimented with a Direct Admission program resulting in 13 students coming to Monmouth
Hosted 100+ art high school students and their teachers from Lincoln Trail Conference Schools for the 15 annual regional art show and competition in Glennie Gym, where we showcased the arts here at Monmouth for them (music, theatre and visual arts). th
The Marching Band welcomed 16 high school students during their first Pep Band Visit Day Combined with their fall visit day, they are anticipating an incoming class of 20-25 students for a total of over 70 students. Provided each academic department with monthly enrollment funnel data and program-specific competition analysis using National Clearinghouse data.
Nearly 40 faculty and staff participated in visitor experience training to enhance campus visits
Shared 430 press releases to get the positive news stories out about Monmouth
Prioritized brand and marketing, completed updates to our academic program and affordability pages, and shot three program-specific videos.
Fundraising
Raised $5.5 million in total giving, including $3.4 million for the operating budget well above our $2.5 million goal.
Achieved our most successful Scots Day of Giving ever, raising $350,701 from 916 donors, including 105 first-time donors. Funds will support a new audio system in Dahl Chapel and Auditorium primarily for our Music students, a new outdoor basketball court thanks to 200 donors and the Class of 2025, and our Fighting Scots Society
Secured over $930,000 for renovations to the new Sigma Phi Epsilon and Zeta Beta Tau houses. Completed a rigorous program review in preparation for our next comprehensive campaign.
Academic Excellence Pillar Two: Distinctive Scots Education
Received a $1 million S-STEM grant from the National Science Foundation to support academically strong, economically challenged STEM students Kudos to Laura Moore, Chris Fasano, Janet Ugolino, and Robert Utterback
Hosted Scholars Day with 133 student presenters in a transformed Huff Athletic Center. Began a rigorous Academic Program Prioritization Process and study with faculty, staff and board membership. Recommendations by the Task Force were sent to the board by the deadline of June 15, 2025.
Celebrated our students who were not only presenting research or creative work on campus, but were all over the nation. Here’s just a sampling:
Sixchemistry and biochemistry students attended the National American Chemical Society Meeting inSan Diego with Dr. Laura Moore. Fivestudents presented research, attended sessions and networked with corporate, academic, and governmental professionals in the sciences
Three students presented posters at the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology meeting in Chicago under the guidance of Dr. Janet Ugolino and thanks to scholarship and donor funds.
Four students earned awards at the Classical Association of the Middle West and South (CAMWS) meeting. Nine theatre program students attended the January 2025 Kennedy Center American Theatre Conference held in Madison, Wisconsin Throughout the week, students engaged in expert-led workshops, and presented and competed for acting and directing scholarships and opportunities Two student networks led to post graduation jobs.
The Courier earned six Illinois College Press Association awards, including first place for Opinion and third place for Feature Page. Professor Chris Goble’s serves as their adviser.
Cheered on Dr Bob Simmons who received the Ovatio Award, a lifetime achievement honor for work in the Classics.
Hosted the ABET engineering accreditors for an on-campus visit after submission of our application, with results expected in July.
Explored the world with students hiking and studying biology across England with Dr James Godde and studying in Scotland (with an unplanned day in Iceland!) with Professors Tom Prince and Joan Wertz
Learned and led AI work by faculty actively engaging with AI in teaching attending workshops, presenting at conferences, and publishing on its use. Our fall faculty conference will continue this important work.
Showcased graduate outcomes with our 2024 First Destination Report showing a 96% success rate (employment or graduate school within six months) Other highlights included 23% pursued graduate or professional school, 64% completed at least one formal internship during their time at Monmouth College, and employers consistently praising our students’ readiness and performance.
Celebrated 142 graduates on a beautiful May day, surrounded by family, friends, and wise words from Lon Helton, our Commencement speaker
Pillar Two: Distinctive Scots Education
Athletic Distinction
Over 60% of our students are Fighting Scots student-athletes, excelling on and off the field.
Earned recognition which included 5 MWC Most Valuable Players, 44 Players of the Week, 26 All-Conference selections, 39 Academic All-District honorees (3 5+ GPA and strong athletic performance), 2 MWC titles in Men’s Basketball and Men’s Track & Field, among the many other athletic accolades received by our studentathletes.
Upgraded facilities with a new outdoor track and football field, and wind screens for baseball and softball.
Celebrated 4 Midwest Conference Coaches of the Year congratulations to: Alan Betourne (Baseball), Todd Skrivseth (Men’s Basketball), Brian Woodard (Men’s Track & Field) and Jake Dacus (Women’s Swimming)
Appreciated the strong recruitment and retention efforts under our coaches, as our student-athletes retain and persist at higher rates and their academic performance remains strong with average GPAs like our non-studentathletes (over a 3.0).
Raised $158,467 for the Fighting Scots Society, reaching 132% of the fundraising goal, with support from 305 donors
Student Life Experience
Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL)
Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL) continues to be an important part of our education for students at Monmouth. This year we welcomed 63 new members for a total of 168 members and celebrated 34 graduating members in our 3 fraternities and 3 sororities, while saying goodbye to a treasured long-standing Alpha Tau Omega (ATO) organization
Academically, students in fraternities and sororities earn higher GPAs and have better retention and graduation rates and their work is recognized on and off campus. Here are just a few examples showcasing their excellence: Average FSL GPA for this academic year: 3.37 versus unaffiliated at 3.15.
Over half of all FSL students were named to the Fall and Spring Dean’s List
Additionally, students and Panhellenic organizations continue to bring in national recognition including: Interfraternity Council – NIC awards Brady Arrenius ’26 was named Most Outstanding Chapter President.
Zeta Beta Tau received North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) Chapter Award of Distinction Monmouth’s IFC (Interfraternity Council) won Most Outstanding Chapter Council
The Panhellenic Council earned National Panhellenic Council Awards for Campus Impact, Innovation in Recruitment, and Innovation in Marketing.
Order of Omega earned Chapter of the Year, recognized as one of the top four chapters in the nation.
Pillar Two: Distinctive Scots Education
Student Life Experience
Engagement and being involved is one of the cornerstones of our students’ experience. Here are ways our students served, played, and learned outside the classroom:
Intramural participation for Spring 2025 increased another 50% compared to Fall 2024, with the freshman class still leading in participation. Inspired by Intramural Director/Sports Information Director’s social media efforts, team interviews were introduced to IM’s social media Instagram account. It had over 38,000 video views this spring, averaging over 2,000 views per video.
Sixteen students accompanied Marching Band Director Eli Kelly, and Professors Justin Swearinger and Tim Pahel to the Illinois Music Educators Conference in Peoria where they attended music educator workshops, expert clinics, and many top end choir, band and orchestra concerts
The Association for Student Activity Programming (ASAP) successfully organized at least one event per week, attracting nearly 3,500 attendees, including 550 unique individuals.
Serving on 8 hall councils or engaging in 24+ student life clubs from Fellowship of Christian Athletes to the MoCo First Gen club, students have the opportunity to join an abundance of organizations across campus.
The newly implemented residence hall programming model has taken off in its second year, providing activities, social events, guest speakers, and more for students within their respective halls, resulting in more engagement and reinforcing our culture of respect.
40 groups invited first years to join their group and learn more about them at the FA24 Involvement Fair.
30 registered Emotional Support Animals joined students on campus.
Pillar Three:
Culture of Connection
Launched the year with an all-campus breakfast and State of the College address
Continued community-building through Monmouth Momentum meetings every six weeks where high-protein snack plates surprisingly beat out cookies!
Hosted 17 alumni events in 12 cities, where I personally met with over 1,000 alumni and the development team with 400+ individual donors.
Hosted 26 ‘Midwest Entrepreneurs’ visits, including several Monmouth alumni, in a spring semester business class taught by Mike Connell and Herb Schmidt
Strengthened community ties by spending hours with local leaders building partnerships Vice President Hannah Maher joined the Maple City Area Partnership Board and Marnie Steach joined the Monmouth Chamber Board.
Hosted over 1,000 K–12 students at The Educational Farm and Garden, led by the Education Department. Sang along with The Craig and Company Band, featuring four faculty members, who performed across town serving as musical ambassadors
And yes coffee and smoothies kept us going! Einstein’s alone served 1,109 smoothies and 7,854 coffees this year
Pillar Four: Financial Future
Completed a clean audit, with key financial health ratios remaining in the “healthy” range.
Enjoyed a much stronger endowment than our peer institutions with an endowment of approximately $140 Million and lower overall debt than most at approximately $20 million. Higher interest rates on some of our debt unfortunately required increased debt service payments and interest expense.
Achieved step one of curricular efficiency by removing 125 courses from the catalogue and department chairs building out scheduling plans to improve curricular planning and efficiency.
Increased Board’s Finance Committee time and expertise on identifying solutions and creative revenue and expense savings ideas.
Hosted our first financial forum for faculty and staff in over a decade, with strong participation of approximately 100 people and efforts to be more transparent and educate our internal community.
We remain focused on growth and responsible stewardship of tuition dollars to ensure a highquality, affordable education as we fulfill our mission.
Pillar Five: Digital Transformation
Upgraded our technology infrastructure by distributing 115 new laptops, replacing 316 Wi-Fi access points and 72 network switches.
Refreshed the data center by decommissioning 44 legacy devices and installing 14 highperformance systems.
Improved network reliability and restored cybersecurity insurance, reducing institutional risk
Advanced our data-informed culture by defined peer institutions and provided comparative data across 18 attributes and educating campus on the importance of learning from external sources.
Delivered consistent data to department chairs and Senior Staff.
Laid the foundation for future decisions rooted in internal and external insights.
Looking Ahead With
Gratitude and Purpose
As I reflect on this first year, I am filled with deep gratitude for your dedication, your ideas, your resilience, and your belief in what Monmouth College can become. Every conversation, every initiative, every challenge we ’ ve faced together has reaffirmed my confidence in this community.
We are a college rooted in a proud legacy, and we are boldly growing our future. The work ahead will require continued collaboration, creativity, and courage—but I have no doubt that we are up to the task. Together, we are building a Monmouth that is more connected, more innovative, and more student-centered than ever before.
Thank you for the warm welcome you ’ ve extended to me this past year, and for the countless ways you contribute to the life of this College. I’m excited for what lies ahead and I look forward to continuing this journey with you.
With appreciation and anticipation, Pat
Patricia H. Draves, Ph.D. President, Monmouth College
