Posted on Friday, September 12, 2025
After navigating through the COVID years, President Susanna L. Baxter shared in her State of the College address Thursday that the institution is in a strong position thanks to innovative new programs that led to enrollment growth of 10%, creating a new high since before the pandemic.
“We’re thrilled about what this means for LaGrange College moving forward,” she said.
This fall’s class added 238 freshmen and the total undergraduate enrollment reached 718, an increase of over 11%. The college also gained 182 graduate students, an increase of over 12%
“LaGrange College is becoming an innovative institution that is creating new programs, which is attracting more students,” she said.
One of the popular majors among freshmen is Manufacturing Engineering Technology, which began this fall and came about through conversations with local manufacturers.
“We have students enrolled in a career that has a direct input into what this area needs,” she said.
To reflect this progress, the college also recently updated its mission, vision and value statements:
Mission statement—We challenge the minds and inspire the souls of our students, preparing them to become successful, responsible citizens who pursue lives of integrity, service and lifelong learning.
“That’s why we’re here and do what we do on a day-to-day basis,” she said.
Vision statement—To be an innovative institution, holistically educating our students to connect with and contribute to an ever-changing world.
“We wanted this to capture a post-pandemic world,” she said. “The decisions that we make are in line with this vision.”
Values statement—As an institution, we value the inherent worth of every human being, pursuit of lifelong learning and development, integrity and moral courage, spiritual growth and service to our community and world.
President Baxter said that for the college to continue to serve, it must be fiscally sound.
“We reached a high-water mark for our endowment of almost $74 million as of June 30,” she said. “Our Board and administration are disciplined, and we are doing what we need to do for a bright future at LaGrange College.”
During the address, Dr. Baxter also debuted the college’s new “You Are More” initiative that is rolling out this semester.
“We asked ourselves, ‘What makes us different or unique as an institution?’” she said. “We hired a company to help us do some market research. Through surveys given to our campus community, alumni and local leaders, we developed pillars of who we are at LC.”
These pillars include Close-knit Community; Guided Growth; Purposeful Place; Industry Integration; and Soulful Service.
“All these five pillars make us unique,” she said. “Not one separately, but all of them together.”
To close her address, President Baxter looked back on her five-plus years of leadership.
“I do this for the students,” she said. “To be a part of their journey in some small way is fantastic. It is an honor to be at this place.”
Category: Community, College, Students
Keywords: Education, Administration
