Kathleen Murray, Acting/Interim President, Hamline University

Hamline University Acting/Interim President Kathleen Murray sat down with Invest: to discuss the recent population growth experienced by the university and how the school continues to upgrade its curricula to best support students as well as bolster the state of Minnesota’s workforce.

What were the key highlights for Hamline University in the last 12 months?

Our biggest highlight has been our enrollment numbers for fall 2024, which have increased dramatically. As we are a tuition-driven institution, having an increased number of students is critical for us. This fall saw the largest entering class since 2019, and our student population has bounced back from the downturn experienced during COVID. This year we have an extraordinary number of recruited student athletes, which now totals almost 400. The energy and excitement that accompanies a large student body has kept us all motivated this fall. 

Also, right before I stepped into my role, we completed a comprehensive fundraising campaign that had targeted $110 million but raised over $122 million, which provides us with new scholarships, money for programming, and additions to our endowment. 

What active measures are being implemented to increase student population and enrollment?

We attribute this growth primarily to some curricular initiatives we have undertaken in the last several years. Hamline has embraced the need to combine the “life of the mind” in the classroom with helping students become genuinely prepared for what comes next in their careers in the ever-evolving workforce. 

A few years ago, there was a mess with the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form from the federal government, which was supposed to be streamlined by the federal government, but which was instead a disaster upon rollout. Our financial aid team dedicated themselves to staying in contact with our students to help them through that process and ensured the students were up to date on all requisite information. That dedication paid off for our school.

Our coaches are incredible recruiters, so the increased number of student athletes helped as well. At the end of June 2024, the state of Minnesota had a shortfall on its state grant funding. The timing was horrible as students had already made decisions about what school to attend and how they were to pay for it when the news about the reduced funding was released. Hamline made the decision that we were not going to put that on the shoulders of our students. We covered 80% of the gap that had been created by the state’s shortfall. 

How is Hamline University ensuring its curricula is up to date and in line with shifting market demands?

Hamline has a graduation requirement that every student participate in an internship, collaborative research with a faculty member, or a study abroad program, all of which are high-impact learning experiences that translate well into what comes after an undergraduate degree. Every student has to participate in this program. For students who may struggle to enter an internship due to financial issues, we have funding available to pay the students for the duration of their unpaid internships. 

All our minors are skills-based, so the minors are attached to a disciplinary major. For example, we have a fascinating combination of one student majoring in environmental studies with a minor in digital storytelling. Upon graduation she will have the skills to share information about the environment in a compelling way. 

Being a top-ranked university in Minnesota, to what do you attribute Hamline’s positive reputation, and how do you help Hamline to stand out against other institutions?

We have fabulous faculty and staff who work extremely closely with our students, and our student population is driven to succeed. We have many first-generation students, and more than 40% of our students are Pell-eligible, with many of our population coming from underrepresented groups. It’s an incredibly diverse campus that is driven to obtain education and succeed, and they have the faculty and staff to support them in their goals. Hamline is the oldest university in Minnesota and was founded before Minnesota attained statehood. That history serves us well in terms of statewide recognition. An additional strength is our flexibility, as we stay current and adjust curricula to meet the needs of today’s students.

How does Hamline address the question of the value of higher education in modern times?

The data clearly shows us that the key element in socioeconomic mobility is to have a four-year degree. For institutions that are providing that education and a pathway into a career, that socioeconomic mobility is real. Hamline rates highly in terms of resources available to students when they enter our school, as well as ability for economic flexibility after graduation. We are losing the narrative battle on the value proposition, and we simply need to work harder to turn the narrative around and get the word out about what our students are doing to make the world a better place.

Is the university working on any future campus projects or expansions?

We are not pursuing expansions at this time but we have had multiple upgrades to our existing facilities in the last year, including our track, which was dedicated to former Coach Kent Stahly. Our tennis courts underwent a complete renovation; our teams had been competing off campus for the last couple years, and multiple donors stepped up to help re-open our new courts on-campus.

We are exploring new curricular directions, which are still in the planning stages, and which will need to be approved by the Higher Learning Commission and the Minnesota Office of Higher Education before the ideas can be added to our offering.

How does Hamline University promote leadership and excellence within the student community?

One of the biggest schools at Hamline is our School of Education and Leadership, which was named intentionally. We produce an enormous percentage of Minnesota’s K-12 teachers. Four of the last 10 of Minnesota’s Teachers of the Year are Hamline graduates. This is a powerful program for us, and we produce some of the state’s best teachers.

We also have a strong leadership program within the School of Business. Both of these schools offer graduate degrees. We offer the Hamline Undergraduate Student Congress, which is the undergraduate governing body. There are around 100 student organizations, all of which have leadership groups working with our Student Affairs professionals to help the students develop and practice those skills in real-world ways.

What are the primary challenges faced by the education sector in Minneapolis-St. Paul, and how does Hamline University work to address those issues?

Financial challenges are constant across the sector. This is a high-touch and therefore a high-cost industry. There are complaints that the prices continue increasing. A study from an economist in Carlton stated the price of higher education is increasing at a rate similar to the cost of dental care. Both higher education and dental care are services that do not benefit from technology. They may become a bit more streamlined, but they do not become less expensive with technological advancements. 

The cost is significant, so the challenge is to provide adequate financial aid so that students from a wide variety of backgrounds have the opportunity to experience this education. Hamline has done an extraordinary job of meeting students’ needs through grants, on-campus employment and loans. Balancing these will be the biggest challenges faced by higher education institutions. We seek to try to find ways to reduce our costs without compromising our educational programs, and we will continue to fundraise for scholarship dollars to help make our education affordable for students who would not otherwise be able to attend.

How does the university handle financing the studies of those students who most need assistance?

We accomplish this through a combination of efforts. Many of our students are eligible for federal Pell grants. Many of those same students are eligible for state grants, which follow the student no matter what Minnesota school they choose to attend. Hamline has both scholarships funded through endowments and unfunded aid, which comes directly from our operating budget. We fund a tremendous amount of aid internally through that budget as well as through the generosity of our donors. Hamline also offers multiple on-campus employment opportunities, some of which are funded by the state and federal government. Loans are an additional option, with the federally subsidized loans coming with low interest rates.