By Luke Macchione ’28, staff writer
As many were preparing to close the book on Division III schools in the Northeast, LVC demonstrates that there are a few chapters yet to be written.
According to the Education Data Initiative, the average annual cost of college per student in the United States, including tuition, books, and living expenses, is $39,406. Additionally, The Atlantic noted that in 2025, the size of the high school senior class peaked and will face a slight, gradual decline until at least 2041.
If those two factors weren’t challenging enough, there is a substantial portion of Americans who view college as not worth it and wonder if the skills taught will translate to America’s new information age. For example, NBC conducted a survey in October 2025 that found 63% of Americans said a four-year college program is not worth the cost.
Not all universities and colleges are struggling. SEC schools reported a 91% increase in northeastern student enrollment from 2014-2023. While LVC may not have the sunshine of Alabama or the Georgia Bulldogs football team, it has a few factors that have kept some of their students happy and prevented enrollment from dropping.
Second-year exercise science undergraduate and student of the DPT 3+3 Program, Dylan Duncan, believes LVC has a unique offering. Duncan, the Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, native, wanted a college with a strong physical therapy program and a talented track team. Two tests LVC passed with flying colors.
“Once I got that acceptance letter from the Physical Therapy Program, I knew this was my number one option,” Duncan said. “This is where I want to go.”
Institutions like LVC are facing growing challenges from alternative career pathways. Second-year business administration student, Lukas Smeltzer, was considering working full-time at a family construction business. Later, he decided that getting a background in business administration would improve his contribution to the company.
It takes more than just technical skills to run a family business; understanding Microsoft software like Excel is pivotal for data analysis and helping to make business decisions.
“I wanted to learn the computer skills needed to run the business,” Smeltzer said.
Another difficulty smaller schools face is the economies-of-scale advantage larger universities have over them. Larger institutions typically have a higher student-to-faculty ratio, meaning faculty salaries are spread across more students, potentially allowing for lower tuition or larger profit margins.
LVC has roughly 1,600 undergraduates, 400 graduates, and an 11:1 student-to-faculty ratio. To first-year nursing major Timothy Geynovich, that small community and faculty-to-student ratio was an influential factor in his decision. Originally, Geynovich’s first choice was to attend Penn State this fall.
“What really changed my mind was the class sizes,” Geynovich said. “The 11-to-1 ratio is the kind of environment that I was taught in at Milton Hershey School.”
Geynovich is following in his older sisters' footsteps by pursuing a career in nursing. He expressed his love for his EMT role and the challenge the medical field provides.
“The medical field is like a jigsaw puzzle that you have to solve by figuring out how the body works together,” Geynovich said.
Geynovich grew up in Newmanstown, a small town in Eastern Lebanon County. He cited the proximity to home as one of the most influential factors in his decision. He is also a member of the swim team.
Third-year student and member of the DPT program, Hayden Milchanowski, shares Duncan’s positive sentiment for the quality of the physical therapy program. Milchanowski enjoys LVC’s direct entry program for physical therapy.
“It was really the physical therapy program that drove my interest in LVC," Milchanowski said.
Milchanowski went to Warwick High School, so home for him isn’t even 30 minutes from LVC. Although the proximity to home is nice, Milchanowski made clear that the Physical Therapy Program was the driving factor in his enrollment.
According to a recent study from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, roughly 60 colleges in the United States are closing on average each year. However, LVC’s stable enrollment, academic programs, job placement track record, and uniquely high student-athlete population suggest they will not soon be one of them.
As LVC turns the page on its history, one can’t help but wonder: how many pages are left?