St. Norbert welcomes smaller class of 2028

St. Norbert College's class of 2028 arrived on campus Thursday to move into their residence halls.

• The incoming class of 415 first-year students is smaller than the 502 that arrived in the class of 2027
• This comes as the school is offering new academic programs and cutting faculty
• Video shows families arriving to campus

(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story.)

Hangers, mini fridges and helpful family members. These are the sights of move-in day for the Class of 2028 here at St. Norbert College.

St. Norbert welcomed incoming freshmen and transfers Thursday.

For parents, it's a lot of trips to the car, and a roller coaster of emotions.

"It's bittersweet," Jennifer Deneys said. "It's exciting, but it's kind of nerve wracking too. Just really excited for my son."

For the students who are leaving home, like Appleton's Nathan Bekkers, move-in day is a leap of faith.

"We're gonna see what it's like, throwing myself into the deep end," he said. "We'll see how it goes."

His brother Ryan brings the wisdom of an upperclassman.

"My main piece of advice is just get involved," Ryan, a rising junior, said. "Find something that you like."

The incoming class of 415 is smaller than the 500+ last year.

The group boasts an average high school grade point average of 3.58. The school's president thinks the school adding more than two dozen new areas of study attracted an academically gifted group.

"The two that we're really excited about are healthcare administration, as well as supply chain management," President Laurie Joyner said. "And part of the reason we added those new majors, was because we listened to students, who said they wanted more offerings than those particular areas."

St. Norbert upperclassmen move in Friday and throughout the weekend. Classes start on Monday.