Horizons - Fall 2023

Carry It Forward

As always, it is my great pleasure to share with you the exciting things happening on our campuses. As we welcomed our largest incoming class in eight years to the Lamoni campus — 341 new Gracelanders! — we saw the impacts of the pandemic beginning to fade somewhat as our students have been highly engaged throughout the semester.

One of the most exciting things to happen during my tenure as president was the transformation of Graceland’s tuition from $32,500 to $19,950 (read more here). We announced this change in September, and it goes into effect in the fall of 2024. As students and families have become increasingly price-conscious when it comes to their academic experience, many believed (incorrectly) that Graceland just wasn’t affordable for them.

By transforming our tuition, we are declaring what some people already knew: Graceland is an affordable and valuable choice for students, especially as you consider our generous financial aid packages and that every four-year undergraduate student earns two majors upon their graduation — one in their area of expertise (like Finance, Digital Content Creation, Allied Health, or Elementary Education) and one in our exciting Transformational Leadership major, which provides students with the durable skills employers are seeking.

The response to our tuition transformation from prospective students has been fantastic and we hope to welcome even more students to Lamoni next fall.

We followed that exciting announcement with a wonderful Homecoming, complete with a fireworks show on Saturday night. I always love spending time with alumni and friends that weekend — for many of you it was your first time back in years. What I hope you know is that the Graceland Experience is alive and well on our campuses. I know you carry it forward through your life, your family, and your career. It is truly unique and I see it in each one of you I meet.