In a recent episode of MakeGoodDecisionsTV filmed inside Marian University’s Allison Mansion, President Daniel J. Elsener joined former State Senator Jim Merritt to discuss the university’s momentum and its deepening commitment to students and surrounding neighborhoods.
Elsener noted that while higher education enrollment across Indiana has declined over the past five years, Marian University has grown nearly 30 percent. He highlighted major areas driving that progress: the expansion of medical education and new residency accreditation; the university’s role in raising literacy rates in nearby schools through the Klipsch Educators College; and the transformation of the former Larue Carter site into the Riverside Educational Innovation District, a new hub for education, workforce development, and neighborhood revitalization.
The discussion also touched on student well-being, including Marian’s long-standing Knightro’s Pantry and support programs for students facing food insecurity. Merritt closed by promoting Indiana’s Lifeline Law, encouraging students to call 911 during alcohol-related emergencies, a message Marian reinforces in its student training.
Lift families. Strengthen wages. Build confidence. And help our neighbors see themselves not just riding in the wagon but pulling it.— President Daniel J. Elsener