Over the past couple of years, Carlow University added new health sciences programs — notably surgical technology, occupational and physical therapy, physician assistant and speech-language — in an effort to meet demand.
Now, they’re seeing the results of their labor.
Carlow’s Class of 2026, at 792 students, is the university’s largest graduating class in its 96-year history.
“We have adjusted our curriculum to meet the next great need,” Carlow President Kathy Humphrey told TribLive. “We are being intentionally who we’ve always been.”
As many local universities hold commencement events this weekend, Carlow’s commencement will be Saturday evening at the convention center in Downtown Pittsburgh. About 4,500 people are expected to attend.
Sister Sheila Carney — a Pittsburgh native, 1967 Carlow graduate and 58-year Sister of Mercy — will deliver the commencement address and receive an honorary degree. Carney is Carlow’s special assistant to the president for Mercy Heritage and Service, a position she’s held for the past 18 years.
Carlow, a Catholic-affiliated university in Oakland, was founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1929.
“Carlow is attentive to the needs of the community, and over the years has adjusted programming to meet that need,” Carney said.
Trends
Between fall 2011 and fall 2021, Carlow’s enrollment only decreased.
Humphrey, who became Carlow president in July 2021, said enrollment was around 1,980 students when she started. This fall’s enrollment was 2,453 students, she said.
“Students who are looking for a university where they will be capable and prepared for the program they’re looking for will find that at Carlow,” Carney said. “There is a palpable sense of the value of each individual and the commitment to our students to give them a quality education.”
Humphrey came to Carlow after nearly two decades at the University of Pittsburgh, where she was senior vice chancellor for engagement and secretary to the Board of Trustees, as well as an associate professor of education. She previously spent more than a decade as an administrator at Saint Louis University, a Catholic school, where she received her Ph.D. in higher education.
Between 2020 and 2023, Carlow graduation numbers remained at around 580 to 600 students. In 2024, the number of graduates jumped to 705, and further increased to 772 last year.
Top programs by graduate volume are nursing, education, family nurse practitioner and psychology.
“We look at community needs,” Humphrey said. “The students are answering that call.”
One such program is an associate’s of science degree in surgical technology, launched in 2023. Humphrey said that program was created in direct response to a surgeon telling her that some surgeries had to be canceled because there were not enough technicians.
“That program is putting surgical techs in Pittsburgh,” she said. “I’d say about 90% of our graduates have stayed here in our city.”
Carlow’s growth can be attributed to graduate degree programs, too.
The university offers a master’s of science degree in cardiovascular perfusion. Its graduates account for 10% of all perfusionists working in the United States, Humphrey said.
A perfusionist operates the heart-lung machine during open-heart surgery. They manage the patient’s blood flow, oxygen and body temperature, keeping the patient alive while the surgeon works on a still heart.
“We’ve created these programs, and over that time span, all of those have grown our enrollment,” Humphrey said.
Growth at Carlow comes at a time where higher education institutions nationwide are feeling pressure with enrollment and finances.
Seven Penn State University branch campuses, locally New Kensington and Fayette, will close in a year. Kent State University plans to lay off 45 employees amid a budget deficit. At Temple University, an internal report recently obtained by The Philadelphia Inquirer found that the school “lost 27% of its U.S. enrollment over the last eight years, amounting to an average of more than $200 million in lost revenue annually.”
At Carlow, Humphrey said, “we are constantly trying to figure out what the needs are. … It’s not a one-and-done.”
‘Living a meaningful life’
Sister Carney serves as an example of Carlow’s mission.
A Sister of Mercy of the Americas for 58 years, Carney’s work includes starting the Carlow Food Pantry; establishing The Braided Community, a dialogue initiative connecting the Sisters of Mercy, Carlow and West Oakland residents; and receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, a prestigious honor in Catholic higher education.
Carney said she hopes graduates can take away a sense of values and pride from her speech on Saturday evening.
“They have been in a rich environment over these four years, that we hope they recognize the time at Carlow as not just about professions, but about living a meaningful life,” she said.
“That’s one of our goals as a campus, to be current, to continue to be a setting where the whole Carlow community can feel valued as persons and understand themselves for who they are and what they do.”