FOND DU LAC, Wis. — Marian University launched two new undergraduate majors for the 2023-24 school year — Construction Management and Risk Management and Insurance — now both in their second semesters.

“One of the things I did when I became President four years ago was talk to CEOs and talent acquisition folks from various companies,” Said President Michelle Majewski. “I asked them ‘what do you need now and what do you need five years from now’ and no surprise, Fond Du Lac is in the middle of several large construction companies.”

What You Need To Know

  • Marian University launched two new undergraduate majors for the 2023-24 school year

  • Construction Management and Risk Management and Insurance are both in their second semesters

  • This comes after the university announced an enrollment emergency last spring

  • Marian University cut nine undergraduate majors and minors in spring of 2023, in addition to more programs at the graduate level

Majewski said one of the common themes employers discussed was preparing students to become project managers and eventually, superintendents for construction companies.

“We put together an advisory board of folks from various companies. As we started to develop a curriculum, we had them look at it and provide feedback,” Majewski said.

The same process took shape for Marian’s risk management and insurance major.

“We brought in people from several companies to get their input in terms of what is the demand and what might a program look like,” she said.

Both undergraduate majors were in the works when Marian University declared an enrollment emergency last spring. The announcement came at about the same time that Cardinal Stritch announced its closure because of severe enrollment decline and financial hardships.

Marian cut nine undergraduate majors and minors last spring, including a program in graphic arts and a program in social justice. Those cuts were in addition to more program deactivation at the graduate level.

“The enrollment issue is not going away anytime soon,” Majewski said. “Colleges and universities have to be more nimble, to look at their array of programs and decide what they keep and what is no longer viable.”

Majewski said enrollment is slightly up this year, compared to last school year. She said the goal of adding these two new majors is to boost enrollment, retain more students and bolster the workforce within the Fox Valley region.     

“There is a heavy focus on the part of students and parents in terms of how does this lead to a job, what kind of career can I have and how much money am I going to make,” Majewski said.

The first class of graduates for construction management can obtain their degrees in two years. At that time, the program can also become accredited. Majewski said the college has three additional programs pending in the allied health sciences field.

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