Two years after scaling back its athletics programs, Alverno College in Milwaukee, Wis., has increased its enrollment by investing in women’s sports.
According to Wisconsin Public Radio, Alverno’s president Christy Brown created a three-year plan to increase enrollment and she planned to do it through athletics. Brown hired a girls’ soccer coach in July 2025, reigniting a program that had been dormant for four years.
“There were a lot of great athletic stories that I learned about when I arrived here and I want that same sort of experience for the students who are here now,” Brown said. “It just became a natural strategy to help grow the college.”
Alverno College currently sponsors basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, volleyball, and track and field, and in 2028 the college will debut it’s women’s flag football team.
For the 2026-27 academic year, Alverno saw a 5% increase in new-student enrollment, as well as a 60% increase in new undergraduate enrollment and a 75% increase in new student-athletes enrolling at the small women’s college. Brown believes that the reinvestment in athletics is a huge credit to the boosted enrollment numbers.
“I feel as though athletics helps encourage our students to grow their confidence, to grow their discipline, to grow their ability to collaborate with others,” Brown said. “I think there is a correlation between leadership and women doing athletics.”
Just two years ago the Higher Learning Commission had designated Alverno as in “financial distress” and the school cut back dozens of services and staff positions. Now, Brown says there is “excitement” on campus, especially as the renewed athletics teams begin their seasons and score their first victories.
The soccer team won its game on ‘Ohana Night,’ a theme night dedicated to the recently recruited Hawaiian girls on the team. One new student-athlete from Hawaii, Richelle Mae Javar said, “I feel like being part of Alverno, I like the environment and especially being a part of the soccer team.”
