Calumet College of St. Joseph February 2026 update
After about a month-long break, classes resumed here at CCSJ on Jan. 12. May ask at the start of a new term — what do the enrollment numbers look like? We have a total of 668 students (undergrad and grad). This number represents an increase of about 95 students from last year at this time. Our retention numbers looked better this term, with 90% retention from fall to spring term. The numbers may shift as students can still enroll or withdraw during the first week of the term. Finally, 50 students graduated in December.
The year 2026 marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of Calumet College of St. Joseph. A number of events will be held throughout the year to commemorate and celebrate the 70 years of our mission here in northwest Indiana (and beyond). At the end of January, we began by dedicating a timeline of significant historical photos on display in the Katsahnias Commons.
Like all in our universal Church, we concluded our Jubilee Year of Hope at the end of the calendar year. Although we did not achieve our goal of 5,000 hours of community service, we did offer a substantial number of service hours — 3,122 hours were given by our CCSJ community (1,764 by students and 1,358 by employees). Over 200 organizations and causes were served. One thing that was accomplished was continuing the awareness of our mission to serve our community.
Work continues on various construction projects around campus. The renovation to the 7th floor is really shaping up nicely. This includes extending the elevators up to the 7th floor so that the space is accessible for all. Work continues on some classrooms, with some new paint and AV equipment. On Dec. 3, we had a groundbreaking celebration for our new athletic field and floral/fauna park area for our local community to wander and exercise in a natural setting.
The search process for a new president began in November. Once again, we contracted with the RPA firm to assist us in this very important responsibility. A search committee has been formed, composed of many constituencies from the college. The job prospectus has been published, and applications have been coming in. In March, we hope to have narrowed the candidate field and hold “airport” interviews with a select group. In April, we look to have on-campus interviews and shortly thereafter to have a new president named.
Fr. Tim McFarland, C.PP.S.