By LORETTA FULTON Construction and instruction will be going on at the same time when students return Monday, Aug. 28, for fall classes at Abilene’s three church-affiliated universities. Classes and opening chapel services, along with the sounds of power tools and heavy equipment, await students at United Methodist-affiliated McMurry University, Baptist affiliated Hardin-Simmons University, and Churches of Christ-affiliated Abilene Christian

By LORETTA FULTON McMurry and Abilene Christian universities both saw enrollment increases for fall 2022, while Hardin-Simmons University recorded its third consecutive enrollment drop.  ACU, affiliated with the Churches of Christ, hit a record high for the fifth consecutive year. Total enrollment for fall 2022 is 5,731 students. The university saw increases in all key areas: undergraduate enrollment, graduate enrollment