During an average day on the University of Idaho campus, the number of students walking around might not appear to fluctuate very much from year-to-year.
However, overall student enrollment numbers are down by about 3.3 percent from the previous academic year, according to Jean Kim, vice provost for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management. Considering UI President Chuck Staben”s goal was to increase student enrollment by 50 percent by the year 2025, this isn”t a great start.
The problem doesn”t seem to be coming from the lack of incoming freshmen either. The number of this year”s incoming freshmen is roughly the same from last year.
The 3.3 percent decrease comes from an accumulation of reports from undergraduates, graduates, resident and non-resident students, all of which are showing some decline.
This is not to say that Staben”s plan isn”t working. He has only been in office since March 2014 and no one expected student enrollment to increase by the entire 50 percent goal in just one academic year.
When it comes to building a student body and creating an environment in which ensuring student retention and recruitment isn”t as much of a problem, it takes time.
Not only is Staben operating under the intent of putting the time and effort into creating a solution for this problem, but the administration is also focusing on those low rates.
Staben has focused his efforts on creating a team of upper-level administrators, all who seem to have enrollment on the top of their minds. For the most part, his team is now in place, so hopefully more work can be done this year.
Although UI has done several things to help increase enrollment and retention, these efforts might not see obvious results until further down the line. Either way, in order to develop the university in terms of student numbers, UI will need to show more progress.
Current efforts have been noted. MAP-Works, a program designed to familiarize students with campus, has now been expanded to all first-year students, not just those living in residence halls. There is also a committee of deans, administrators and students who are working on creating a strategic plan to increase enrollment. University websites have also undergone some major improvements.
Right now, UI has to compete with BSU and WSU in order to bring in students. UI is a good university, but sometimes staying close to home or the allure of a larger university is more appealing to students. There”s a lot more to UI than you can see on a campus tour, but it takes being an actual student here to see it.
This isn”t just a problem for faculty and administration. Students should also be hoping for increased enrollment. If enrollment increases, the amount of money that goes toward research and facilities goes up as well.
With all the new construction projects finishing up next fall and a brand new Welcome Center in the Bruce Pitman Center, not to mention the new direct admissions plan, UI should still be hopeful for that 50 percent increase in student enrollment in 10 years time.
– CW