Enrollment numbers higher than last year
Published Feb. 15, 2008
Preliminary enrollment numbers for MU remain high in several areas, a university enrollment official said, but she also warned of impending challenges in coming years.
Ann Korschgen, vice provost for enrollment management, told the MU Faculty Council applications to MU increased by 2,317, which is a 21 percent increase compared to this time last year. Enrollment deposits, which incoming students pay to reserve a spot in the university, also increased by 578, a 17 percent increase compared to last year.
“This looks phenomenal, but what we found out is that major universities across the country are up,” Korschgen said. “Most are not up as much as we are, but many are up. So, people are trying to figure out what’s going on, because in Missouri we only have 1.8 percent more high school graduates this May than last year.”
Korschgen said possible reasons for the increase might include factors such as the economy, the success of the football team or more students submitting applications to multiple schools.
“It’s too early to call really whether or not we’re going to have a robust enrollment or if this will hold or not,” Korschgen said. “But, at the moment we’re very pleased with what we’re seeing just in terms of demographics.”
Korschgen said MU has so far seen 51 percent increase in the number of black applicants submitting enrollment deposits and 44 percent increase in Hispanic applicants submitting deposits. She said enrollment deposits from students with an ACT test score of 28 or higher increased by 14 percent.
Korschgen also said out-of-state applications increased by 39 percent and in-state applications increased by 13 percent. She said transfer applications increased by 30 percent.
Some members of the board were concerned about classroom space if these numbers hold up, especially with large, required classes that freshmen normally take.
“It’s a serious question,” Faculty Council member Jay Dow said. “Where are they going to go?”
Korschgen said her office is working on remedies for this, including possibly holding some classes earlier or later during the day to accommodate the need for more sections.
“We are certainly concerned about this already,” Korschgen said.
Dow said the key issue would be having enough time to hire faculty to cover the additional sections. He said the window for hiring visiting faculty is approaching, and enough advance notice of enrollment and budget would be necessary to hire quality faculty.
MU might face enrollment challenges in the future, including a drop in Missouri high school graduates and a referendum on the ballot in November that would not allow race to be considered in enrollment decisions, Korschgen said.
“We’re very much aware that in 2011, there is going to be a significant drop in the number of high school graduates in Missouri,” Korschgen said. “When I say significant I mean at least 5 percent.”
Korschgen said a committee has been formed to discuss and come up with options to deal with the decline in Missouri high school graduates. She said one of the options might include spending more time recruiting in states such as Texas and Illinois.
The referendum in November that would ban affirmative action, Korschgen said, is also a concern for enrollment in the future.
“We’re concerned that this will have a very chilling impact on our diversity efforts,” Korschgen said.
Jeffrey Williams, assistant to the vice provost for enrollment management, said he is running a committee to address possible impacts from this referendum.
“The goal of our committee is to determine how we might operate and achieve our diversity related goals if the ballot initiative passes,” Williams said.