This year’s JCU freshmen class is one of the best in terms of high school records, but what it has in quality it lacks in quantity. There are 663 members in 2009’s freshman class, as opposed to the freshman classes in 2007 and 2008 which had 726 and 792 members respectively. The drop in enrollment is a problem for the University, its faculty and staff and the students who are already here.
This is an issue that affects all current students because fewer students mean less tuition money coming in to the University. That means less Student Activity Fees were collected, equating to less funding for student programming and less to invest in faculty, staff and technology to offer the best educational opportunities.
Much of the blame for this low enrollment can be placed on the recession. Vice President for Enrollment Brian Williams and his staff have put in a lot of hard work bringing in students from all over the country. Also, faculty has foregone salary increases so the University can invest as much as possible into student financial aid.
The University might try to look into more alumni donations. Contacting alumni and letting them know, if they don’t already know, what the University and faculty have been doing to provide more student financial aid could be enough to make a difference.
Another way to reach out to potential students is to have academic departments bring groups of high school students to campus for conferences and workshops like the annual Urban Journalism Conference. Giving students a chance to experience the campus and feel at home can play a major role in their decision to come here. Admissions staff members should work to engage academic departments in order to reach out to prospective students for next year and beyond.
Fewer students means less tuition money coming into the University which raises the cost per student for those currently attending JCU. Hopefully, the economy will improve and, with the continued efforts of everyone at the University, we can find a way to solve this problem.
