Colleges experience surge of new students

Southeast Missouri State University isn't alone among regional higher education institutions in reporting a surge in this semester's freshman class.

Southern Illinois University in Carbondale reported a 12 percent increase in freshman enrollment, while overall on-campus enrollment at SIU increased by 303 students. SIU released its enrollment figures Tuesday following a count taken at the end of Friday, the 10th day of classes at the university. The on-campus increase was accompanied by a drop in off-campus enrollment by 317 students, bringing overall enrollment to 20,983, down 20 students from 2006.

Enrollment figures provide important data for educators and school administrators. By knowing how many students are taking classes, universities are able to gauge what they need to do to better serve those students. Some universities, like Southeast, also use those enrollment figures to gauge how well their marketing works and to bolster a school's reputation.

An increase in enrollment among freshman is a strong indicator that a university's marketing and recruitment programs are working, said Dr. Debbie Below, director of admissions and enrollment management. The numbers are also used informally to market the university to potential students and parents. They're not printed in recruitment materials, but recruiters do use the numbers when talking to prospective students and parents, Below said.

Primarily the figures are used for what Below calls "managing enrollment" -- making sure the university provides the proper academic and social services for its number of students.

Southeast's enrollment figures have had an upward trend for the past several years, but "our goal isn't necessarily to grow enrollment next year," Below said.

First-day undergraduate enrollment at Southeast was up 3.9 percent this year compared to last year, with a 20 percent gain in freshman enrollment largely responsible for the increase. On the first day of classes Aug. 20, Southeast reported 1,826 beginning freshmen, up from 1,514 last year. Official figures on Southeast's enrollment won't be available until four weeks into the semester.

Poplar Bluff, Mo.-based Three Rivers Community College, a two-year institution, reported its enrollment has increased by 219 students from last year based on enrollment Friday, increasing from 3,002 this time last year to 3,221 this year.

Comparing Southeast and Three Rivers' enrollment figures to other universities in the region -- Southern Illinois University and Murray State University in Murray, Ky. -- is difficult this early in the semester, though, as numbers fluctuate every day early in the semester as students are taken off and added to the rolls.

Last year, Southeast's first-day enrollment was down slightly, 1.1 percent, but increased by the four-week census, passing the 10,000 barrier for the second consecutive year. But Southeast has reported an increase in its four-week enrollment every year since 1996.

At Murray State University, Becky Watts, deputy to the president, didn't have an exact number for the university's freshman enrollment available Friday afternoon, but said the university's enrollment was "essentially even with last year" on the first day of classes.

At Murray State, total enrollment was down by about 200 students as of Friday, Watts said. But the university won't take an official tally of those numbers until Oct. 26, when they are reported to the state. In Missouri, the enrollment numbers after four weeks of classes are reported to the state.

Institutions report their enrollment figures to state governments, and some states use those figures to determine the level of state funding a school will receive. In Missouri, though, funding isn't based on enrollment numbers.

Where enrollment numbers increase, an increase in recruitment efforts are often cited as the reason.

At Southeast, recruitment efforts have stepped up in the St. Louis region and in Southeast Missouri, though the university recently eliminated a recruiter position that was based in the St. Louis area, Below said.

But enrollment hasn't only increased among St. Louis-area students, she said. The university's regional campuses at Kennett, Sikeston and Malden enrolled 184 new, first-time students taking courses at only those campuses this year, compared to 148 last fall.

Joe Rozman, vice president for student affairs, attributes Three Rivers' enrollment gains to stepped-up recruitment efforts in area high schools, getting the message out that the community college provides a quality education at an affordable price.

Much of the credit for Southeast's gains go to the Cape Girardeau community itself, Below said. Families often have positive comments about the community when they visit the campus, she said.

And the addition of the River Campus is believed to have attracted more students, both inside and outside of arts majors. Arts programs at Southeast are reporting gains in majors across the board, but Below said other students with artistic interests but not pursuing majors in the arts are also choosing the university because of the River Campus.

msanders@semissourian.com

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