ENROLLMENT FALLS AT FOUR-YEAR COLLEGES

Higher education in Missouri is having its ups and downs in enrollment, with public four-year institutions in general experiencing a decline and community colleges showing an increase.

But state and local education officials don't view the news as gloomy.

In fact, Charles McClain, the state's commissioner for higher education, has long insisted that too much emphasis is placed on enrollment figures.

But McClain said the situation is changing as educators focus on recruiting prepared students.

"I think most of them realize quality over quantity is the byword of the '90s," he said Monday.

The latest figures compiled by the Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education show total full-time equivalent (FTE) fall enrollment at Missouri's four-year colleges and universities declined by 2.7 percent from 1991 to this year.

In the fall of 1991, total enrollment was 97,542. This fall, that figure dropped to 94,897.

A comparison of fall semesters from 1981 through the start of this semester show enrollment at four-year public colleges and universities showed a minuscule increase of 0.5 percent.

At Southeast Missouri State University, FTE enrollment stands at 7,055 this fall, a drop of 2.2 percent from last fall's 7,214 total.

From 1981-1992, fall semester enrollment overall at Southeast has declined by 13.8 percent, the biggest decrease of any four-year school, coordinating board figures indicate.

In contrast to the four-year schools, community colleges have seen FTE enrollment climb 41.4 percent over the past 12 years.

State figures also show enrollment this fall is up 0.8 percent over the same period last year. In all, FTE enrollment at Missouri's community colleges totals 42,855 this fall.

At Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff, enrollment is up 9.2 percent this fall semester over the same period last year. State statistics show the college has an FTE enrollment of 1,701.

Over the past dozen years, enrollment at the community college has climbed nearly 63 percent.

Retraining of workers and relatively low tuition charges are factors in the growth of community college enrollments, maintains Dan Opalewski, dean of student affairs at Three Rivers.

"Basically economics will keep them home," said Opalewski, noting that community colleges offer a low-cost alternative for students.

"One of the largest factors I think would be tuition. Our tuition still is considerably reasonable as compared to the university level at this point in time," he said.

Opalewski said many people these days go to college part time while they continue to hold down jobs.

In addition, tougher admission standards at four-year schools are forcing prospective students to look to community colleges for their continued education, he said.

McClain and Southeast Missouri State University officials say the latest enrollment figures reflect demographics: there are fewer higher school graduates.

In addition, out of this smaller pool of potential college students, more are coming from the low-income group whose members traditionally haven't attended four-year schools, McClain said.

Community colleges and vocational schools are important elements in the education picture, he said. "We've got to quit saying that those are inferior options.

"We can't staff our industrial lines with people that have business degrees," he observed.

Missouri's four-year schools are now implementing tougher admission standards.

McClain said he sees nothing wrong with lower enrollments. "You have more serious students enrolled.

"I think it is an indication that the system is working, that it is beginning to be a well focused system and well articulated system," he said.

Art Wallhausen, assistant to the president at Southeast, said university officials long ago forecast declining enrollments.

"I don't think anyone here is wringing their hands over these figures," said Wallhausen.

He said the projections indicated the enrollment downturn should bottom out in 1993 or 1994.

But demographics aren't the only factor in the downturn. "Costs have gone up dramatically during the last decade," said Wallhausen, referring to tuition and fee hikes.

Tougher admission standards have also had an impact, he said. Southeast has denied admission to about 700 prospective students in the last two years.

But overall, Wallhausen said, Southeast's enrollment has remained relatively stable over the past year.

Enrollment of first-time freshmen has declined by 4.8 percent this fall as compared with the same period last year. But statewide, there has been a 6.4 percent decline in freshman enrollment at four-year colleges and universities, state figures show.

At community colleges, the number of FTE first-time freshmen has increased by 5.7 percent this fall as compared with last fall.

Wallhausen said the slight enrollment downturn will have little impact on operations at Southeast. "Our change is such a minuscule change, 2 percent in total enrollment and 5 percent in entering freshmen that it will not make a great deal of difference in teaching loads or assignment of faculty," Wallhausen said.