ENROLLMENT DECREASES SHOULDN'T PROMPT PANIC

Enrollment has dropped at Southeast Missouri State University this fall and the panic button isn't being pushed at Academic Hall. Good. A university shouldn't be in the business of directing its operation according to enrollment figures any more than a lawmaker should check the latest polls before casting a legislative vote. A sense of reason and mission must prevail. We believe the university is on a proper course with its admissions policies and hope enrollment decreases reflected in a recent report don't alter the school's attitude in this regard.

At Southeast, the full-time equivalent enrollment this fall is 7,055, down from 7,214 last fall. The decline is slightly more than 2 percent. Enrollment of first-time freshmen at the university is down almost 5 percent, though this is considerably better than the state average this year (6.4 percent). It helps to know, too, that the Cape Girardeau school is in step with the statewide trend: In the fall of 1991, there were 97,542 students enrolled in Missouri institutions of higher learning, and that number is 94,897 this year.

There is no sole reason for the declining numbers. Most enrollments were up last year, so the slide this year is understandable in cyclical terms. Demographics and the lesser number of high school graduates also play a role, and so does the weakened economy. However, Charles McClain, the state's commissioner for higher education, makes a compelling point is discounting the emphasis placed on enrollment figures and instead accentuating the need for attracting to campuses students who are academically prepared. This latter tack is the one Southeast has pursued, denying enrollment to more than 700 prospective students in the last two years, mostly because those applicants weren't sufficiently prepared for a university education.

The benefit of an elevation in admission standards won't show in a singular enrollment statistic. It is a long-range investment, one intended to raise the quality of education at an institution. We believe that such a philosophy will ultimately attract more students. Building enrollment numbers is not such a chore if that is the only goal of a university. Our view is that Southeast wants to continue to build on a reputation for quality education. We commend this thinking.