Enrollment numbers stabilizing
USU enrollment is stabilizing due to the experienced faculty and the leave of absence policy while the rest of Utah institutions are decreasing in numbers, said Krysten Deschamps, matriculation advisor for the Retention and First-Year Experience department
A recent study has shown the number of students enrolled at Utah State has been fairly stable compared to the dramatic decreases in other universities statewide.
Jenn Putnam, the director of admissions for USU, when asked about the reasons for this trend said, “Utah State has the most to offer students. Students come here to get the ultimate college experience.”
Deschamps said, “Utah State has been a pioneer in the state in terms of trying to retain students and leave of absence is a huge part of that.”
When students take a leave of absence they are making a commitment to USU to come back when they are ready to, Deschamps said. Forty percent of people who take a leave of absence do it for religious or military reasons, she said. Financial struggles are the reason for another 21 percent of leave of absences, she said. That is a big number considering the steps that are taken and the people that get involved to help
students with those problems, she said.
“President Albrecht is very much focused on the students. He will do whatever it takes to make this experience the best it can be,” Putnam said. “We are lucky enough to have a president who really believes in what we are doing and will listen to our needs.”
She said it helps to have administrators who understand the need for stability in financial help. She said that because of this it “makes us different from other institutions.”
Kyle Hyde, who works in the Analysis, Assessment and Accreditation Office, said as of fall 2006, enrollment was up 2.2 percent from fall semester of 2005. He said there are 23,623 students currently enrolled for fall semester of 2006, which is substantially higher than the 21,211 that were enrolled in spring semester of 2006. There were 4,865 new freshman applications processed, he said. The statistics about enrollment can be found at www.aaa.usu.edu.
“There are defini0tely plans for growth in the future,” Putnam said. “I think growing another thousand or two will give us the same classroom experience level.”
This could provide a lot more diversity to students and the experiences with students from other places can only help the college experience, she said.
“There’s a real push to try and grow in certain areas because we know that’s going to enhance the profile of the university and make your experiences as a student here that much more fulfilling,” Putnam said.
Associate Director of Admissions Jeff Sorensen said, “This semester we enrolled about 450 more students more than the previous fall semester. That’s about how the trend has been going.”
“I know that Utah State has the most comprehensive and well developed system than anyone else in the state,” Deschamps said. “I think that this has helped our enrollment because we’re helping students prepare to return rather than just letting them walk away.”
Other institutions across the state don’t have such an enhanced program and that is why their enrollment isn’t as stable as USU, Deschamps said.
“Most colleges and universities are moving towards a system like we have because retaining students is really important and a lot cheaper than recruiting new students,” she said.
The Admissions office is the first thing students go through when they come to the university and it’s important for USU to accommodate the students, Putnam said. The Admissions Office is the “front door for USU” and she said she really likes that responsibility. “The more students you have to learn with, the better your experience is,” she said.
Deschamps said another reason for this trend is because of the decrease in complete withdrawals and the decrease in the number of suspensions. She said 34 percent of people who withdraw are sophomores and 24 percent are freshman. The number of suspensions has decreased from 174 in fall of 2002 to 74 fall of 2005.
-shanmccl@cc.usu.edu