Recruitment tour ends successfully

Utah State University is one step closer to increasing next year’s enrollment and forming solid ties with its out-of-state communities after finishing a multi-day recruitment tour throughout southeastern Idaho last week.

President Stan Albrecht led a group of more than 30 university professors, recruiters, ambassadors and deans to high schools throughout Idaho Falls, Pocatello and Malad Oct. 4-6.

“It far exceeded any expectation we could have had; we were extremely pleased with the reception we received,” Jenn Putnam, associate director of recruitment, said.

The goal of the Road Scholars Tour was to have face-to-face conversations with potential students in communities where enrollment has decreased in the past few years because of House Bill 331.

“Our message was giving them a taste of what higher education is about and how Utah State University can fill the community’s educational needs,” Tim Vitale, assistant director of public relations and member of the Road Scholars Tour committee, said.

HB331, which went into effect May 2002, requires non-resident students to have 60 credits from a Utah college or university before they can apply for resident status. Since that time, enrollment from USU’s out-of-state students has steadily decreased.

In 2001, before the bill was passed, 208 freshmen from Idaho were enrolled at USU. Then in 2004, that number dropped to 140 freshmen, Putnam said.

However, if all goes as planned, university officials are trying to get approval from the Utah Legislature to approve various tuition waivers by fall semester 2006, for out-of-state students faced with HB331.

“We are fighting for students who are not from Utah,” Putnam said. “We’re going to revisit that [issue] and get some additional money for out-of-state students and particularly our Idaho students.”

Since before the beginning of the school year, Albrecht has been working with administrators to boost enrollment and recruitment.

“Our biggest challenge right now is to stabilize enrollment,” Albrecht said. “It’s something we’ll have to work on aggressively.”

Although this is the third-annual Road Scholars Tour, this is the first year the university has focused so heavily on recruitment, Putnam said.

During the entire three-day event, USU administrators visited two high schools in Idaho Falls, two high schools in Pocatello and one in Malad, Vitale said.

“The interaction that the students had with the professors was really uncommon,” John Cockett, principal of Malad High School, said. “If we could get these waivers for the students, they would go to USU in a heart beat.”

Before HB331, traditionally half of the students from Malad High School went to USU, Cockett said.

Aside from visiting specific high schools, Albrecht held luncheons in an informal setting with other high school principals, community leaders and church leaders in the area in the area.

“We were met and I’m not exaggerating, with open arms at every turn of this event,” Vitale said. “The president himself is masterfull in these situations.”

Each night, they also held open houses for alumni, potential students and their parents. Representatives from each college, Financial Aid and Housing and Food Services were there to answer any questions.

Although administrators haven’t actually seen if the event will raise enrollment as of yet, they are still hoping to continue holding the Road Scholars Tour in Idaho as well as other communities in Utah.

-mmackay@cc.usu.edu