Southern Illinois University Museum recently issued the following announcement.
Southern Illinois University student enrollment numbers are being readjusted to a more “attainable” goal, according to the Associate Chancellor for Enrollment Manager Jennifer DeHaemers.
The university’s late Chancellor Carlo Montemagno’s goal was set at the beginning of the 2018 fall semester. Total enrollment was 12,817, which is down 11.9 percent over fall 2017.
According to the university news, Montemagno said the decline was expected as the university undergoes major changes intended to drive enrollment to 18,300 by 2025.
″The idea that we would reach 18-thousand students by 2025, which is roughly five years from now, is very aggressive,” DeHaemers says. “I think 15,000 students for us. That’s roughly a three to four thousand student increase, and I think that’s probably pretty doable in the next three to five years as long as we focus on the two things.”
The two main focuses are recruitment and retention. “Not just the recruitment of new students, but we also have to work to maintain the ones we attract here.”
DeHaemers says the market is different now from even five years ago. She says the population of the high school graduates is shrinking. In addition, she says there’s also more competition for the out-of-town students.
However, despite the challenges, DeHaemer says she’s hopeful. “There are students who need to be here, who want to be here. This is the right university for them and so i’m confident that we can turn this around," DeHaemer says.
The university is one of the biggest employers in southern Illinois and Carbondale Mayor Mike Henry says his city cannot succeed without it. “We cannot continue to operate as we have in the past," Henry says. "So I ask this of each of you of the administration and faculty of this great institute. Be positive and encourage these good folks in doing their best to restore this institution to its former greatness.”
DeHaemers says she sees the unique relationship the success of the city and the university, but will stay focused on her main mission. “The end goal is.we’re going to increase enrollment here," DeHaemer says. "We are going to get new students here, we are going to do a better job of retaining our students, and this institution is going to grow.”
She says the university expects the next set of enrollment numbers to be down, because of the large class of seniors graduating; so, anticipating the numbers to decrease, before they increase.
Original source can be found here.
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