Enrollment:A Work in Progress

ISU has been affected in recent years by a continuing struggle with enrollment numbers. Fall numbers have been on the decline since 2002, when 11,714 students gave ISU its best fall enrollment numbers of the last decade. The university has seen a gradual decline every year since, hitting a new low this semester with 10,543 total students. The sagging statistics had a noticeable impact on Residential Life. In June 2006, Sandison Hall, which had housed nearly 300 students since 1962, was closed to save money because of floundering enrollment numbers. Director of Residential Life Mary Ellen Linn said the decision was made because it was costing the university money to keep the hall open during the enrollment decline. " W e didn't need another hall," Linn said. Sandison was chosen for foreclosure because all other halls were either connected to dining halls or had recently undergone renovation. Though there has been an increase in on-campus residency, Linn said there are still no plans to open Sandison anytime soon. This semester saw on-campus residency increase by 50 students. However, Linn said it would take a spike of at least 300 students to get the building back into circulation. "We still don't need to re-open (Sandison)," Linn said. "If our numbers goclosing, the Phi Beta Sigma and Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternities held residence in Sandison. When it was closed, Phi Beta Sigma moved to the basement of Hines, while Tau Kappa Epsilon was shifted to Lincoln Quads. John Eddie Sowder, a senior mathematics and computer science services major and secretary for TKE, said the move to the Quads has created a less intimate feel between fraternity members. "It was nicer when we had the floor because it was easier to interact," Sowder said. "It was easier when we could just leave our doors open. No one likes to walk up stairs to talk to each other." Though he admitted to missing the Sandison set up, Sowder said he understood the reason for shutting down Sandison. "I don't blame them for shutting (Sandison) down," Sowder said. "It was falling apart. I just kind of miss the dorm atmosphere. Though numbers are once again down, there is seemingly reason to be optimistic about future enrollment. Not only was the degree of decline lower than recent years, but according to Admissions Office Director Richard Toomey, freshman numbers increased from 1,703 in 2006 to 1,852 this fall. One way the university is reaching out to gain new recruits is through a plethora of programs that can be utilized by incoming freshman. One such program isthe Academic Opportunity Program. AOP students require a high school grade point average below 2.5, or they were in the lower 50 percentile of their graduating class. "I think some students are drawn to ISU because of the support we give them," said Michelle Fowler-Sands, mentoring coordinator for Student Academic Services said. This school year, there are 588 AOP students. "We just have a closer eye on AOP students," Fowler-Sands said. "It honestly just helps the students stay on track and focused so they succeed at ISU." For the more advanced students there is also an honors program. To qualify, students must have earned a cumulative high school GPA of 3.7, scored 1100 on the SAT (math and verbal sum), and graduated in the top 10 percent of their class. Fowler-Sands said that all students at ISU experience resources that the First Year Initiative offers whether they realize it or not. FYI is hosted by Residential Life, and it extends academic support to first year services and programs on campus. Many of the programs FYI offers focuses on the transition from high school to college. Many first year college students may need assistance in developing the study skills needed to compete at the college level. ISU is currently offering programs to help these students get a leg up. The student support services at ISU are intended for students with learning disabilities. Many services are offered to these students to help them to be successful at ISU. "I feel that our program has an impact on enrollment, especially because we make it a point to meet with parents and students who are 'shopping' for universities," Student Academic Services Counselor Debbie Huckabee said. "Students with learning disabilities want to know what we offer and how the system works." At any given semester, approximately 300 students receive accommodations from student support services. "It does not only affect the incoming enrollment, but it also keeps people here," Huckabee said. "We have had many students say they could not complete their classes without us." Tutoring services are available for all students on campus. To apply, visit the second floor of Gillum Hall. A secretary will provide the proper forms, which will be passed along to tutorial and supplemental instruction coordinator Brad Byers. Scheduled sessions can be arranged. Drop-in tutoring is also available Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on Fridays until 4:30 p.m. Sunday tutoring is available from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Lastly, mentoring is available for all students on campus. Students who choose to participate in mentoring will be paired with an upperclassman or a graduate student. Supplemental Instruction is an internationally recognized academic support program. An upperclassman or graduate student who has already taken and successfully passed will sit in on the class and take notes to be able to help students better. SI study sessions are regularly scheduled review sessions that students can attend to help understand the material better. "I think my program has the best affect on retention," Byers said. "It is designed to help students do well. If they succeed, they will come back the following year." Byers said that this year there are 24 tutors and 50 s u p p l e m e n t a l i n s t r u c t o r s . Approximately 120 classes have a supplemental instructor to give more assistance to the students taking the course. SI sessions typically occur two times per week and run an hour and a half each session. In the 2006- 2007 school year, 768 students received tutoring. Of those 768 students, there were 2,763 tutoring sessions conducted by the tutors, Byers said. One impact of enrollment woes is that it played a part in the implementing of Program Prioritization. This was set into play by Provost C. Jack Maynard when the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association, which accredits ISU, informed the university that they had too many programs. To make the necessary adjustment, the university appointed a 12-person task force to weed out underperforming programs. Mike Murphy, who served as co-chair of the prioritization task force, said low enrollment played a key role in the trimming of ISU programs. "(Low enrollment) was one of the key elements in program prioritization," Murphy said. "Programs in the past have taken up significant resources. When then happens, money can't shift to fund programs students have greater interest in." The task force evaluated every program at ISU and rated them from top to bottom in order of efficiency. Dozens of programs were recommended for restructuring, while dozens of others were recommended for termination. Other than the task force recommendations, Maynard also recommended the rearranging of certain programs. Maynard also suggested to terminate programs such as philosophy and physics, even though they were not on the original task force recommendations. Karen Schmid, associate vice president of academic affairs and co-chair of the task force, said the recommendations made were not the end all be all and that Maynard had additional discussions with several faculty and staff members in order for to determine what other adjustments needed to be made. This was not greeted with full approval by ISU faculty. Philosophy professor and Interim Chairperson Rocco Gennaro expressed concern that certain aspects of prioritization would affect important programs in the university. "I don't have a problem with the general idea of the evaluating process," Gennaro said. "What I do have concerns about is how the task force results were used." Maynard could not be reached for comment. Gennaro also said he felt the prioritization process created the false impression his program has experienced decreased numbers in recent years. Gennaro said, the number of graduates from the philosophy department have doubled over the last five years. Though Schmid admitted not everyone can be pleased with academic restructuring, she said it was necessary if the university wanted to take positive steps. "We can't do everything for everyone," Schmid said. "Times change. We need to focus on programs that are most helpful to students."