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Enrollment continues to decline at SIUC despite a growth in the freshman, sophomore and senior classes.
The university recorded a drop of 310 students for a total enrollment of 20,673 students, opposed to the 20,983 students enrolled at the beginning of fall 2007.
"The junior class was a big hit to us. We continue to have trouble with our transfers," interim Chancellor Sam Goldman said. "We have major focus on retention, and now all the colleges have goals to accomplish."
The biggest loss came in the junior class, with 350 fewer students than last year. The freshman class grew for the second consecutive year with 119 more students enrolling this year compared to 2007.
Goldman said economic factors play a role in declining enrollment, but the university needs to take responsibility for retaining students.
Victoria Valle, assistant vice chancellor for enrollment, said the economic factors could be seen in the differential in transfer students. While the university enrolled 944 junior transfer students last year, only 821 enrolled this year.
In a survey given by the university, Valle said 25 percent of admitted transfers decided not to come, which she said could be because of economic factors.
It was the 210 sophomores who did not become juniors at SIUC who concern her most.
"We are losing good students that are in good academic standing, and we need to find out why," Valle said. "First-year experience programs should not just be for freshmen. Transfer students need to adjust too, and we need to accommodate that."
John Coghlan could not agree more.
Coghlan, a senior from Oak Lawn studying marketing, transferred to SIUC his junior year and said getting involved was difficult. He said he chose to live in the dorms because there were no real programs that offered an immediate social network.
"It is really important to get programs in place for transfer students," Coghlan said. "I didn't really want to live in the dorms, but I didn't know what else to do when I first came here."
Valle said the most important and immediate solution to the problem is communication from administrators to students. She said faculty has to remember the student is a customer and needs to be listened to and not just heard.
Two students who went to file for a transfer last week were convinced to stay because Valle said they took the time to speak with the students and more importantly, listen.
Valle said administrators could become jaded, but staying focused on the goal of the university should remind them why they are there.
"We are the lucky ones," Valle said. "We get to work around young people with brilliant minds who are energetic to make changes in this world."
Though the freshman class added 119 students and the sophomore and senior classes added 38 and 3 students respectively, Goldman said the university could not settle.
Goldman said he did not expect 3,679 students when this freshman class becomes juniors in two years.
"I expect more," Goldman said. "We have to be aggressive, and every year the class moves up we need to be adding transfers."
Jeff Engelhardt can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 268 or jengel@siu.edu.
