The Oregon University System yesterday reported record systemwide fall enrollment and a reversal of last year’s resident freshman enrollment decline. The largest entering freshman class in history is part of the more than 82,000 students attending one of the seven public institutions in the state of Oregon this year. Also, 10-year growth has outpaced national averages, as OUS enrollment has increased 28.3 percent since 1997.
Overall enrollment at the University of Oregon declined slightly – 12 fewer students are attending this fall than last fall, leaving the student count at about 20,300.
The 2007 incoming freshman class helped offset last year’s exceptionally large graduating class. That, combined with the University’s focus on retaining its current students, accounts for the overall decline.
“I don’t think that they are not trying to grow specifically, but they are concerned about maintaining quality for the students that they do have,” said Bob Kieran, OUS director of institutional research.
While the number of newly admitted resident undergraduates decreased, nonresidents did the opposite.
Oregon schools seem able “not only to meet the needs of our residents, which is very important, but we apparently look pretty good to the rest of the U.S.,” said Kieran. “When our schools do show an increase in enrollment, it’s essentially a vote of contest.”
State legislators pleased higher education lobbyists – one of whom was Gov. Ted Kulongoski – this summer when they allocated an additional $77 million to universities and community colleges for 2007-09. As a result, the cyclical nature of higher education investment is currently on the upbeat.
“Unfortunately we know at some point that will change,” said Kieran.
And while the reinvestment – which the state legislature made after students had already committed to the college or university of their choice – could not have affected this year’s new students, it bodes well for both incoming classes in the near future and today’s young college students.
“It’s not just about getting people into school, but it’s also about retaining people,” said Oregon Student Association Executive Director Tamara Henderson. “A lot of the current students in the system really felt that reinvestment.”
“Even the young folks (not yet in college) are seeing it,” Henderson said. “It definitely spoke to folks that college is becoming more and more attainable for everyone.”
Henderson said these enrollment rates could be a continued trend, but it won’t happen on its own. It will require continued state reinvestment.
“College is still an unaffordable and inaccessible thing for a lot of folks,” said ASUO President Emily McLain.
The data also brought two groups to the forefront: student diversity and regional universities.
Students of color attending school within the OUS increased 4.5 percent to 14.4 percent. Kieran said in light of the state reinvestment, OUS will focus on conveying higher education’s attainability to ethnically diverse and first-generation college students. Although enrollment is rising, multiple sources pointed out students of color don’t enroll, and generally don’t graduate, at the same rate as their white peers.
The regional universities are also a point of concern for OUS. Southern Oregon University saw the greatest enrollment decline of any institution.
“It’s really good news for Oregon, but the one major red flag for us was the regional universities,” McLain said. “It shows the future of our regional universities is something we need to be talking about still.”
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