Land-‐Grant Enrollment, A Case Study
Vanessa Keadle
LS 714: Higher Education Administration Marshall University
Introduction to the Problem
At State University (SU) in West Virginia in the Southern region of the United States, the newly hired President has called for increased enrollment, setting the target number at 10,000 additional SU students in five years. With an enrollment currently hovering around 30,000 students, SU is looking to increase enrollment by over 30 percent in five years – a lofty goal for any institution.
Presently, State University has issues with a lack of student housing on campus; the Housing department must frequently contract with outside companies to secure enough living spaces for their current students. Because SU requires that all single, first year students and all transfer students who have less than 29 credit hours live on campus, thousands of additional students would overload the current housing infrastructure.
Further, the classroom buildings are of limited capacity. The addition of 10,000 more students would put a strain on the current physical infrastructure of the campus. Faculty and staff are also limited. Many state they are already overwhelmed with the number of students whom they currently serve. Human resources are, therefore, a factor to be considered with a large increase in enrollment.
The city in which SU is situated, Statesville, is a rapidly expanding community of about 35,000 residents. The geography of the city is hilly, with homes, businesses, and campus structures very close together. The addition of new campus buildings could create a major city planning and development issue. The traffic in the city when the university is in session is
already a serious complaint of residents. Increased enrollment means added traffic congestion and a decreased quality of life for non-‐student city-‐dwellers.
Finally, students who are college-‐bound are decreasing; nationally, the population from which higher education institutions can recruit is shrinking due to the decreased population of graduating high school seniors. To achieve such a large increase in enrollment, State University must get creative with recruiting strategies.
Case Background
Institutional Facts
Classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a Research University with high research activity and accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, State University is the one of two land-‐grant institutions in the state. The Morrill Act of 1862
provided each state with 30,000 acres of land with which to establish a higher education institution, and was the first Federal aid directed to support higher education.
The result of the Morrill Act was a system of institutions across the nation that supports public education at a higher level, as the revenue from the land was used to create and sustain public, state institutions of post-‐secondary education in an effort to keep tuition affordable for all citizens of the United States (Cockett, 2014, p. 1). According to Paul Hassen, vice president of public affairs at the National Association of State Universities and Land-‐Grant Colleges, land-‐ grant institutions currently serve three purposes: “teaching, research, and extension or public service” (Hollingsworth, 2008, p. 1). State University supports these purposes, as stated explicitly in their strategic plan.
Research is a core value of land-‐grant institutions, and the importance of research at State University is apparent due to its high-‐research Carnegie Classification. Faculty members are expected to research and publish to attain tenure, as well as uphold other core tenets of SU: teaching and service to the university. Ninety-‐five percent of faculty members at SU hold terminal degrees in their field and are tenured or are on the tenure-‐track.
State University’s student population is 52% male and 48% female, and the majority of report their ethnicity as Caucasian (93%). The student population is made up of 50% state residents and 50% out-‐of-‐state students, including international students and those studying abroad. Students have opportunities to participate in over 600 student organizations, including intramural sports.
State University has 14 colleges and schools and grants over 180 degrees at the bachelors, masters, doctoral, and professional levels combined. There is distance and online education available to students in most of these colleges and schools.
Division I athletics are a major factor at the university; these programs bring in many student-‐athletes. The athletic programs, particularly football and men’s basketball, also support cash flow to the institution through ticket sales, concession sales, merchandising, and alumni donations.
The institution was founded in 1864 and some of the first buildings still stand today. Throughout the next 150 years, infrastructure expansion was incredible, with the institution building three campuses in the same city with multiple residence halls, libraries, classroom
buildings, wellness centers, athletic fields and buildings, and administrative spaces. The most recent addition was Alumni Hall, built in 2011.
State University is proud of its extension services; the institution maintains an office in every county of the state and constantly does outreach to youth in the state, thus fulfilling their obligation as a land-‐grant institution.
State Institution Information and Enrollment Trends
According to a report by the National Center for Education Statistics and the
Department of Education, by the 2022-‐2023 school year, high school graduation rates from public schools in the state in West Virginia, where SU resides, will decrease by five percent or lower than the rates in 2009-‐2010 (Hussar & Bailey, 2014, p. 6). This decrease also affects states to the north, west, and east of West Virginia. States south of West Virginia, however, will see a five percent increase or more in high school graduation rates in 2022-‐2023, compared to 2009-‐2010 (Hussar & Bailey, 2014, p. 6).
In the state, there are 13 public 4-‐year institutions, including State University. One other university in the state is a land-‐grant institution, resulting from the second Morrill Act in 1890 that prohibited racial discrimination and thus, led to the creation of land-‐grant institutions for black students (National Research Council, 1995, p. 1).
In addition to the public 4-‐year institutions, there are 10 public 2-‐years, eight private 4-‐ years, three private 4-‐year for-‐profit, and nine private 2-‐year for profits. This is a total of 43 higher education institutions in a state with a declining high school graduation rate and a declining college-‐going rate (Chronicle Almanac, 2014). According to a West Virginia Higher
Education Policy Commission report (Reed, 2014, p. 2), in the fall of 2013, 55.9% of graduating seniors in the state enrolled in some sort of post-‐secondary education. This is a half percentage point decline in college-‐going rates since 2012, and the lowest rate since 2002. The public 4-‐ year institutions, although, showed a very slight increase in enrollment from the previous year.
Some students left the state to go to college, but that percentage was also slightly down from the previous year by 0.3%. State University has the highest rate of enrolled out-‐of-‐state students of the 43 institutions in the state, putting demand on the university and the city to provide enough adequate housing options for these students.
City Facts
The institution has had an enormous economic impact on the city of Statesville. State University and the city’s administration work well together, a town and gown relationship that has helped both the university and the city flourish. School administrators and representatives from the SU Student Government Association sit on a joint city-‐planning committee. Problems can arise, however, since city governmental structure is much different than the government of public institutions (Kemp, 2014, p. 27)
The city in which the institution is located has seen unprecedented growth for the last 10 years. Property values are on the rise, both for residential homes and business spaces. New businesses are moving into the area at a rapid rate. The area hospital, an affiliate of the
university, is gaining notoriety and many people are moving to the city to obtain employment within the hospital system or associated programs. But, this swift economic boom has resulted in an overpopulated city with many city-‐planning issues.
Those who live and work in the city are experiencing a diminished quality of life. The traffic is overwhelming because of the abundance of two lane roadways and the lack of entrances to the major interstate. The city streets are mountainous, narrow, and poorly planned with numerous potholes and crumbling sidewalks. The professionals who live in student neighborhoods complain of late night music and partying. The city police force works tirelessly from Thursday to Sunday to maintain the safety of the town. There are multiple drunken driving arrests each weekend, as well as disorderly conduct, public intoxication, and drug-‐related arrests. The underage drinking problem at SU has always been an issue for the town of Statesville.
Because of the current issues already at play, it is imperative that the city has a voice in the increased enrollment goals for the institution. The recent economic and employment successes may stall if quality of life in the city is further diminished by an influx of students.
Problem at the University
President Candice Stadler is a seasoned university president, well known for her tough, but endearing leadership qualities. The Board of Governors at SU hired her to bring more prestige and clout to the institution. She discussed the enrollment increase goal briefly with her cabinet, and then promptly went public with the news. She gave interviews to all of the state newspapers, as well as television stations. The news of the goal quickly spread among the administration, faculty, and staff at State University. The Vice President of Enrollment Services received information of his new expectations by reading about it in the newspaper. The mayor of Statesville, the Chamber of Commerce, and other city government officials
learned of the goal in an email from President Stadler. All of the stakeholders had an opinion on the matter.
Stakeholders’ Perspectives Students
Students at SU are both excited and frustrated by the possibility of a sharp increase in the student population. Many students report that they are worried about the classrooms not being large enough to accommodate many more students. They are also concerned about the size of introductory classes. One first-‐year student explained, “My Biology 101 course has over 300 students in it. We sign in with a clicker system. Adding more students into those lower level classes will be a nightmare!” Some students expressed concern over course registration; they are worried they will not be able to get into the classes they need to graduate due to the large number of students attempting to register for the same courses. Full classes could result in students unable to graduate in a timely manner.
Other students report excitement about increased enrollment. “More students means more diversity on campus, more alumni to travel the world and tell everyone about SU, more students involved in campus activities, more students doing research. What could be bad about that?” exclaimed the SU student body president. The Student Government Association is looking forward to working with President Stadler to create a plan to recruit and retain more students.
The faculty members at SU are both intrigued and perplexed by this goal. They want to know if they will have a role in recruiting students. They are already overwhelmed with
teaching, researching, and providing service to the University in ways such as advising students, and serving on University committees and in search processes.
Some faculty, however, are excited about being employed at a University with such lofty goals. If the enrollment goals are met, SU will be a well-‐known, respected institution for which to work. The curriculum vitae of faculty at SU will hold more clout in search processes for new jobs at prestigious institutions.
Staff
The staff at SU also sees positivity and negativity with the new enrollment goal. Staff members are aware that new students result in increased responsibilities, which indicates job security. Some staff members are excited about working with new students. Supervisors are happy about the idea of new funding sources to hire more staff.
Staff who work in the areas of recruitment, enrollment services, advising, and residence life are all worried about increased job responsibilities. “While I will feel secure in my position, my goal when I took a job in the SU Residence Life department was to create meaningful experiences that change students’ lives,” said one resident director. She continued, “I’m not sure I can sustain that with thousands more students to serve.”
The recruitment staff members are already overwhelmed with meetings and frantic directives from their direct supervisor, the Director of Recruitment, who is feeling pressured by the Vice President of Enrollment Services to immediately produce more enrollment deposits from potential students. The staff is unsure of how to recruit so many students; they feel they are already doing their best work with a small staff. The Director of Recruitment mentioned incentives for recruiting with salary increases based on the numbers of students whom they personally enroll.
Administration
The administrators at SU realize the tremendous work they need to do to ensure that SU meets the enrollment goal in five years, and more importantly, to ensure the institution can hold and serve the added population. The administration is frustrated with President Stadler’s abrupt decision to go public with the news before a plan was fully developed, however, they do not feel comfortable to reveal their feelings. They readily agree with everything the President proposes, even if they know it is not the best fit at SU. The lack of disagreement is a classic example of the Abilene Paradox (Harvey, 1988). The administration is willing to follow Stadler to Abilene, instead of risking their jobs by questioning her methods.
The Vice President for Student Affairs is intrigued by the opportunity to expand services to allow for more students to attend college; she sees this goal as an opportunity to push for college access for students in low-‐income areas in the surrounding states. Students from low income backgrounds lack the necessary support and help they need to enroll and persist in college (The Executive Office of the President, 2014, p. 2). The Vice President for Student
Affairs believes the goal for 10,000 more students presents a unique opportunity for the institution to make a difference in the lives of students from low-‐income backgrounds. Board of Governors
The members of the Board of Governors at SU are pleased with their decision to hire Stadler. Her resume is impressive; the work she has done at other institutions speaks for itself. They feel they must back all of her decisions because they hired her without much of a
legitimate search process. The members of the Board are also pleased the with the idea of increased revenue from tuition, but are worried about expenditures on major infrastructure projects that will be necessary with the added student population. They are also eager to add more colleges, programs, and majors to make SU more globally competitive; the increased revenue could help the Board of Governors approve these additions with ease.
Mayor of Statesville
The mayor found President Stadler’s email demanding in nature; her leadership style is extremely different from past president of SU. The mayor is anxious for a meeting with SU leadership to figure out initial details of the plan. He does not know there is essentially no plan for the extreme increase in enrollment. He is, however, anticipating major economic benefits from the students, as well as the new faculty and staff whom need to be hired, and the
construction companies who will build new infrastructure. The mayor, however, must balance the positive aspects of a booming economy with the influx of new students who will party, get into trouble, and possibly create a public nuisance for the residents of Statesville.
Citizens of Statesville
Some citizens are worried. New students mean more traffic, more partying, and less peace in the city. Some are writing letters to the mayor to ask him to get to the bottom of the issue. Some are emailing President Stadler, demanding more information on her new goal.
Business owners are enthusiastic, particularly local bar owners who make a lot of money from college students. New businesses are already looking at Statesville as a viable location option to build another franchise or begin a new company. With so many impending
graduates, it will be easy to recruit a well-‐trained workforce. President Stadler
President Stadler is aware of the concerns surrounding her announcement. She anticipated the negativity, as well as the positive comments coming from the campus and city communities. If necessary, Stadler says she will terminate administrators who are not on board with the new goals she has set. She believes in a strong leadership team who are all on the same page.
She feels confident that this massive increase in enrollment will bring the prestige to SU that the Board of Governors hired her to develop. President Stadler says her motto is: “New students, new opportunities for all.”
Conclusion
State University has set a goal of 10,000 new students in five years. Issues with infrastructure, the citizens of Statesville, and enrollment trends in the state and surrounding areas are all factors that must be considered. Students, faculty, staff, administrators, city
government, and citizens of the city all have a stake in the outcome of the massive enrollment goal. Some are enthusiastic about the opportunities new students with provide to the
institution because of increased tuition revenue. Some want to recruit specific populations of students in order to lift them out of the poverty in which they grew up. Others are skeptical and believe the myriad of new students will be a detriment to university processes. With some stakeholders on board and others resisting, President Stadler and the Board of Governors have to formulate a plan.
Questions for Consideration
1. Did President Stadler set an unattainable goal for the University?
2. How will the University need to adjust to be ready to accept approximately 2000 new students a year for the next five years?
3. Does the Mayor or other city officials have a say in what the University plans to do? 4. From where will State University recruit 10,000 new students?
5. Is the practice of incentivizing the institution’s recruiting staff with a salary increase for each enrolled student an ethical one?
6. Do the benefits of an influx of new students, professors, and staff members outweigh a potential decrease in quality of life for the citizens of Statesville?
7. How does increased student enrollment adhere to the mission of land grant institutions?
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