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Show Page 4 StatesmanCampus News Wednesday, March 10, 2010 Numbers: USU deciding how to handle enrollment growth during budget cuts continuedfrom page 1 Morales, Student Services vice president. one or no parents working this year," Putnam "I'm looking at all regional campuses, and we said. "Those kind of stories have just volcanoed have grown at a rate of about 5 percent on the after the last year and a half. We have seen a Logan campus, but the regional campuses have huge increase of students applying for needgrown over 17 percent," Morales said. "It's not as based scholarships." expensive to have students at the regional camHowever, scholarships throughout the USU puses because they are living at home and eating campus have been eliminated due to lack of at home." funding. Some scholarships that still exist are It has become necessary that Admissions now worth less financially than they previously work toward the possibility of filtering enrollwere. ment to ensure students' education is not negaThough the economy plays a pertinent role tively affected by an increased student popuin enrollment increase, Morales said there are lation that cannot be financially supported, other reasons as to why application rates have Putnam said. gone up. The economy has affect"One of the most ed many elements of the important reasons is that "I've heard stories college application process. USU has been very proacof so many students According to USU's enrolltive and very aggressive in ment summary, out-of-state with one or no going out and recruiting student enrollment is up 18 students," Morales said. parents working percent while Utah resident "We have gone even as far this year ... We have enrollment is up 8 percent. as Chicago to recruit." seen a huge increase Putnam said this may He said coupled be due to the low cost of with President Stan of students Utah schools in comparison Albrecht's vision to applying for needto other states. She said increase enrollment based scholarships." she believes students are through efficient marapplying to more colleges keting, enrollment has so they have a better chance increased because USU - Jennifer Putnam, of getting into multiple offers quality education director of Admissions universities and can then and experiences to its compare educational costs. students. When USU's Applications are coming rocket team or athletic in earlier as well, in order to decrease stress on teams receive national attention, the university's families with college-bound high school stureputation is boosted and people seeking an dents and sometimes college-bound parents. education become interested in what USU has to The number of nontraditional students enrolloffer, Morales said. He said four to five years ago ing at USU's Logan campus and regional camenrollment was decreasing, but Albrecht had a puses has also increased, Putnam said. goal from the beginning to improve application "I've heard stories of so many students with numbers. Record Enrollment for Utah's Public Colleges UNIVERSITY OF UTAH Salt Lake Kr) , Community College UTAH VALLEY 30 429 29 251 29 332 25 832 UVU 23 214 A 21 866 UNIVERSITY In 2010, colleges across Utah have experienced increases in enrollment numbers. The universities are trying to accommodate these students amidst budget cuts. 26 322 23 299 UTAH STATE WEBER SIATE UNIVERSEIY 20 953 19 347 2009 2010 information provided by the Utah System of Higher Education illustration by PETE P. SMITHSUTH Putnam said, "We couldn't do what we do if administration wasn't behind us. They've made a loud statement to say USU has a lot to offer." She said USU collectively has a sense of momentum and when students and alumni spread the word about USU, energy can be felt. Morales said USU recruitment is making an effort more than it ever has before to connect with potential Aggies. "I've been through the low, and now I'm seeing the high," Putnam said. "It's exhilarating." Though the enrollment increase is exciting for USU Admissions, a continual increase during the current struggling economy will lead to application adjustments. Putnam said deadlines for applications will be tighter and it is possible that academic requirements will one day become more difficult for incoming students to comply with. — catherine.meidell@aggiemail.usu.edu Dean: Candidates give platforms continuedfrom page 3 tion, Dorward said, and the question now is how he would do it. It wouldn't make sense for people to surround themselves with other people who are similar, Dorward said, because being around different types of people provides opportunities to learn and grow. Dorward said he has respect for all types of people and ideas. He said he values trust and thinks security is vital for innovation. Because Dorward has spent time with the mathematics department and deans of other colleges, he said he feels it's important for faculty and staff to reach across their borders and work together. These kinds of relationships have enriched his life, he said, and can benefit everyone. Dorward said decisions should not JIM DORWARD be made solely by one person, but everyone in the organization should be able to have their say. "What's on my mind is what's on your mind," he said. M. Jayne Fleener pm= MUSIC TONS OF GIVEAWAYS AND PRO RIDERS WEST OF THE BUSINESS BOG MO LIBRARY LAWN) HUNTSMAN.USU.EDUiENTREPRENEURCLUB Fleener has served Louisiana State University (LSU) as the dean of the College of Education and holds the position of E.B. "Ted" Endowed Professor of Education since 2004. She has authored more than 80 publications. Fleener said LSU is looking to do away with its College of Education, so she began looking for jobs elsewhere. She said USU stuck out to her because it is a research institution and because of its land-grant mission. She said that through her relationships with other deans, she has come to know USU and says it has a hardworking faculty. Race to the Top (R2T) is a federallyfunded incentive program for education K-12. Utah is not "in the race," Fleener said and this can be seen as a good and bad thing. It means Utah does not get the funding from the program, but she said, "With funding comes mandates." One thing that struck her about USU, Fleener said, is the amount of endowments USU receives, which shows what others think about USU. "It speaks volumes," she said. At LSU, Fleener said she and her staff M. JAYNE FLEENER were able to double their endowments since 2005 and triple their productivity. She said she sees this as a great success. Fleener said a dean must eliminate her own personal ego and enable faculty and staff to succeed. She said it's important that a dean and the college are moving in the same direction and have the same focus. "I'm a colleague. A dean is still a faculty member," she said. Building bridges between the community and college is important, Fleener said. She is on several community boards in Louisiana, she said, including the Chamber of Commerce. These community ties have allowed her to easily recognize opportunities to get the community and the college to work together. Natural and unnatural disasters have helped Fleener bridge the gap between LSU and the community, she said. When Hurricane Katrina hit, New Orleans called her college asking for help with kids who had been evacuated. Fleener has had two books translated in Chinese and hopes to someday be able to go to China to improve education. She said the Chinese excel in teaching subjects such as math, but often have a hard time teaching creative subjects. Fleener considers herself a learner and said she loves anything that gives her a chance to learn, whether it be a cultural event or an academic opportunity. — rac.ch@aggiemail.usu.edu |