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Admissions Committee, left to right, Jim Dahlman, David Mee, John Simonsen and Stacy Tramel review applications. |
-Photo by Jason Harville |
Since its peak in 1997, Milligan’s enrollment has dropped slightly each year. However, fresh from the November open house with one of the highest attendance rates in recent years, the admissions staff remains optimistic for the future.
The admissions area made several changes and improvements this year, including the addition of new staff and the increased role of ambassadors in the recruiting process. The office also houses a more diverse group of staff members, with two admissions counselors having earned their degrees at other institutions.
Vice president for Enrollment Management, David Mee, details the strengths, goals and changes within the admissions area in the following interview.
Q. Enrollment has consistently been down the past few years. What steps are you taking to counteract this trend?
A. Part of my job is to provide statistics that accurately represent the overall enrollment picture at Milligan, and to share insight that “tells the story beyond the numbers.”
While Milligan’s traditional undergraduate enrollment peaked in fall of 1997, the last three years have been fairly level. I see this leveling-off/evening-out as somewhat of a positive sign. It’s very difficult to plan for growth when there are big swings from year to year. With only a six-student variance in the last three years, we seem to have some stability upon which to build. It’s important to note that we are very interested in seeing traditional undergraduate enrollment grow. However, when you look at enrollment by actual type, it does become a bit easier to understand some of the variables at play.
Non-traditional enrollment (graduate and the adult degree completion programs) has fluctuated more noticeably in the last couple of years. When Milligan reached its peak enrollment in the late 1990s, it came at the culmination of ten years of new programming in its undergraduate and graduate offerings. During this period, Milligan was very effective in identifying new programs that would meet the needs of students, fill holes in regional educational programming, and be consistent with the college’s mission (i.e. nursing, adult degree completion, and master’s programs in education and occupational therapy). However, in the past five years (the period of enrollment addressed above), other colleges in the region have created similar programs and a new competitive environment exists where there was limited competition before. This is especially true in the adult degree completion and graduate arenas.
Having briefly outlined the enrollment picture, allow me to comment on how we are addressing our challenges.
1. Retention is the cornerstone of enrollment management. Milligan’s retention rates are running near historic highs, and it’s a testimony to the general good match that exists between Milligan and its student body, as well as the effective programming in the Student Success area.
2. We face the same challenges in student recruitment of traditional undergraduate students as many other private liberal arts colleges. A study in the 1990s suggested that approximately 250,000 high school seniors annually, who, by all accounts, would be good matches for Christian colleges, never even consider colleges like Milligan as an option. As a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association for Christian College Admissions Personnel, I’ve heard my colleagues mention this reality many times.
One of the primary reasons for this situation: the students’ perception of cost. We have an ongoing need to encourage families not to “shop by sticker price.” When you consider that well over 90 percent of Milligan’s students receive some form of financial aid, it’s clear why making assumptions on affordability by simply looking at the published price for tuition, room and board (before potential financial aid is applied) is not wise. In fact, Milligan returns nearly 40 cents of every tuition dollar in the form of college-funded merit and need-based aid (compared to a national average of around 30 cents).
Further, for 2002-2003, the average private college in America cost $25,052 for tuition, fees, room and board (according to “The Chronicle of Higher of Education”). Milligan is at $18,760. And while Milligan is ahead in the percentage of the annual budget that goes towards college-funded aid, and below the national private college average for published price, many families and students are making sacrifices to call Milligan their collegiate home. Therefore, it’s important for us to continue to assist our current students to meet their financial obligations as best as we can, while also encouraging prospective students to fully explore what financial aid might be available for them.
Another challenge we face is the economy. The past two-plus years have not been particularly good. And when that is the case, families often turn to public colleges. A stock market shift , especially like the one that occurred last spring, can immediately cause some families to reevaluate their college options.
As a side note, public institutions, recognizing the draw that private colleges have for students seeking personal attention, etc., have begun to create programs that attempt to mirror some of the characteristics of smaller colleges (residential honor programs, etc.). I have sensed that admissions operations on public campuses are becoming more like private colleges (increased personal contact with prospects, etc.).
Most on campus know that we launched Connections-New Student Orientation last spring for entering freshmen and transfer students. This was very well received and we look forward to the events coming up in April and June 2003. Programs like Connections build stronger bonds with incoming students. The enrollment deposit cancellation rate fell from 24 percent for fall 2001 to 8 percent for fall 2002.
3. As already mentioned, non-traditional enrollment has varied more as of late. There are some exciting developments on the non-traditional front. The M.S.O.T. program (which did not enroll a new class this fall), already has 12 applications for fall 2003. I am very encouraged about the prospects.
The new MBA program, which only made its public launch last week, already has approximately 14 applications for next summer’s inaugural class. Since the MBA program is an addition to our academic offerings, these students should help to bolster enrollment for fall 2003.
4. Making Milligan as visible as possible to prospective college students, parents, ministers, guidance counselors, etc. is very important. The Admissions and Public Relations offices have recently teamed together to approach to the way we promote all the opportunities that exist at Milligan. We are confident this will help to ensure all our programs are being promoted effectively.
Q. At the same time, the November open house was one of the largest in recent years. How do you feel about this and do you think it shows a good prospect for next fall's enrollment?
A. To say I was pleased with our first open house of the year would be an understatement. I have been involved in this type of event at three colleges, and I can’t remember a time when there were more positive comments made by students, etc. during and after the program. We must give a lot of the credit to our student volunteers and faculty who were so welcoming and helpful in answering questions, etc.
The number who attended the November open house was certainly a positive sign for future enrollment. We are also experiencing an increase in the number groups (churches, etc.) who are scheduling visits to campus. It’s very difficult to make concrete predictions about enrollment in the immediate future, but I am encouraged by the number of students who have applied and been offered admission for fall 2003 as of Nov. 22, 2002 (11 percent ahead of last year to date).
When I made the decision to come to Milligan about 18 months ago, I knew there would be challenges. But I also saw a college that has much to offer prospective students. I was convinced then, and I still am now, that Milligan has yet to enjoy its true enrollment potential. Our long range planning has a vision of 1,200 total students. There is no question that this goal is reasonable. But like many things in life, we must be committed to the process of getting there, including adjusting to factors that may be out of our control. It is important for the college to reach a new plateau the right way: though continued improvement in retention rates, larger new student classes and expanded graduate/non-traditional enrollment. It’s like a stool, all three “legs” are important for stability.