LSUS enrollment down less than statewide average
09/29/06

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Preliminary enrollment figures at LSUS show the local state university’s overall decrease of only 1.57 percent is significantly less than the statewide enrollment drop of 6.97 percent, according to a report released by the Louisiana Board of Regents. The traditional benchmark 14 th day report puts LSUS total enrollment at 4,023 students, 64 fewer than on the same reporting day in 2005.

“Several mitigating factors combined to keep our enrollment nearly at a stand-still level,” LSUS Chancellor Vincent Marsala commented. “Most of those factors are encompassed in the continued implementation of recruiting and retention strategies formulated by an LSUS task force more than four years ago in anticipation of Louisiana’s new minimum admission requirements that went into effect last fall. Our faculty and staff have done an outstanding job implementing those strategies with less-than-adequate fiscal and human resources.”

Across Louisiana north of Natchitoches, the nine public institutions of higher education had a combined loss of 1,148 students, or a drop of 2.37 percent. Two of those institutions – the LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport and Delta Community College in Monroe – recorded modest increases in enrollment. Besides LSUS (at -1.57 percent), the other institutions are Bossier Parish Community College (-3.14 percent), Grambling State University (-0.57), Louisiana Tech University (-0.65), Northwestern State University (-2.80), Southern University-Shreveport (-5.64) and University of Louisiana-Monroe (-5.40).

Preliminary headcount enrollment at Louisiana’s public colleges and universities statewide stands at 195,556 for the current fall semester, according to the report. That figure is down some 7 percent from 210,199, the most recent previous fall enrollment figure available for meaningful comparison. First-time freshman enrollment is down approximately 11 percent, due largely to expected significant drops at campuses in New Orleans. When the storm-impacted New Orleans campuses are omitted, first-time freshman enrollment is down some 5 percent across the state.

The four-year admission requirements went into effect at most campuses in the fall of 2005, but Hurricane Katrina struck before their impact on enrollment could be assessed. It had been expected that the requirements would reduce entering freshman enrollment on four-year campuses while having the desired effect of increasing enrollment on the state’s community college and technical college campuses. Enrollment increases this fall at many community and technical colleges across the state (outside the population-diminished Greater New Orleans area) are consistent with that expectation, but the impact of Louisiana’s ongoing disaster recovery effort on the state’s economy complicates analysis of the enrollment numbers.

“Obviously, Louisiana, particularly the New Orleans area, has fewer people than it did before the storms,” said Commissioner of Higher Education Joseph Savoie. “Our pool of students has shrunk. Additionally, the four-year admission requirements for entering students are having the planned effect, both on the number of entering freshmen enrolled on our four-year campuses and the enrollment at our two-year campuses. Finally, we’re experiencing a significant spike in job opportunities post-Katrina/Rita ­- especially in the construction and gas-and-oil sectors ­- and many potential college students are taking advantage of the opportunity. College enrollments often dip during an economic upturn. We will continue to analyze enrollment data in order to design effective strategies to rebuild our enrollment base. Increasing the number of people in our state with a college credential is crucial to Louisiana’s long-term recovery.”

The statewide preliminary headcount enrollment number reflects the number of students reported by each institution to be enrolled as of the 14th day of the fall semester (9th day for Louisiana Tech). In October, the Board of Regents will receive full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment data, which will further clarify enrollment statistics by quantifying student numbers and course loads.