2008 Woodie Awards
Freshman class largest in SIUE history
Overall enrollment continues three-year decline
Holly Meyer
Issue date: 9/11/07 Section: News
Even though the fall semester marks the largest new freshman class SIUE has ever seen, enrollment for the university is down 51 students from the previous year.
Last year's enrollment totaled 13,449; this year, enrollment came in at 13,398.
In fact, the total headcount on campus has been decreasing over the past three years.
In 2004, the total enrollment was at 13,493 - a jump of 198 students from the previous year. In 2005, the headcount dropped 33 students, and in 2006, the enrollment decreased again by 11 students.
In 2007, the total is down another 51 students, according to Scott Belobrajdic, assistant vice chancellor for Enrollment Management and the SIUE Fact Book.
"There are 100 fewer students taking just three (credit) hours," Belobrajdic said.
Belobrajdic said the decrease in total headcount could be partially attributed to the three-year-old management enrollment plan in the School of Business.
"The business program made an intentional decision to be more selective," Belobrajdic said. "The business program has planned a decline in their enrollment."
The plan requires students to apply for the School of Business. Prior to the plan, all that was required to be a business major was to pass five classes and meet a minimum grade point average, according to Timothy Schoenecker, interim dean for the School of Business.
William Hendey, director of Academic Counseling and Advising, said business is among the most popular majors for students at SIUE along with pharmacy, biology, nursing, art and engineering.
"In the school of business, they have something over 1,100 students," Hendey said.
The School of Business opted for selective enrollment to ensure students were able to enroll into the classes they needed to graduate and professors would not have overcrowded classes.
"We had a lot of students on waitlists," Schoenecker said.
Belobrajdic said the retention rate for 2007 will not be released until December, but past retention rates from freshmen to sophomore year were about 75 percent.
Last year's enrollment totaled 13,449; this year, enrollment came in at 13,398.
In fact, the total headcount on campus has been decreasing over the past three years.
In 2004, the total enrollment was at 13,493 - a jump of 198 students from the previous year. In 2005, the headcount dropped 33 students, and in 2006, the enrollment decreased again by 11 students.
In 2007, the total is down another 51 students, according to Scott Belobrajdic, assistant vice chancellor for Enrollment Management and the SIUE Fact Book.
"There are 100 fewer students taking just three (credit) hours," Belobrajdic said.
Belobrajdic said the decrease in total headcount could be partially attributed to the three-year-old management enrollment plan in the School of Business.
"The business program made an intentional decision to be more selective," Belobrajdic said. "The business program has planned a decline in their enrollment."
The plan requires students to apply for the School of Business. Prior to the plan, all that was required to be a business major was to pass five classes and meet a minimum grade point average, according to Timothy Schoenecker, interim dean for the School of Business.
William Hendey, director of Academic Counseling and Advising, said business is among the most popular majors for students at SIUE along with pharmacy, biology, nursing, art and engineering.
"In the school of business, they have something over 1,100 students," Hendey said.
The School of Business opted for selective enrollment to ensure students were able to enroll into the classes they needed to graduate and professors would not have overcrowded classes.
"We had a lot of students on waitlists," Schoenecker said.
Belobrajdic said the retention rate for 2007 will not be released until December, but past retention rates from freshmen to sophomore year were about 75 percent.
Be the first to comment on this story