Story by Miranda Carpenter, Staff writer
Murray State continues to combat the decline of enrollment for the 2019-20 academic year.
Enrollment numbers for fall 2018 are in and they totaled to 9,465, including undergraduate and graduate students. This is 550 less than the fall 2017 numbers.
Different phases for the Strategic Enrollment Plan were discussed at the Dec. 7, 2018 Board of Regents meeting.
The University has a dedicated group of individuals from various departments that have been convening since summer 2018 to develop this plan. The various departments want students who have been admitted to have consistent communication with the University.
“We want to show the students the quality of our academic programs, the number of student organizations, study abroad programs, the size of campus and how students get personal attention from being in small class sizes,” Shawn Touney, director of communication said.
The Board is changing many programs and events, such as the Road Scholars program and Admitted Students Weekend to increase enrollment.
The Road Scholars program was reinstated in fall 2018 to reach out to high school students who otherwise might be unfamiliar with Murray State. The program is designed to bring Murray State faculty and staff to schools across the state as well as bus students in for campus tours.
Year one for the Roads Scholar program will focus on all high schools in the westernmost 26 counties: Murray State’s 18-county primary service region plus Daviess, Muhlenberg, McLean, Ohio, Jefferson and Oldham counties.
“Recruitment wants a 200 to 250-mile radius around Murray so we truly can reach students in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee, Alabama and Arkansas,” Shawn Smee, director of recruitment said.
Another change to help boost enrollment is Admitted Students Weekend, which will take place Feb. 8-10. This event allows admitted students and their families to have a full weekend to learn about Murray State. The families will get to see all the student organizations the University offers, be able to sit down with student financial services, obtain scholarship information and visit with various professors.
Smee said the reason behind changing it from a one-day event to a weekend event is to really allow students to see the campus and what the University has to offer.
“It’s a campus-wide effort,” Smee said. “At this time we have over 400 students and families who have RSVP’d and we know that will grow. We estimate around 1,500 to 2,000 guests during that weekend.”
The University is also looking at different ways to gain interest from international students as well.
To make Murray State a more diverse community, Don Robertson, vice president of student affairs, said the University is working closely with various agents to gain more partnerships with international universities. Murray State is currently working with three universities in China.
“We are working with a program called ‘You Are Welcome,’ to let students know this is a safe, welcoming environment,” Robertson said. “It is an important message to get out there. [We are also] developing a ‘You Are Welcome’ scholarship for two international students.”
The University will award two annual scholarships to international students starting in the fall. This scholarship will cover a minimum of half the cost of tuition, according to Murray State’s website.
“Overall, I think the enrollment plan involves lots of efforts, having lots of people involved, a very aggressive approach with a lot of new ideas, but I think the message is being well received,” Robertson said. “A big note is how involved Dr. Jackson has been with the number of visits to the high schools, regional campus and community colleges, he is very active and willing to go out with us for recruitment.”
The University’s goal for the fall 2019 freshman class is to enroll 1,500-1,600 students.
