There’s a sense of urgency these days in Defiance, Ohio. Defiance College, an institution of 1,000 students halfway between Toledo and Fort Wayne, Ind., hasn’t hit its goals for enrollment and tuition revenue since 2011.
"This was not just a blip, but a trend that has to be addressed," says Tim Rickabaugh, a professor of exercise science who is filling in as interim provost. In the past year, Defiance has lost its provost and its president, and has embarked on a strategic-planning process, identifying new partnerships and programs that might bring students in — and keep them around for all four years.
Defiance is hardly the only college hoping for a better future. It is one of 144 institutions that missed their goals for both first-year enrollment and net tuition revenue this year, according to the third annual Chronicle survey of small colleges and midsize public institutions.
In cooperation with the Council of Independent Colleges and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, The Chronicle polled 1,066 colleges, of which 455 responded: 308 small private colleges and 147 public institutions.
Three years of responses reveal that many colleges, especially the public ones, are doing fairly well, even slightly better this year, having drawn in enough students and tuition revenue to meet their goals. Still, some face serious challenges.
Read more at The Chronicle of Higher Education: http://chronicle.com/article/Missing-the-Mark-on-Enrollment/233898