Freshman class growth under evaluation

Many students have felt the impact of Kent State’s recent rise in enrollment, whether it was by living in a study lounge or facing trouble getting into classes.

“The campus is full, no doubt about it,” said David Garcia, associate vice president for enrollment management. “We’re working closely with housing and the deans to make sure students are not impacted in a negative way.”

Since the beginning of the year, the office of the provost, the president and other offices have been working together on a survey looking into the capacity of the campus.

The survey will consider current classes and the number of students required to take them. It will examine whether enough room is available for students to take the courses and still graduate in four years.

“Once we conclude that study, we’ll have to make a decision,” Garcia said. “Do we want to stabilize our freshman numbers or, if we increase the freshman numbers, do we have the housing and the ability to hire more faculty to teach more courses?”

If the university decides to keep growing, it then has to decide whether it can develop or renovate new housing, Garcia said. The survey, which should be finished over the summer, will help the university decide how big it wants to grow.

“My understanding is there is some potential for growth, but overall the growth will be strategic,” said Terri Christensen, assistant provost, who also oversees summer semester.

One of the places Christensen believes the university has potential for growth is during the summer semester. Getting more students to take classes in the summer wouldn’t affect fall or spring semesters, she said.

However, it is fall and spring semesters seeing the most growth. The enrollment expectation for this fall’s freshman class is around the same size as last year, between 4,000 and 4,100.

The university has tried to increase the quality of the freshman class by accepting higher GPA and ACT scores. This keeps retention high, so Kent State isn’t blindly accepting students who are more likely to drop out.

The university has tried to increase the quality of the freshman class by accepting higher GPA and ACT scores. This keeps retention high, so Kent State isn’t blindly accepting students who are more likely to drop out.

The university is also working to increase diversity, Garcia said. Not just by ethnicity, but more out-of-state, international and transfer students. It’s also looking to increase adult and veteran students, many of which don’t require on-campus housing.

“The overall diversity that adult and veteran students bring to the campus is important for all students,” said Rachel Anderson, director of adult services. “They bring their experience to the classroom, so they’re a good resource for traditional students.”

Recruiters have started traveling both out-of-state and internationally to get more students to come to Kent campus, which means the university is getting more applications than in past years.

“We just want to make sure Kent State doesn’t get to a point where students are being delayed in graduation because of the lack of courses being offered,” Garcia said.

Garcia said that although the survey will likely be finished by the end of the year, no major decisions will be made that soon. He is working on a five-year plan to address the issues brought up by the survey.

Contact student affairs reporter Lindsy Neer

at [email protected].