UAFS fall enrollment declines, officials working to ‘right the ship’

Enrollment figures at the University of Arkansas in Fort Smith fell by 4.63% from last year's Fall enrollment of 7,154 students to Fall 2014's enrollment of 6,823 students.

According to the university's new Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management Julie Burdick, enrollment figures ramped up during the recession and could have been because laid off workers going back to school in an attempt to boost their skill sets and resumes.

"As I looked at what was happening, what this university is going through is typical of the national trend because of the change in the demographics of students and the effects of the economy," she said. "I think any university, and it could have happened here, you're riding that wave and don't quite see what's happening at the time and you are enjoying those big numbers. Like other big universities, the numbers started to level off (at UAFS).”

As a result of the declining enrollment figures, Burdick said she was "hired to right the ship and stabilize and put together an enrollment plan.”

To do that, Burdick said she is doing a complete assessment of everything from staff to processes at the university, equating her job to improving customer service for students at the campus at Waldron and Grand Avenue.

"If a student takes five steps for admissions, I'll question each one. Let's make it simpler and more customer friendly for the student," she said, adding that part of the process of making the campus more customer friendly includes streamlining Compass Tests.

She said making the campus more customer friendly is almost "like sales.”

"The market today is much more competitive and admissions have gotten more like sales, analyzing the numbers and having a strategic plan down to each market segment – traditional high school students, the adult market, online market, out of state market, honors market – all of those.”

To improve the numbers, she is working with admissions staff to tweak travel schedules so the university can get the biggest bang for its buck with a limited budget.

She said the university also offers in-state tuition for students living in states that border Arkansas, though she said little focus has been placed on recruiting out of state students.

"With that said, have we really gone after that (market)? We haven't seen that. We have a rep that goes to Texas, but I think last year was his first year traveling. When you start to travel to different areas – Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Memphis, Tenn. – it takes a while to get your name out, but it builds over time. We are starting to do that and attending national college fairs within a six hour radius.”

The university is also re-evaluating its scholarship offerings as it looks to boost enrollment, with Burdick asking, "How can UAFS be really competitive and help students that have financial need? We have a fairly high Pell (Grant)-eligible population, about 62%. So we need to be aggressive about what we do for students with needs that qualify for college level work.”

The other focus is customer service for the public that visits the campus and encouraging more campus visits.

"It is a campus, I'd say a destination campus, and we know if we can get them here, they're much more likely to come (back as a student). There was one 'Den Day' last fall and now three large preview days," she said, adding that the campus is working to be more parent friendly and is adding one-stop events for financial aid assistance to individuals visiting the campus and making the decision to enroll.

While all the efforts are intended to boost enrollment in the long term, there is still the issue of short term impacts of the 4.63% dip in enrollment this fall. She said no layoffs will occur as a result of the drop in enrollment, but "I do know we've had those talks with the vice chancellor of finance that we may look at positions and scrutinize (the need for any positions) before filling them.”

Darrell Morrison, vice chancellor for finance and administration, said adjustments to the university's budgets are taking place due to the drop in enrollment and said the university may have to use savings to meet some of its immediate needs.

"Enrollment has a direct impact on the university's operating budget since it is our now our major source of revenue as state support has declined through the years. We will be adjusting our budget expenditures in the weeks to come. However, we will probably also have to use reserves in order to continue to offer all services and academic experiences.”

Regardless of whether the university has to dip into reserves, he said, "We are committed to our students and we will ensure that they will be not be impacted in a negative way."