ASU Board Of Trustees, Welch Praise Campuses For Enrollment Trends

The Arkansas State University Board of Trustees and President Charles L. Welch on Friday praised ASU System campuses for exceeding state enrollment growth trends for the fall semester.

Welch told trustees during a regular meeting at the ASU-Newport campus that he was “very pleased” with system-wide enrollment of 23,410.

“It’s not abnormal for two-year college numbers to decline as the economy improves,” Welch said. “Every one of our campuses did very well, outpacing state averages. We have 5,656 students online, and that’s a 15.3% increase over last year. A-State has been attracting online students for a long time with great success.”

Arkansas State Chancellor Tim Hudson said an enrollment task force addressed previous declining trends.

“We know better why students do and don’t come to A-State,” Hudson said. “An important aspect is the rise without a downturn in quality. Remediation rates are down, and GPA averages are up. To grow while achieving quality points is very important.”

Trustee Howard Slinkard of Rogers asked how many applicants to A-State no longer qualified because of higher academic standards implemented three years ago. Hudson said there were 750 students this year and 2,000 over the past three years, but the result is higher retention rates and fewer students needing remediation.

ASU-Newport had the highest surge in enrollment at 5.2%. Chancellor Sandra Massey said the institution had the highest full-time-equivalent student-growth rate among the 22 two-year colleges in Arkansas and now ranks fifth overall in FTEs.

ASU-Beebe Chancellor Eugene McKay said 51.1% of ASU-Beebe’s students who took remedial classes were successful in completing a certificate or degree, or continuing to a four-year university, and that ranks second in the state. ASU-Beebe leads the state with an education success rate of 83.3% for non-remedial students.

BEYOND ENROLLMENT
Welch discussed Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s request for a master planning process for higher education in Arkansas, which will be the first since the 1980s. He said it would focus on improved retention rates, increased enrollment, affordability and workforce education. A new funding formula would consider performance, incentives and innovation elements.

“There’s a lot of work to be done and detail to be put into place, but the governor’s plans are good ones for the benefit of the system and the state as a whole,” Welch said.

Welch said the search for a successor to McKay, who will retire in January after nearly 50 years of service to the institution, has begun. Four applications have been received, he said, but it’s very early in the process.

ASU-Mountain Home Chancellor Robin Myers said the campus has received two federal grants for workforce training, including one to train 40-60 welders, who are in high demand. A recently opened training center is already at capacity, he said.

The Beebe, Newport and Mountain Home campuses have collaborated to begin implementation of new campus management software that will replace less-efficient systems being discontinued. Welch said the system campuses benefited from agreeing to the same software and obtaining discounted pricing.

Mid-South Chancellor Debra West, making her first appearance before the board, said the campus recently received approval for continuation of a federal student support services grant of $281,000 annually for five years.

“This allows us to provide tutoring and mentoring to our most at-risk students,” West said. “It’s very important to our student population.”

OTHER BUSINESS
In other business, the Board approved:

• A-State’s request to realign nine academic colleges into six colleges. The new college units will begin the transition during the 2015-16 academic year. The names of each college and respective department will be determined by June 2016.
• A $15.2 million campus-wide energy performance plan and related financing that will result in utility and operational savings for the Jonesboro campus.
• Amending its bylaws to reflect the addition of ASU Mid-South, which was previously Mid-South Community College in West Memphis until it joined the system on July 1.
• Updates to the system’s policies regarding sex offenders and weapons to comply with state laws.
• Resolutions to rename two facilities at ASU Mid-South: the Dr. Glen F. Fenter Athletic Complex in honor of the contributions of the institution’s former president and the Thomas B. Goldsby Training Center in honor of the family’s support of Mid-South.

Following an executive session, the board approved several academic and non-academic appointments.