Posted 8:04 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2013
UW-La Crosse has the largest freshman class since 1986 and record enrollment this fall.
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UW-L Class of 2017. Photo by UW-L student Hanqing Wu.[/caption]
UW-La Crosse has the largest freshman class since 1986 and record enrollment this fall. Despite that growth, the university has maintained a highly personalized experience for students by lowering its student-to-faculty ratio over the last five years, says UW-L Chancellor Joe Gow.
This fall UW-L has 1,990 new first-year students, contributing to a grand total of 10,427 students. That’s 200 more students than last year, which was also a record.
UW-L started to grow enrollment and student access in fall 2008 as part of the Growth, Quality and Access plan. Modest enrollment growth over the last five years has allowed the university to hire more faculty and reduce the student-to-faculty ratio from 24:1 to 19:1. The growth has also allowed the university to hire more support staff to better serve students, explains Bob Hetzel, UW-L vice chancellor for Administration and Finance.
UW-L Director of Admissions Corey Sjoquist credits UW-L Admissions staff, in part, for the university’s ability to attract high numbers. Staff are on the road throughout the year making meaningful connections with prospective students, families and high school counselors.
The campus itself is also a major factor in strong recruitment. Small details from the classroom technology to friendly faculty and students make a lasting impression when students visit, notes Sjoquist.
“The people they meet are engaged and excited about being here. It creates an energy that is exciting to others,” says Sjoquist. “They want to be at this school because of all the things people are doing both inside and outside the classroom.”
At this point, it’s not anticipated UW-L will grow enrollment beyond a few hundred more students. The University’s Enrollment Management Council is continuously assessing student enrollment, says Hetzel. The university hired Fred Pierce, associate vice chancellor for enrollment management, who, in addition to other roles, helps the university assess how much it can grow, considering core factors such as physical space, building needs, financial aid and strong academics, says Gow.
Ultimately, the university does not want to lose the highly-personalized experience it provides students by growing too large, says Gow. The modest increase over the last five years has helped the university financially, he adds.
“Because our state funding has been reduced dramatically, we are much more reliant on tuition to ensure a high-quality academic experience,” explains Gow. “If enrollment was not strong, we would be in a weaker resource position.”
UW-L Class of 2017. Photo by UW-L student Hanqing Wu.[/caption]
UW-La Crosse has the largest freshman class since 1986 and record enrollment this fall. Despite that growth, the university has maintained a highly personalized experience for students by lowering its student-to-faculty ratio over the last five years, says UW-L Chancellor Joe Gow.
This fall UW-L has 1,990 new first-year students, contributing to a grand total of 10,427 students. That’s 200 more students than last year, which was also a record.
UW-L started to grow enrollment and student access in fall 2008 as part of the Growth, Quality and Access plan. Modest enrollment growth over the last five years has allowed the university to hire more faculty and reduce the student-to-faculty ratio from 24:1 to 19:1. The growth has also allowed the university to hire more support staff to better serve students, explains Bob Hetzel, UW-L vice chancellor for Administration and Finance.
UW-L Director of Admissions Corey Sjoquist credits UW-L Admissions staff, in part, for the university’s ability to attract high numbers. Staff are on the road throughout the year making meaningful connections with prospective students, families and high school counselors.
The campus itself is also a major factor in strong recruitment. Small details from the classroom technology to friendly faculty and students make a lasting impression when students visit, notes Sjoquist.
“The people they meet are engaged and excited about being here. It creates an energy that is exciting to others,” says Sjoquist. “They want to be at this school because of all the things people are doing both inside and outside the classroom.”
At this point, it’s not anticipated UW-L will grow enrollment beyond a few hundred more students. The University’s Enrollment Management Council is continuously assessing student enrollment, says Hetzel. The university hired Fred Pierce, associate vice chancellor for enrollment management, who, in addition to other roles, helps the university assess how much it can grow, considering core factors such as physical space, building needs, financial aid and strong academics, says Gow.
Ultimately, the university does not want to lose the highly-personalized experience it provides students by growing too large, says Gow. The modest increase over the last five years has helped the university financially, he adds.
“Because our state funding has been reduced dramatically, we are much more reliant on tuition to ensure a high-quality academic experience,” explains Gow. “If enrollment was not strong, we would be in a weaker resource position.”