Combating Enrollment Declines
Preview:
Institutions across the country have seen a decline in enrollment in recent years, and the drop cannot be attributed to the pandemic alone. Enrollment has been slowly trending downward since 2016. In 2020, COVID-19 caused a disruption that many colleges had never experienced before. Prior to the pandemic, typical strategies were used to recruit students including high school visits, mailing postcards, and participating in festivals. Now that we are “on the other side” of the pandemic, enrollment has continued to decline. Campuses are facing quiet resignation, social unrest, social injustice, and enrollment shrinkage. How will colleges survive if all these calamities are around us? And most importantly, where are the students?
Originally published: October 10, 2022
Author: Tyjaun A. Lee
Position: President
Institution: Metropolitan Community College, Penn Valley
Published by: Diverse Issues in Higher Education