By SAMI MCGUIRE
Sports Editor
Northwestern Oklahoma State University has taken some hits in enrollment this school year.
In the fall, Northwestern’s enrollment numbers dropped due to new international policies put in place by President Donald Trump. This semester enrollment is still lower than last spring, but Janet Cunningham, Northwestern president, stays optimistic.
“We aren’t down as much as we thought we might be,” Cunningham said. “Our indicators for next fall are running really good. We had a great Ranger Preview. Back in November we had the Ranger Showcase Saturday that seemed very well attended. Our President’s Leadership Class numbers, applications coming in, seem to be very good for that.”
According to preliminary enrollment data the headcount totaled to 1,857 students this semester, which is down 88 students from last spring.
Northwestern compares spring to spring and fall to fall in enrollment numbers to get more consistent variables. Fall to spring enrollment always drops due to a number of factors such as family issues, first-time students, drop outs, transfers and graduating students.
As can be expected, when Northwestern is down on enrollment so are credit hours being taken. To keep retention Northwestern has started a 15-to-finish campaign this past year.
“If you are a student just starting you need to take 15 hours every semester because that will allow you to graduate in four years,” Cunningham said. “It seems to have been a positive initiative. Our number of credit hours per student, especially freshman, has gone up.”
Not only has the 15-to-finish been a big push to keep students on track for graduation and keep Northwestern’s credit hours up, it also has been shown to help in other ways.
“A lot of studies show that students, no matter what their preparation level is, do better when they are enrolled in at least 15 hours,” Cunningham said. “I think the tendency is that if you have a little weaker student, it is better to just put them in 12 hours, but that has not won out in statistics. The structure with more time in class helps the students do better overall.”
Northwestern started this push fall semester when spring enrollment opened. The campaign has been advocated through freshman connection, social media and student advisors.
The 15-to-finish targets current and future Rangers. Retention and recruitment are both important to Northwestern.
“We use a two pronged approach,” Cunningham said. “It is certainly cheaper to retain than it is to recruit. But we are always trying to get that good freshman class because that kind of tells the tale for several years into the future.”
Students enrolled at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, use the facilities available to them, such as the library and the student center.