by Megan Brown, Student Reporter
Enrollment numbers are a large part of any university and its ability to operate.
Northwestern Oklahoma State University has seen many fluctuations with enrollment and retention numbers over the years and is currently facing a slight decline in students.
Enrollment affects much more than just the number of faces on campus; it plays a role in the funding universities are able to receive. As a university’s enrollment declines, funding takes a plunge with it.
In the year 2016, NWOSU was looking at a three-year high in enrollment. But in the fall of 2017, the Alva campus’ enrollment dropped more than 7%.
The university faced another decrease in numbers from 2017 to 2018, when the headcount went from 2,095 students to 1,992 students enrolled.
Official numbers have yet to be released for the 2019 – 2020 school year.
Calleb Mosburg, dean of student affairs and enrollment management, said while the numbers are still on the low side, he believes they are on the mend.
Mosburg said the recruitment office has all new staff who are eager and passionate about their positions.
“There are schools that each of our recruiters will go out and visit multiple times a year and, of course, Ranger Preview and our Spring Showcase,” Mosburg said.
“All of those things fall into our recruitment efforts.”
Matt Adair, assistant dean of student affairs and recruitment, is not new to recruitment. He is back after spending a few years in the classroom.
Mosburg said he works closely with Adair and Andrea Lauderdale, the university’s student success coordinator and transfer student recruiter.
RETAINING STUDENTS
As for retention, Mosburg said the university is always coming up with different ways of communication that can help enrollment each semester.
“It’s the same thing with recruitment. We stay pretty active with it. It’s enrollment, enrollment every day,” he said.
The entire Student Services department is working to increase enrollment and keep current students on the path to graduation. While Mosburg said he knows there are always things that will come up for current students, all of the faculty and staff on campus want to do their best to help keep their students in school.
Selena Estrada, an admissions counselor and recruiter, is one of the new faces in the recruitment office.
She said that she finds her job to be important, as the office’s goal is to assist first-time freshmen in enrolling.
“It can be a difficult task to recruit students to a small university, but each recruiter, including myself, has had a positive and amazing experience at Northwestern, and that is what we use to our advantage when it comes to recruiting,” Estrada said.
Estrada said the admissions office works hard to plan events, give tours and put together scholarship opportunities in order to motivate high school seniors to make NWOSU their home.
“Enrolling students is our priority, and by building those connections and offering students unique opportunities, we work hard every day to encourage students to enroll at NWOSU,” she said.
While the numbers may not be ideal, the university and the faces behind it look beyond the numbers to make NWOSU the best it can be.
“Our hope is that we are on the rebound with coming back with numbers,” Mosburg said. “We are really excited about the new recruitment staff … and they are great young individuals who are energetic and come out of a great department in their education.”