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DIANA SOLIOWON | DAILY EGYPTIAN
Jonathan Veach, a senior studying English from Quincy, browses for DVDs Wednesday at Morris Library. The library has undergone major construction during the
last seven years and awaits money from the state to complete the sixth and seventh floors, said Susan Tulis, associate dean of Library Affairs. Full story on page 3.
Administrators reexamine emrollment crisis New enrollment head hopes past success carries in to new role RYAN VOYLES Daily Egyptian John Nicklow said he hopes his past success can ignite progress for SIUC. Nicklow was named the assistant provost for enrollment management Tuesday, taking over the role previously held by Victoria Valle, who was reassigned June 11 after three years of enrollment numbers shrinking under her tenure. Nicklow, who has served the past three years as associate dean of the College of Engineering, said his position there has prepared him for his campus-wide role. “(Recruitment and retention) is something I do here at the College (of Engineering) and I have always been interested in and enjoyed recruitment and retention,� he said. “I’ve been focusing on student success for some time here in the college, and we’ve had success here. I know there will be a challenge moving up to the university level, but it’s something I enjoy and I’m up for the challenge.� Continuous declining enrollment has challenged administrators for more than a decade. Valle took over enrollment management in fall 2007 with hopes of ending a decadelong a skid, which saw a drop from 24, 869 in fall 1991 to 20,983 in fall 2007, including
a decrease every year since 2005. But enrollment dropped even more under Valle; it stands at 19,134 as of spring 2010. SIUC Chancellor Rita Cheng said changes needed to be made in the university’s approach to enrollment. “I became convinced over the spring during my transition here that in order for us to focus on increasing access and student success on campus, that some things needed to be changed in enrollment management,� she said. “The reassignment (of Valle) was the first step in the total analysis of the department.� Valle will now work under the office of Interim Provost Don Rice, said Cheng. She said she was not sure what Valle’s responsibilities would be in her new role. Rice said he believes Nicklow will increase the coordination in enrollment management, but said he did not want anybody to put the burden on Nicklow solely if enrollment continued to slide. “We have somebody new who is responsible for enrollment, and if it doesn’t increase, it doesn’t increase,� Rice said. “He has the skills though to help us with the management and increase coordination.� Please see ENROLLMENT | 3
1999-2009 ENROLLMENT DECLINE 22,500
22,000 21,500
21,000 20,500
20,000 22,500
1999 22,323
2000 22,323
2001 21,598
2002 21,873
2003 21,378
2004 21,589
2005 21,441
2006 21,003
2007 20,983
2008 20,673
22,000 21,500
21,000 20,500
20,000
2009 20,350
CALEB WEST | DAILY EGYPTIAN Source: SIUC Fact Book 2009-2010
Programs, not academic standards, focus of improving enrollment LAUREN LEONE Daily Egyptian
Don Rice said the university will continue its mission to cater to first-generation students instead of raising admission standards, despite years of declining enrollment. Rice, interim provost of SIUC, said he sees admission standards and enrollment rates as a balancing act. “If the university were to raise its standards, some people would feel the university has more rigor and the value of the degree would be greater,� he said. “The opposite side of the coin is that you raise admission standards you lose part of the population we’re dedicated to.� SIUC has continued to struggle with enrollment for more than a decade. Enrollment peaked at 24,869 in fall 1991, but has since dipped to 19,134 in spring 2010. Restructuring of the enrollment management office has already taken place, as John Nicklow took over the vacancy left after the June 11 reassignment of Victoria Valle, former vice chancellor of enrollment management. Nicklow, who has served the last three years as associate dean of the College of Engineering, said retaining new students is one issue he will focus on to increase enrollment. Programs like the Center for Academic Success, Saluki First Year and Saluki Cares are programs designed to help retain students. CAS focuses particularly on first year students who have not met SIUC’s undergraduate requirements upon enrolling at the university. The university also allows potential freshmen who do not meet regular admission requirements to submit an application through CAS, said director of the program Yvonne Williams. She said it is an alternative program that would allow students an opportunity to come into the university. CAS is a one-year program that begins by reviewing a student’s class rank and ACT score. “I usually don’t take a student that has anything below a 14 ACT score,� Williams said. Williams said the program has been in effect since the early 1970s under different names and she said she believes it is successful because their acceptance criterion is not set in stone. According to Williams, last semester’s enrollment included roughly 590 students admitted into the program.
REGULAR ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
The requirements for admission of freshmen states that high school graduates can be granted admission in one of the following ways: 1. ACT composite score (or equivalent SAT score) at the 66th percentile, or above, and class rank in the top three quarters; or 2. ACT composite score (or equivalent SAT score) at the 50th percentile, or above, and class rank in the top half; or 3. ACT composite score (or equivalent SAT score) at the 33th percentile, or above, and class rank in the top quarter. Source: 2009 Undergraduate Catalog
“It’s a case-by-case basis,� she said. “I look at everything on the transcript: subscores in English and reading, high school courses and class rank. I look to see if there are improvements made year to year.� Attendance is also very important in the special admissions program’s acceptance criteria, said Williams. SIUC Chancellor Rita Cheng said students who may need a little encouragement and help, such as supplemental instruction and tutoring, can succeed at SIUC. “Southern Illinois University Carbondale has a historic access mission,� she said. “One of the reasons I came here is because I’m passionate about higher education access for all students, and so I would not expect us to close the door on students.� Rice said the university offers enough resources for students that do not meet the university’s regular admission requirements. “You do deal with students who may be less prepared,� he said. “We invest more in that kind of supplemental instruction, that kind of remediation that other universities may not do. And that’s a choice the university makes. If you raise standards, you find yourself excluding a population that requires that kind of remediation.�
Lauren Leone can be reached at lleone@dailyegyptian.com or 618-536-3311 ext. 256.