by Amy Borer
Editor in Chief
For the first time in at least five years, freshmen and transfer enrollment at the University of La Verne is lower than previous years.
Last fall, 346 new students entered the University, 215 of which were freshmen. Although exact numbers are not yet in for this year, Doug Wible, director of admissions, estimates the number to be around 325-335 new students, which includes transfer students.
“This year was tough economically,” he said. “We are in a price sensitive market and I think a lot of students choose a school based on the financial aid plan the institution offers, not because it is their first choice.”
Wible also added that a record was set this year when it came to applications and acceptances.
“We lost quite a few when it came to signing on the dotted line,” he said.
Wible attributed some of this loss to be the result of competitive financial aid plans offered by other universities.
On Aug. 31, the admissions staff was faced with another problem when seven new students withdrew from enrollment, for various reasons, at the last moment.
“It was really a blow,” said Wible, “but we are moving on with things.”
According to President Stephen Morgan, the lower enrollment will not be a problem for the University, as long as the total enrollment reaches the number of students the University budgeted for.
“I have a feeling that we will come in at the budgeted level,” he said.
Adeline Cardenas-Clague, dean of enrollment services, also feels strongly that the budgeted number will be met.
“I have a lot of confidence that we’ll meet our budget,” she said. “We’ve been over the last couple of years.”
Each year, the University budgets for 940 full time undergraduate students, about 350 of which would be new students. In the 1994-95 academic year, the University came in over budget, with over 1,047 traditional undergraduate students.
Overall, Cardenas-Clague estimates that total enrollment will be slightly low, but not low enough to create a problem.
“We are a very diverse institution,” she said. “If the number of traditional undergraduate students is down, we can look towards other programs, like the adult school, graduate school and law school.”
She also added that returning students have been slow with registration this fall, so it is hard to determine exactly how many will not be returning.
“As of [Sept. 5], we had 50 students preregistered who have not yet completed the registration process,” Cardenas-Clague said.
Instead of treating the problem of low enrollment as a setback, the admissions department is using it as a learning experience and will refocus its recruitment tactics.
According to Wible, the main focus for this upcoming year will be on inquiry pools.
“In fall semesters in the past, all admissions personnel would be off campus recruiting and we’d miss all the perspective students who came to the campus,” Wible said. “This fall, I will remain on campus to meet with those students.”
Past statistics show that the perspective students who actively search out La Verne are more likely to enroll at ULV than those who are recruited off of high school campuses.
