SRU bucks state trend, sees enrollment increase
Slippery Rock University is bucking the trend toward declining enrollment and is projecting its growth trend to continue.
The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, which has 14 university members, including SRU, reports that SRU and two others from the eastern part of the state are experiencing enrollment growth while the other schools are seeing enrollment fall off.
The other two schools with enrollment growth are West Chester University in southeastern Chester County and East Stroudsburg University in northeastern Monroe County.
“Based on last year's numbers, it wouldn't surprise me if Slippery Rock's enrollment was up again this year,” said Kenn Marshall, media relations manager for the state system.
Marshall said the West Chester and East Stroudsburg's preliminary enrollment numbers made sense since both schools are in more heavily populated areas of the state. He said SRU's higher preliminary numbers are a bit more perplexing since other western schools in the state system are not fairing well when it comes to enrollment.
“When enrollment goes down in the high schools, it makes a significant impact on all our higher education schools,” Marshall said.
Amanda Yale, associate provost of SRU enrollment services, said the preliminary enrollment numbers as of mid-September showed that undergraduate and graduate enrollment is up 3.4 percent over last year. While undergraduate programs alone are seeing a 1.6 percent increase over last year, SRU's graduate programs have had an almost 20 percent increase.
Between the beginning of the semester and census day, which is the reporting of final enrollment numbers in mid-September, SRU's enrollment numbers are about the same.
“What is very, very important is that we have a stable retention environment,” Yale said. “I think students are very satisfied on campus with the living and learning environment. They're very engaged and involved in clubs, organizations and athletics.
“So I think they find that besides the good things that are happening in the classroom, there are a lot of good things happening outside the classroom. That's what students will tell us.”
Yale said a number of factors are behind the university's enrollment success the last several years.
“It truly is a collaboration across campus and a partnership to make sure that we're doing things as an institution that makes a difference today and will make a difference five years from now, seven years from now, and eventually 10 years from now.”
Offering certain popular academic programs, such as physical therapy and physician's assistant programs, are part of what makes the university attractive, Yale said.
Programs, such as biology, exercise science and criminology also have experienced an increase in freshmen enrollment this year.
Students want to pursue degrees that will guarantee them employment after graduation, she said.
“These are very marketable programs. Students do get internships and jobs in these fields,” Yale said. “Students and parents make an investment in college and they want to make sure that investment pays off later on.”
