Enrollment at Mississippi State was down by 1.5 percent this year, but university officials say they hope to have 20,000 students by 2010.
The current enrollment drop has been attributed to larger graduating classes and smaller incoming classes in recent years, said associate vice president of Student Affairs Lisa Harris.
Joe Farris, assistant to the president, said this low is a normal cycle of the university.
“We’ve always had peaks and valleys in enrollment,” Farris said.
The student population should reach 20,000 by 2010 based on the rate of growth MSU has experienced, President Charles Lee said.
Officials have not defined a specific plan to ensure that the university will grow from the 15,934 students recorded at the beginning of the fall 2004 semester, but Lee said the university wants to increase enrollment so it can secure more funding from the state.
The university gained 3,000 to 4,000 students in the last decade, Farris said.
The general outlook for the future growth of Mississippi State is optimistic, but the deciding factor will be time.
“We believe that we provide outstanding educational opportunities at a very reasonable price, and our graduates will be well-prepared for success in the 21st century,” Lee said.
While the university holds no doubts in the education it provides, it has made several efforts to improve MSU’s image and reach out to new students to meet the enrollment goal.
Farris served as director of University Relations for many years, but in the last five years he also served as assistant to the president.
Now Farris serves full-time as the president’s assistant, which he said allows him more time for identifying ways the university can improve its national standing. His new job complements the university’s efforts for recruiting and reaching new students.
Another step the university has made to gain enrollment is simplifying the enrollment process.
The Office of Enrollment Services and Scholarships recently merged with the Office of Admissions, to create the Office of Admissions and Scholarships. This office handles recruiting, campus tours, admissions, scholarship decisions and orientation.
Recruiting is also about focusing the message and keeping a personal touch, Harris said.
Students are changing their behavior and the university must understand them. The population of Mississippi is not growing, so the university must draw prospective in-state and out-of-state students, she said.
The university has programs to inform prospective students about the university, Harris said; one such program is Discovery Day, which introduces prospective students to campus life. The event is held once in the spring semester and once in the fall. The next Discovery Day is Feb. 11.
Individual tours are also provided every weekday, she said, but current students are a major factor in bringing students to MSU.
“Recruiting students is everyone’s job as this university,” Harris said.
Students can affect prospective students with a simple greeting and a smile, she added.