LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) - The University of Wyoming’s spring headcount is down from 2016, but UW President Laurie Nichols said there are indications of increased freshman enrollment next fall.
“I really do think the outreach we’ve done with our alumni and others is making a difference,” Nichols said. “Our admissions office has really stepped up quite a bit, too.”
Vice President of Student Affairs Sara Axelson told the UW Board of Trustees on Friday that there were 11,795 students enrolled at UW for the spring semester, down 188 students, or 1.6 percent, from 2016, the Laramie Boomerang reported (https://bit.ly/2na3fo5).
Axelson said she hasn’t seen any evidence that recent budget cuts at the university have resulted in decreased enrollment. However, Wyoming’s decreasing population because of the downturn in the state’s oil, gas and coal industry could be a factor in future enrollment numbers, she said.
But Axelson said not all the enrollment news was bad.
“We had a decrease in the number of students on probation,” she said. “And we had an increase in the number of students that returned from the fall semester to the spring semester.”
Still, Nichols said the falling enrollment numbers are concerning. “We certainly don’t want to report to you next year that we’re down again,” Nichols said.
Trustee Kermit Brown said he would like to see UW recruitment efforts start earlier than high school. “I think if when a student’s a senior in high school, it’s the first time they’re seeing UW, it’s way too late,” Brown said.
Nichols said she would continue to look into outreach methods and efforts. “I’m just going to say it’s very early, but we can turn this enrollment thing around,” she said.
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Information from: Laramie Boomerang, https://www.laramieboomerang.com
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