https://www.toledoblade.com/local/educat...0240208109

Spring enrollment at the University of Toledo continues its downward slide, even as officials expected it to improve this year.

Spring enrollment declined 2.9 percent from last year, with 13,951 students enrolled compared to 14,363 in 2023. In 2010, UT enrollment was 23,085.

(02-11-2024 04:48 PM)DetroitRocket Wrote:  https://www.toledoblade.com/local/educat...0240208109

Spring enrollment at the University of Toledo continues its downward slide, even as officials expected it to improve this year.

Spring enrollment declined 2.9 percent from last year, with 13,951 students enrolled compared to 14,363 in 2023. In 2010, UT enrollment was 23,085.

Yeah, this is disastrous for the University and the city. Hard to understand when BG has had much less of an issue.

Again, not one single sign in greater Cleveland area promoting UT. When I attend local HS games in the Strongsville area, never a UT sign anywhere, BG, OU, Kent and Akron crap everywhere.

Why?

And BG's rises....wth is happening over on Bancroft??

Have to wonder the impact that will have on any sports initiatives. Bleeding tens of millions of dollars on the academic end will certainly extinguish efforts on athletics.

(02-11-2024 11:15 PM)inductchuck16 Wrote:  And BG's rises....wth is happening over on Bancroft??

Would have to see information on demographics to get a better understanding. Commuters vs. living on campus (or just off campus for out of towners) and compare to BG. I have to wonder if commuters are opting for BG and if that is part of their increase. Toledo always has the advantage and the disadvantage of being an urban university. It doesn't have that college town atmosphere like several of the MAC schools have - and a number of students prefer. Seems like the population shift has been more to the South (Perrysburg, Maumee, Waterville, Whitehouse, etc.) which may make the communting option more favorable to BG. I don't know, just surmising as to why one is up and the other is down. Would be interesting to hear what they are seeing from the information I'm sure they have collected. What they can do with that info is the real issue. Can't cut your way to better numbers.

Scott Molitor, University of Toledo interim provost and executive president for Academic Affairs, said the current overall enrollment numbers may be down, but the number of new students is increasing.

UT reported the number of new students enrolling in the spring semester at UT increased to 747 in spring 2024 from 693 in spring 2023.

“The current numbers are not a surprise to any of us,” Mr. Molitor said. “Before COVID, the university brought in a lot of students. Now, those students are graduating. That explains the overall numbers being down.”

Not sure if I buy any of this. We're getting very close to being in the same boat as Youngstown State and Wright State who have had enrollment problems before Covid. And YSU just had a big increase in graduate students and WSU has seen a small increase in undergraduates.

I understand that the current president has helped the hospital, but he has done nothing to stem student loses. We had two bad presidents before him, and now he's trending in the same direction.

University needs a big hire to run admissions similar to Blair and shake the tree. Too much to offer to decay like this

Read the comments in this Facebook post, lots of personal anecdotes of why UT might be on the decline in enrollment.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/GiU1pobP1UUAoJWP/?

Biggest takeaway from the comments is that UT’s leadership is terrible and UT is not innovative at all falling behind the times. Also, BG makes quality student life a priority alongside academics. UT does not…

Not gonna lie, reading those comments is rather depressing as a UT alum. I hate to read such negativity about our beloved University. Something needs to change…ASAP.

(02-12-2024 03:38 PM)inductchuck16 Wrote:  Read the comments in this Facebook post, lots of personal anecdotes of why UT might be on the decline in enrollment.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/GiU1pobP1UUAoJWP/?

Biggest takeaway from the comments is that UT’s leadership is terrible and UT is not innovative at all falling behind the times. Also, BG makes quality student life a priority alongside academics. UT does not…

Not gonna lie, reading those comments is rather depressing as a UT alum. I hate to read such negativity about our beloved University. Something needs to change…ASAP.

Oh, and it looks like the dean of the Honors College has been eliminated.

Rick Longenecker has been covering this topic for quite some time on Linkedin. He has 48 posts titled "Rocket Nation Recovery" discussing the decline in enrollment.

(02-12-2024 06:30 PM)DetroitRocket Wrote:  

(02-12-2024 03:38 PM)inductchuck16 Wrote:  Read the comments in this Facebook post, lots of personal anecdotes of why UT might be on the decline in enrollment.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/GiU1pobP1UUAoJWP/?

Biggest takeaway from the comments is that UT’s leadership is terrible and UT is not innovative at all falling behind the times. Also, BG makes quality student life a priority alongside academics. UT does not…

Not gonna lie, reading those comments is rather depressing as a UT alum. I hate to read such negativity about our beloved University. Something needs to change…ASAP.

Oh, and it looks like the dean of the Honors College has been eliminated.

Honors College will now be run by a Director selected from the faculty-Honors programs remain in place

(02-12-2024 08:16 AM)MotoRocket Wrote:  

(02-11-2024 11:15 PM)inductchuck16 Wrote:  And BG's rises....wth is happening over on Bancroft??

Would have to see information on demographics to get a better understanding. Commuters vs. living on campus (or just off campus for out of towners) and compare to BG. I have to wonder if commuters are opting for BG and if that is part of their increase. Toledo always has the advantage and the disadvantage of being an urban university. It doesn't have that college town atmosphere like several of the MAC schools have - and a number of students prefer. Seems like the population shift has been more to the South (Perrysburg, Maumee, Waterville, Whitehouse, etc.) which may make the communting option more favorable to BG. I don't know, just surmising as to why one is up and the other is down. Would be interesting to hear what they are seeing from the information I'm sure they have collected. What they can do with that info is the real issue. Can't cut your way to better numbers.

BGSU has a certain appeal to many students and their parents as a rural small college town that they also perceive as "safe".... for many, UT as urban university has a different vibe (and outside of Toledo, UT is recruiting - and does get many applicants - from small rural communities in SW MI and Ohio who don't like "big" cities). Also BGSU has invested major resources in CCP and graduate programs that push up headcounts but actually lose money as student tuition is nill from majority of those students due to tuition waiver and scholarships plus high school students pay $0 to the university they enroll in.

I had a great experience at UT from 2008-2012. There seemed to be a big statewide recruiting push during that time, and as a result, I had friends/classmates from all over Ohio (I went to HS in Cincinnati myself).

One thing that caught my attention though was the number of students enrolled who weren't equipped to handle 4-year college coursework. I lived in the suites Freshman and Sophomore years and had three different suitemates drop out mid-year because they hardly went to class/did classwork.

I know UT admissions were virtually "open" while I was there. Did anything ever change on this end?

(02-13-2024 09:40 AM)TampaRocket Wrote:  Rick Longenecker has been covering this topic for quite some time on Linkedin. He has 48 posts titled "Rocket Nation Recovery" discussing the decline in enrollment.

Apparently UT's head of recruiting doesn't even live in Ohio... Lives in one of the Carolinas...recruiting for OUR University all the way from over there, and recruiting students from California??? Who is this guy and why does he still have a job at UT? Guess he's buddy buddy with the president.

UTs head of recruiting? you could be referring to previous VP for Enrollment who left last December.. current VP and the new Director of Recruitment both live in Toledo area..challenge is to hire a permanent VP Enrollment who will stay and dedicate 5yrs+ to the role and effort, as last decade has been revolving door of temporary consultants and interim appointments. The come to UT gain some experience, then move onto to larger institutions with less enrollment challenges-in my view lack of sustained consistent leadership in Enrollment has been #1 factor to UT not being able to stem enrollment declines.

(02-17-2024 09:03 AM)BrooklynRocket Wrote:  I had a great experience at UT from 2008-2012. There seemed to be a big statewide recruiting push during that time, and as a result, I had friends/classmates from all over Ohio (I went to HS in Cincinnati myself).

One thing that caught my attention though was the number of students enrolled who weren't equipped to handle 4-year college coursework. I lived in the suites Freshman and Sophomore years and had three different suitemates drop out mid-year because they hardly went to class/did classwork.

I know UT admissions were virtually "open" while I was there. Did anything ever change on this end?

UT remains an open enrollment institution, during period you referred to even the various UT colleges lessen their higher GPA and SAT/ACT scores and let in many low performing students, and UT one year retention rate and six year degree completion rate dropped significantly-which hurts state subsidy since graduation it more important than head count. Many colleges have raised their standard..but yes any graduated HS student in Ohio can be admitted into UT via undecided major into University College BUT that same population of student is declining in Ohio since 2010 and more 2y and 4 yr colleges are actively recruiting them...UC and OSU are accepting more students with mid GPA and mid test scores than before the pandemic..once reason they are growing, still very selective admissions but not as selective...

Blade was not clear on next steps in terms of suspending admissions in various degree programs-in most cases those degrees will be folded into existing degrees as concentrations...including MA in Industrial Engineering..
https://www.utoledo.edu/offices/provost/prioritization/

(02-19-2024 12:36 PM)PaulJ Wrote:  Blade was not clear on next steps in terms of suspending admissions in various degree programs-in most cases those degrees will be folded into existing degrees as concentrations...including MA in Industrial Engineering..
https://www.utoledo.edu/offices/provost/prioritization/

From what I understand, there will be no new admissions to the suspended programs, but they will work with current students to allow them to finish their degree. BTW, Miami (OH) is dropping 18 degree programs.

(02-19-2024 02:26 PM)DetroitRocket Wrote:  

(02-19-2024 12:36 PM)PaulJ Wrote:  Blade was not clear on next steps in terms of suspending admissions in various degree programs-in most cases those degrees will be folded into existing degrees as concentrations...including MA in Industrial Engineering..
https://www.utoledo.edu/offices/provost/prioritization/

From what I understand, there will be no new admissions to the suspended programs, but they will work with current students to allow them to finish their degree. BTW, Miami (OH) is dropping 18 degree programs.

In the last statewide meeting of administrators, I believe only two Universities were not making the decision to drop degree programs, OSU and UC. Unfortunately, the local paper here has a hard-on for going after their respective Universities unlike the other institutions and their local rags. I wonder if a Block was expecting a seat on the Board that never came or something...it is just an eerie fascination with going after the most important educational and employment hub in the region.