BETWEEN THE LINES

By John R. Broderick, Acting President

The Challenges Of Enrollment Management

The old axiom that change is the only constant certainly holds true for your alma mater. No matter when you graduated, if you were to come back to campus for a visit (and I certainly hope you will), it wouldn’t take long to see that Old Dominion looks different from, and bigger than, the school you attended.

An ambitious building program over the last two decades has helped the university enhance and expand its academic offerings, athletic facilities and student services. This fall, we are experiencing our largest enrollment to date – nearly 23,000 students, including 2,800 freshmen. The number of freshmen that want to live on campus rose to a record 85 percent, up from a high of 75 percent. This is a clear indicator of how the institution is being perceived and affirms recent efforts to make this a more residential campus.

Many factors help determine enrollment and institutional growth. One of them is the resources to address all critical components of supporting students properly. This includes faculty to teach classes, staff to advise and counsel students, and facilities to accommodate them. While I understand the benefits of growth, I must pose the $100,000 question, which I asked in my address to faculty at the start of the semester: Will ODU be a better place in five years if additional growth occurs?

Growth for growth’s sake is not an acceptable philosophy, and thus I have commissioned an enrollment management study – one that reflects realistic enrollment projections and our desire to enhance our academic reputation. If we grow more slowly than previously projected, then we will generate less revenue and our faculty and staff may not expand as rapidly. If we grow more modestly, we will be able to increase our admissions selectivity and improve our academic standards, performance and reputation. It is my hope that we will find an optimal mixture in this regard.

Another challenge, which I issued to the faculty and now present to you, is in the area of advocacy – which becomes increasingly important in times of decreasing revenue. Help me tell others the story of what makes this institution better each and every day. Evidence of our success and achievements can be found on the pages of your alumni magazine, and daily on the university Web site. Did you know, for example, that more faculty at ODU have been named Virginia Professors of the Year than at any of the state’s 65 public, private and community colleges, with the exception of William and Mary? (And, let’s be fair, W&M had a 250-year head start on us.)

People judge the whole by the part they know. For many of our constituents, you are the part they know – and trust. Let’s get the message out that Old Dominion is on the move. We all should be proud that our students say this is a welcoming community where cutting-edge research is conducted and an entrepreneurial spirit surfaces in their classrooms and residence halls.

Until your alma mater’s next permanent president is identified and takes office, I pledge to work closely with the faculty, staff, student leaders and alumni to move this great institution forward. I hope you will join me in this effort.