For some time, N.C . State has been able to boast a population of more than 30,000 students, making it the largest university in North Carolina. Soon, all of that might change with the initiation of the new 2020 Enrollment Plan meant to decrease the numbers.
The main goals are increasing growth in graduates, transfers and tenured faculty, while simultaneously slowing growth in the undergraduate population by 2020, according to the official plan.
To meet these goals, the Enrollment Planning Committee insists on building master’s and doctoral programs, limiting freshmen enrollment and encouraging transfers from out-of-state and community colleges.
Limiting freshmen enrollment would mean “sharpen[ ing ] our competitive edge for the most highly qualified students…” according to the plan.
Louis Hunt, vice provost for the Enrollment Management, University Registrar and member of the Enrollment Planning Committee, recognizes the plans undertones.
“It didn’t say it was going to be harder for [undergraduates] to get in, certainly,” Hunt said. “But the reality is that competition for the seats we have will be more difficult.”
As a result, freshmen seeking to attend N.C . State in the years to come will need higher GPAs and SAT scores to set them apart.
“If we have more freshmen than we have resources to deal with than the quality of instruction, the quality of the student experience, the quality of advising might suffer so our goal is to be the right size university,” Hunt said.
For undergraduates, state appropriations and tuition pay for most of their education, whereas most graduates have to pay privately.
“As a land-grant institution, and with the programs we have here at State, there are some areas we have a responsibility to provide education in,” Kenneth Esbenshade , associate dean and director of academic programs for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, said.
Part of Chancellor Woodson’s vision for State is to increase the number of tenure track faculty, Esbenshade added.
According to the enrollment plan, the last decade showed “headcount enrollment increased by 20 percent, non-tenure track faculty grew by 23 percent, and tenure-track faculty increased by only 1 percent.”
“We’ve brought in the student body quite a bit more than we’ve brought in the faculty,” Hunt said. “There’s going to be a little more emphasis in building that back up.”
“To me, it’s ambitious in part on the doctoral level,” Esbenshade said. “But, all in all, I really think the momentum is in that direction.”
The plan demonstrates that total doctoral students is the main priority, aiming at a 29 percent increase by 2020. Total undergraduates would only see a three percent increase and non-degree-seeking students actually decreasing by 10 percent.
Marvin Malecha , dean of the College of Design, believes the plan is realistic for the time frame in mind.
“We can’t have a significant growth without resources,” Malecha said. “What I like about this plan is that it balances what we have right now. “
“The expectation is sometimes, especially when you have all these budget cuts, resources can get out of alignment with enrollment, so the enrollment plan is designed to help balance those two,” Hunt said. “There’s sort of a trade-off between growth and having the right size enrollment for the resources we have and if we exceed that infrastructure then the results might not be as good as they could be.”
The economy and graduation timeliness are factors in the plan’s construction.
Only 72 percent of students graduate within six years, according to Hunt.
“We had a mentality for awhile, which was just keep growing, expand,” Hunt said. “I think with the chancellor and provost we have a more strategic approach in mind now, one that really leverages N.C . State’s strings.”
