Fall 2003 freshman class smaller, more diverse
Released: November 13, 2003
Two different forces at work — a smaller freshman class and stronger retention rates — tempered fall 2003 enrollment at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, leading to a slight overall decline from the previous year.
Final admissions records show that UW-Whitewater’s full-time equivalent undergraduate enrollment was 9,096 students, a decline of 84 students from the previous year. According to Provost Richard Telfer, the 2003 numbers reflect some revealing shifts in the undergraduate profile. For example:
• Freshman enrollment was down by more than 200 students over fall 2002. Telfer said that was partly due to a larger-than-average 2002 class. But it also reflects the university’s concern about state budget cuts and its unwillingness to take on more students than it can manage without hurting quality.
• Freshman-to-sophomore retention rates were at an all-time high this year. Telfer said the retention rate rose to 78.3 this year from 77.1 in fall 2002, resulting in 171 additional students who are on a course for academic success.
• The freshman class gained in diversity despite the smaller enrollment. The university reported 217 students of color were enrolled as freshmen, up from 178 students the previous year. Students of color comprise almost 12 percent of the new freshman class.
In setting enrollment, Telfer said the university needs to maintain a careful balancing act between providing access and protecting quality. Further state budget cuts would almost certainly hurt access to the campus, he said.
The retention good news is a sign that a set of new initiatives is making a difference, Telfer said. Last year, the campus implemented a new Academic Advising and Exploration Center that targets students in their first year. Other new programs such as peer mentors and an early warning system for academic failure are all meant to eventually push freshman-to-sophomore retention over 80 percent.
“It’s an entire package that we have put together,” Telfer said. “The biggest losses in students usually occur during the freshman year, so it’s crucial we work to give them a better chance of succeeding.”
The minority enrollment increases reflect a traditionally strong recruitment effort by UW-Whitewater in communities such as Milwaukee, Madison and Beloit, Telfer said. One program called “Wheels to Whitewater” offers are minority juniors and seniors a chance to get familiar with campus life for a day.
Graduate enrollment made up a larger overall percentage of UW-Whitewater’s 10,540 students, due primary to tremendous growth in the online and traditional MBA programs that enroll nearly 700 students per year.
- Brian Mattmiller ,npa@uww.edu
