By MATT PIKE
For a fourth consecutive year, enrollment at Northwest Missouri State University has grown.
Enrollment increased slightly on the Maryville campus, with 8,747 students enrolled in the fall semester as of the annual census conducted just after the beginning of the semester.
President Lance Tatum says he’s proud of the people at Northwest focused on strategies that have produced positive outcomes in sustained enrollment growth
“We have seen probably the most significant gains in our portfolio in the area of transfers, as well as keeping the students that we recruited in previous years,” Tatum tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “And so, just tickled to death that we continue to see sustainability in our growth and looking forward to the future.”
Tatum says there was a decline in the number of graduate students, in large part thanks to a decline in the number of international students
“The geopolitical activity that is occurring around the world as it related to visa attainment has certainly had an impact on our overall enrollment,” Tatum explains. “We have spent the last two years being very focused on building capacity in that undergraduate segment.”
Tatum points out where there was growth in enrollment was the number of transfer students, up 9%, and those students enrolled in dual credit course, up 14%.
Tatum says though, despite the continued growth through the years, they cannot rest on their laurels
“I think the movement that we see in the higher education industry is going to force us to be flexible, we have to be willing to pivot, when necessary, we have to be willing to invest, when necessary,” Tatum says. “So, I don’t think that it’s business as usual, I think we’ll continue every year to sit down, figure out where our strengths are, figure out where our weaknesses are, and then look to build with opportunities that are presented to us.”
Tatum says the university will continue to refine and adjust its strategy as needed to keep students on campus, knowing that enrollment numbers will fluctuate year to year.
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