Sage Kiernan-Sherrow  | News Editor

According to The Statesman Journal, over 78% of Oregon high school students graduated within four years between 2017-18 — still the second lowest state in terms of graduation, behind the District of Columbia. At Western, enrollment was down 5% at the beginning of the 2019 school year. But what do these two factors mean regarding Western’s future success? I sat down with Director of Admissions, Rob Findtner, to find out: 

Q: With the news that Oregon’s high school graduation rate is much higher this year, do we expect that’s going to affect enrollment next year?

A: Well, I think signs right now are pointing in a positive direction for new students. Freshman applications were a little up over 4% compared to last year and then our freshman admits are up 12%, but also our non-resident, out-of-state numbers look positive. However, for the former, they might not yeild as high because they tend to stay closer to home, for family reasons, cost of attendence, etc. But for Fall 2020, things look positive for our freshmen numbers, and for Oregon residents we know that’s a significant part of our population and historically, that’s where we have had success and that’s part of our mission — serving the state of Oregon. Taking care of our Oregon students is crucial to our success and future success. As we think about our outreach as an admissions office, we’re very sensitive to that fact and we make sure to spend time in the state of Oregon, whether that’s Salem-Keizer or Central Oregon, crucial areas for Western. We have students that represent just about every county. Our first priority is the state of Oregon, but we’re also making sure that we’re presenting options for students from Washington and California, including financial incentives like the WUE program. We are trying to cast a wider net for students from Texas, offering a tuition-rate mimicking the WUE program, which has been somewhat of an experiment for us. It’s a little too early to tell, but we are seeing applications from there. What I think is equally important is looking at student demographics. We’re seeing an increase in students who identify as Hispanic or Latinx. President Fuller has been very public about Western aspiring to be a Hispanic-Serving Institution so we have to think about our outreach efforts to make sure we are serving all students and their families and think about our programs and content, whether that’s tour opportunities available in Spanish, etc. So, things look positive for 2020 but we realize that’s also a very competitive environment. There’s many institutions in jeopardy of closing because of low-enrollment and articles detailing what they plan to respond to those challenges, and I think that’s what we face as well. Many institutions are including added incentives into the enrollment process because admissions has become so competitive. And I think for seniors trying to make a decision for what’s best for them and trying to cut through all of that noise, it can be really difficult. 

Q: Western has obviously made many new improvements in terms of campus expansion and renovations. What do you think are the biggest reasons for students who’ve decided to come to Western?

A: I think one of the biggest pieces is our faculty and their focus being educators and teachers where the students are put first. Western has always been about its students and I give a lot of credit to Dr. Fuller for being the driving force in reinstating what we’re here for in the first place. I think another aspect are the opportunities outside of the classroom that a university of our size can provide, whether that’s being included in Student Media, or to be a student ambassador, or an RA, the size of campus is really conducive to student involvement. Another strength that I hear from students is the diversity of our campus. Sometimes there are some preconceived notions about Western, and then students come to visit and realize it’s more diverse than they thought. The WUE tuition rate is also a draw, but we have some competitive scholarship opportunities for Oregon-residents as well as students outside the state of Oregon. We now have a $1,000 campus visit award so high school seniors or transfer students, if they visit by Feb. 1, qualify for that one-time award as a part of their aid package if they are admitted. It’s helping with our visitation numbers as well, because students who are on the fence about visitation now have a financial incentive. 

Q: Do you have any insight into why the enrollment dipped down 5% last year and why it is projected to increase this upcoming year? 

A: I think nationally, what we’re seeing is that any time the economy is thriving there is a potential for a negative impact in terms of higher education where someone who is graduating high school might think ‘you know what? A college education is waiting for me’ whereas they might have an employment opportunity already lined up. I think that’s a challenge. And as I mentioned, it’s been competitive as far as the recruitment process goes. Certain states have been offering incentives to stay, and in Oregon we have the Oregon Promise, which gives students the opportunity to go to a community college before transfering. It’s a great program in terms of access to higher education but can pose a challenge in terms of enrollment for first-time freshmen. There are so many factors that can impact a student’s path. We know that what we see the trend to be is that there will be a period of growth in high school graduation rates, but within ten years there could be a decline. It could be a positive in the West currently, but then there will be a dip elsewhere. The general perception is that public universities could be in a good place, but there are concerns about private universities. The East coast is bracing for challenges in terms of graduation rates and might be looking at how they need to survive and looking to the West for that information. What you’re seeing is that certain individuals are hiring regional recruiters to draw students in and minimize enrollment decline, and for many they’re placing recruiters on the West Coast. 

Q: Following up on that, we’ve created a few programs here at Western to assist students in transferring with their associates or re-entering higher education at a later time in their life, correct?

A: Yes. Whether it’s the advising path or the jump-start aid opportunities or Oregon Promise, we have many incentives for students to choose Western. 

Q: For the students who are coming directly from high school and entering the workforce, would you, for one, rather they go into higher education and, two, why?

A: It does become very personal. Students can graduate and enter a trade where they can become successful, and maybe that was the right choice for them. For some people, higher education isn’t a good match. But I think that students should think about their career because ultimately, higher education might have a role in that. Say you might have two individuals on a career path and one holds a bachelor’s while the other does not meet the equivalent, and there becomes a point in which there is time to advance. The individual holding the bachelor’s degree has that opportunity. 

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu