Sobering numbers were included in enrollment figures Indiana State University released Thursday.
ISU’s fall enrollment slipped below 8,000. The university begins its 2024-25 year with 7,895 students. That marks a 4.9% decline from fall 2023.
The number of first-time, full-time freshmen stands at 1,419, a drop of 9.5% from last autumn’s 1,568.
Just seven years ago, ISU’s fall enrollment was 13,045. Of course, a lot has changed. Most notably, the COVID-19 pandemic jolted college enrollments nationwide, birth rates dropped in the mid-2000s and Indiana’s college-going rate fell. Just 53% of Hoosier high school graduates went directly to college in 2022, the most recent figures available. In 2009, 67% of high schoolers went straight to college.
Still, ISU’s enrollment drop stands out. Let us hope it has reached the bottom.
Terre Haute and the community surrounding the campus needs vibrant growth at ISU in the long-term and stability, at the very least, in the short-term.
Higher education is a cornerstone of the town’s economy and culture. ISU is the largest of four colleges in Vigo County and the third-largest local employer, trailing only the Vigo County School Corporation and Union Health. Its largely Indiana-raised student body means, potentially, a large portion of its graduates may choose to live, work and raise families in the Wabash Valley. Sixty-four percent of ISU alums stay in Indiana, according to the university.
Indeed, the presence of a large state university influences the quality of life here, bolstering its workforce, activities and amenities.
So, the best news in Thursday’s announcement by ISU were subsequent comments from new university President Mike Godard.
Godard emphasized that increasing ISU’s enrollment “is my top priority. It’s a major task, but I think we have opportunities. I’m optimistic about those opportunities.”
His outlook is encouraging. Even more inspiring are the tactics ISU is deploying to bring in more students. Those include eliminating the $25 application fee for prospective domestic undergraduate students; automatic admission for undergrad students with grade-point average of 3.0 or better; adding a digital media manager to communicate ISU’s pluses to potential Sycamores (like the $3,000 Indiana State Advantage program grant for second-year students); and improving processes for transfer students.
Another change looks particularly promising. ISU is returning enrollment management as its own division, as it was prior to a 2019 change. The position of vice president of enrollment management will be reintroduced. Given the enrollment situation, that reorganization seems especially prudent.
ISU has bright spots to build a resurgence upon. Its graduate student enrollment is up 2.1%. Other enrollment sectors also on the upswing are ISU Honors College students (5.3%) and international students (15.3%). And, out of 7,895 total students, an impressive 5,569 are Indiana residents.
Among Hoosier public universities, ISU has earned a niche as a welcoming destination for first-generation students. Diversity distinguishes Indiana State, too.
Godard wants K-through-12 students across Indiana to know ISU and its virtues. He also understands the connection needed between the Terre Haute area community and the campus.
“The relationship between Indiana State and Terre Haute is mutually beneficial — when one thrives, so does the other,” Godard said.
He sees hints of brighter days. “I am eager to continue building on the positive momentum we’ve created on campus and have seen throughout the community,” Godard added.
The outlook and priorities offer hope, because Terre Haute needs ISU to succeed.
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