On the heels of six straight years of record-setting freshman enrollment this fall, Southern Arkansas University is now looking to boost its foreign student population amid declining numbers seen both nationally and locally.
International student populations are down across the country. From 2016 to 2017, according to a National Foundation of American Policy report, the figures at U.S. universities declined some 4 percent. A report from the publication Inside Higher Education, released last week, also confirms the fact.
The piece stated that domestic graduate enrollment actually increased nationally last year by roughly 1 percent, but when including the international dropoff, application figures overall fell 1.8 percent year to year.
The domestic grad student increase was also seen at SAU. University President Dr. Trey Berry said this week that the figures had increased by more than 100 students.
“We’re really excited about that,” he said.
Typically, the news report claimed, domestic first-time grad student boosts occur when the U.S. economy is strong.
As far as total undergraduate and domestic graduate populations go at the Magnolia institution, figures are on the upswing. The 2018 freshman class was reported at 901 students, bringing the total undergraduate class to 3,546 – the highest ever recorded. The university now has nearly 2,000 students living on its campus and 926 (713 domestic, 213 international) graduate students at the university of 4,472.
But international students often make up a sizable portion of a school’s graduate population. For 2018-19, according to figures released at Tuesday’s quarterly SAU Board of Trustees meeting, some 23 percent (213 of 926) of SAU’s current graduate students are international. When comparing December 2017’s total grad student population of 1,157 to 2018’s 926, the overall figure has fallen by 231 students.
With the decrease in foreign enrollment, the overall student population at the university – undergraduate and graduate – was down from last fall’s 4,643 to 4,472 this year.
To combat the decline, the local university is thinking outside the box. The university recently sent a global staff member halfway around the globe to Korea for foreign recruitment.
“The second largest group of students from another country studying in the United States is from Korea,” said Berry.
SAU currently has one student from that nation enrolled at its institution.
“We’re hopeful,” he added. “And we’re going to make another trip in January to follow up on this. We had a tremendous response.”
Good enrollment news was also stated this week for the university’s sister 2-year college, SAU Tech in East Camden. With a focus recently on athletics, academics, and on-campus living, the plan formulated by SAU Tech Chancellor Dr. Jason Morrison and his staff has seemingly paid off.
“We were up,” he said.
At this time, enrollment figures have risen 150 students from 2017 and 350 students from 2016.
“There are only five community colleges in the state of Arkansas that were up this year, and we were one of them,” Morrison added. “…This not your momma’s Tech anymore.”
With the implementation last year of the Rockets men’s and women’s basketball teams, along with a choir, and cheer squad, the goal at the school includes offering a full college experience at half the cost.
The Tech campus, Morrison said, is the only junior college in Arkansas that contains advanced studies, on-campus housing, and NJCAA athletics.
Over the summer, the college built a new dormitory containing 48 beds to accommodate the growing number of on-campus residents. But with 180 slated to live at the campus, a facility to house 50-75 students is still needed. When addressing the housing shortage, Morrison added that anything to help SAU Tech ultimately helps SAU.
“It’s those students that are transferring to SAU that will maintain enrollment growth to our system school,” he said. “When students graduate with a 2-year degree, they are more likely to graduate a bachelor’s degree than those students who start directly at the 4-year.”
The Chancellor also said a new, Division II Lady Rockets softball program will begin next fall, leading to more housing needed for approximately 20 new student-athletes.
With the emphasis on athletic programs, the goal is simple.
“We’re not here to play club sports,” said Morrison. “We’re here solely to win a national championship and graduate these young men and women.”
For all of the advancements recently at the school, including a new Registered Nurse program coming soon, the chancellor said the dedicated staff at the institution makes all the difference.
“They work tirelessly,” he added.