North Carolina Central University (NCCU) Chancellor Debra
Saunders-White used aggressive recruitment and new partnerships for dual
degrees to help reverse the two year enrollment decline at her school.
NCCU had two straight years of falling enrollment caused by
the federal financial aid program overhaul in 2011. Enrollment went from 8,604
in Fall 2012 to 8,093 in Fall 2013. It then went down again in Fall 2014 to
7,687.
The decline in Fall 2014 cost the university millions of
dollars in tuition and fees.
“Revenues from tuition and fees decreased by $2.1 million
due to the five-percent decrease in full-time equivalent students,” according
to the Management’s Discussion & Analysis section of the university’s
2014-2015 state financial audit.
But Saunders-White, who started on June 1, 2013, and her team came forward with an effective plan to bring an end to the enrollment drop.
“As previously stated,
there was a 5% decline in full-time and part-time students in FY 2014-15,” the Management’s Discussion & Analysis section continued. “However, enrollment is anticipated to be
higher in FY 2015-2016 due to enhanced recruitment efforts, relaxed Parent Plus Loan
requirements, and dual degree partnerships with Durham Technical
Community College and North Carolina State University. All these factors, coupled with stronger student programming, will aid in upward enrollment trends, retention and graduation rates.”
NCCU has gotten good results from those efforts. The NCCU
freshmen in Fall 2015 had an average GPA of 3.21 and overall enrollment went up
to 8,011.
FAMU will have a projected $10.5M loss in tuition and fees
due another enrollment decline under President Elmira Mangum.