As you will read elsewhere in this issue, the tragic events of September 11 were met with an outpouring of support, cooperation, and compassion both on the Ithaca College campus and within our alumni community. Life at the College goes on --- albeit in a changed way --- and I’d like to take this opportunity to share information with you on another topic that has been part of this fall’s campus discussions.

This has been a year of records in admission and enrollment. With the number of applications hitting an all-time high (11,144 --- up nearly 13 percent over last year), the College was able to lower its acceptance rate to 66 percent and matriculate a class with the highest academic profile in College history. The average combined SAT scores for this class are 14 points above last year, and the average high school rank is in the top 20 percent.

Even though we were conservative in awarding financial aid packages, the yield on offers of admission was 26 percent. This includes a historically high number of students who took the College up on an "offer of another major" --- applicants who were rejected in their original program of interest but whose academic standing was fully acceptable in other program areas.

When the yield began coming in higher than expected last spring, we took steps to reduce the impact, including closing down admission for first-year students early and lowering the transfer admission target mid-cycle.

The record-breaking year extended beyond the profile of incoming students. The freshman-to-sophomore retention rate rose to a new high at 87.2 percent, with the total number of returning students at 109 more than enrollment models based on past years had projected. The higher retention, combined with the entering class of 1,755 freshmen and 129 transfers, has resulted in a much larger than expected total enrollment.

Clearly our ability to attract such numbers of students --- while at the same time raising the bar on quality --- is a direct credit to the growing reputation of our academic programs and to the dedication and hard work of all those who contribute to our admission efforts. According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, enrollment at some colleges dropped this fall despite the growth in the college-age population. Ithaca, however, was in the company of such institutions as Dartmouth College and George Washington University in setting enrollment records.

The larger numbers have presented some challenges for us to overcome as well. The sizable incoming class, when combined with the greatest-ever number of seniors who chose to remain in campus housing, has required the use of temporary accommodations in residence hall lounges and the conversion of some double rooms to triples. To compensate for the inconvenience, we are providing additional services as well as a rebate to students in this type of housing. Increases in faculty and staff positions had already been included in this year’s budget to address the planned (smaller) rise in enrollment. We have since allocated even more resources, including additional faculty to accommodate more course sections and additional staff in student services.

The institutional plan approved last spring by the board of trustees called for modest growth for the College, with enrollment leveling off in the next couple of years. Though the admission successes of this year and last put the College ahead of schedule, the board reaffirmed its commitment to that level of enrollment. We want to ensure that Ithaca College retains the essential characteristics --- the benefits of a university and the warmth and feel of a small residential college --- that make it so attractive to students in the first place.

To help with planning and to provide an independent analysis of the College’s admission model and recruitment efforts, the College will be working with the nationally known consulting firm of Scannell and Kurz. The purpose of their work will be to bring a fresh perspective to the analysis of the College’s enrollment success in recent years and to help adjust admission processes, programs, and strategies.

Current world events and the economic uncertainty they have generated add new and complicated variables to our enrollment planning, but Ithaca College is fortunate to be operating from a position of strength as we recruit students for the incoming classes in 2002 and beyond.

Photo: The president meets with incoming students after this year's Convocation.
(Photo by Sheryl D. Sinkow)