Enrollment Planning Successes Bring Positive Start to New Year

While Ithaca College once again set a record for applications to its incoming freshman class, a planned reduction in the size of that class coupled with the addition of the College Circle apartments means fewer challenges as the College begins a new academic year.

"We received over 11,300 applications from prospective freshmen --- an increase of 36 percent from just three years ago," says Larry Metzger, dean of enrollment planning. "In our recruitment and admissions planning efforts for this fall’s incoming class, we made a number of adjustments to our processes that would enable us to better reach our target figure of 1,542 freshmen, a reduction of more than 200 from last year."

The adjustments included greater selectivity --- accepting only 56 percent of freshman applicants compared with 66 percent the previous year --- and the creation of a waiting list to be used to fill any remaining spaces after May 1.

"We’re right on track to achieve our target," says Metzger. "We won’t have final numbers until October 1, but it appears our work over the past year has resulted in bringing in not only a smaller class as planned, but also the strongest academic class in the College’s history. The average combined freshman SAT score stands at 1182, which is 15 points above last year’s record high of 1167. And the average high school rank is in the top 18 percent, three percentage points above last year’s record."

The smaller number of students has helped ease the housing and classroom crowding that some students experienced last year. Also, the College added 350 beds to its residential capacity this fall, through a new lease agreement with College Circle apartments. The developer is proceeding with plans to construct a community center and additional apartments, bringing the total occupancy at the complex to approximately 690 students for the fall of 2003.

"Only about 70 students will be starting the year in temporary accommodations," says Bonnie Prunty, director of residential life. "We expect most of them to be reassigned to permanent housing by the end of the fall semester."

By comparison, in 2001 nearly 300 students were assigned to temporary housing in lounges or as a third person in a standard double room. "We had a fantastic response from upper-class students who wanted to live at College Circle, freeing up a larger number of residence hall rooms this year for freshmen," says Prunty.

The College’s institutional plan, approved by the board of trustees in 2001, called for moderate growth in the total student population, which has now been largely achieved. One of the priorities identified in the plan was the need to increase the diversity of the student population. The makeup of the incoming class demonstrates the College’s commitment to achieving this goal.

"There are 118 freshmen who have self-identified as students of color, representing 7.6 percent of the class," says Metzger. "While this raw number is a slight decrease, it is a proportionately higher figure than last year’s 7.2 percent because we have 200 fewer freshmen in total. The 41 African American students in the entering class, however, is the largest such number in the College’s history."

Metzger also points out that this year marks the inaugural class of Martin Luther King Jr. scholars. Intended for students from ethnic and/or racial groups that have historically been underrepresented in American higher education, the program provides financial support as well as programmatic and travel opportunities in the United States and abroad to advance multi-cultural understanding. Following a national competitive recruitment campaign, the College selected 10 people as its first MLK scholars. The successful candidates demonstrated a high level of academic achievement, a commitment to community involvement, and an embodiment of the ideals of Martin Luther King Jr.

"The good news in recent years has been the increasing desirability of Ithaca College and its programs, as evidenced by the steady growth in applications as well as in the number of students who want to stay in campus housing," says President Peggy R. Williams. "While world events and economic uncertainty have created new challenges in recruiting and retaining students, I am pleased that we are able to begin the new year on such a positive note."