Should ECU tighten its admissions standards? East Carolina has been the fastest-growing public university in North Carolina for the last five years, but that may change. Chancellor Steve Ballard said he’s awaiting recommendations from a task force that will examine, among other things, whether the university should curtail its enrollment growth by raising admissions standards. Ballard said he will be guided by “how much growth we can accommodate and still do everything possible so that each student is successful.” In the past five years ECU’s enrollment shot up from 20,577 to 25,990 last fall. “This is an appropriate time to take a close look and make sure that our growth is focused in a way that ensures that we are maintaining access and properly serving the people of North Carolina,” the chancellor said. On the task force are members of the Board of Trustees, faculty, students and administrators. Leading it is Judi Bailey, who oversees ECU’s enrollment management enterprise. She said one task is examining the proper ratios of undergraduate students to graduate students. “We must also develop a better answer to the question of what the appropriate admission standards for ECU should be,” the chancellor said. The average SAT score of ECU freshmen rose from 1,023 in 2001 to 1,042 in 2006. The average of all UNC campuses is 1,078.
Sophomore Charlotte Dietrich was the only female to compete in the SkillsUSA State Framing Competition in Greensboro in April and beat out all but one of the 67 men in the contest. Contestants were required to construct a large framed structure with no assistance and were judged on speed, effectiveness, ability to follow guidelines and safety. Dietrich, who is from Pittsboro, competed in the same event two years ago in the post-secondary division, again as the only female, and won. She competed in the State Fair Apprenticeship Carpentry Competition last year and won first place and was asked to be a judge in future events. Dietrich, who was on the Chancellor’s List last year, has a 3.9 GPA. Her career goal is to own her own construction company. She is currently featured on ECU’s Web site as a Pirate Profile. Read her profile and others at www.ecu.edu/pirateprofiles.
5