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The Bengal.
Volume 47
Issue 9
The Independent Voice at Idaho State University Since 1910
ISU Sees Enrollment Surge Jack Sherlock News Editor Idaho State University has reported an increase in its student enrollment rate for the 2021-22 academic year. According to a press release sent out on Oct. 20, 2021, ISU has reported a 3.15% increase compared to the enrollment rate taken at this time last year in fall 2020. 12,157 students enrolled this fall, setting a record enrollment rate for the university. Enrollment like this has been unknown to the institution for almost a decade. The press release continues to offer statistics to compare the last fall to this one, where ISU reports they’ve seen a 10.7% increase in the new, firsttime undergraduate student demographic. Signs of growth have not been limited to the undergraduate level. At the graduate level, ISU has continued a pattern of growth for the fourth year in a row, reporting a 5.6% increase this fall compared to last, hosting a total of 2,326 graduate students. Dual-enrollment rates are up this fall as well, noting a 15.6% increase from the fall 2020 semester. ISU President Kevin Satterlee makes a strong and supportive statement of the campus-wide efforts put into these enrollment changes and the results that have highlighted their effectiveness. “This enrollment report gives our campus community many reasons to celebrate. We are turning the corner on years of enrollment declines” said Satterlee. According to an Oct. 2021 article, the Idaho State Journal reports that the university’s
recruitment and retention plan implemented in fall 2020 is tied directly to the rising enrollment stats. The ISJ also states that the university attributes these enrollment rates to a “post-pandemic surge” in students and how their willingness to get back in the classroom and learn in person was made a priority. The university has done extensive work to ensure students can continue having the opportunity to attend class in person. Notable efforts previously reported on include the implementation of a mask mandate for those that are on campus grounds, cash incentives for vaccinations through the “Vax Cash” program, and vaccine clinics hosted frequently on ISU’s campus. ISU has also been issuing weekly alerts to track the spread of COVID-19 on its various campuses to ensure that when a surge occurs, the proper protocol is taken. All of these things are directly beneficial to students seeking an in-person, normal, and safe college experience here at ISU. “As a president trying to set a vision, I think we are showing the signs of how we’re turning things.” Satterlee said in an interview with the ISJ. “The changes we’re putting in place with our retention efforts and recruitment efforts look like they’re yielding in the right direction now, I guess it could all bear out the other way, but I think the indicators, at least anecdotally, are pointing toward the right direction.”
Photo Courtesy of Idaho State University
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