A faculty task force's recommendations for managing increasing enrollment was posted to the Faculty Senate website last week. At the beginning of spring semester, President Steven Leath asked the group of faculty to study and develop ideas for managing Iowa State's increasing enrollment numbers.
Through surveys and discussions, the enrollment management task force collected feedback from faculty in each college. Task force chair Jonathan Sturm also solicited input from the Professional and Scientific Council.
Three findings were highlighted in the report. Ranked in order of support, the recommendations include:
- Increasing admissions standards (for example, higher GPA and Regents Admissions Index minimums)
- Increasing tuition and state appropriations (ISU receives less state support per resident student than Iowa and Northern Iowa)
- Exploring the impact of differential admissions or tuition, by college (for example, different ACT or GPA criteria)
The report also outlined faculty priorities -- including research, scholarship and quality of education -- that are "negatively impacted by enrollment pressure."
In a summary of core concerns, the task force wrote: "The Iowa State University faculty understand fully that the current enrollment growth trajectory is unsustainable with current resources. We are deeply concerned that we can no longer offer the highest quality education to the students we teach, nor that we can advance research in the most highly impactful ways that will forward the university’s reputation as it moves our society and the world into the future."
Survey results, examples and discussion summaries also are included in the 12-page report.
Related stories
- Faculty asked to study, weigh in on enrollment management, Feb. 18, 2016
- Task force working on enrollment solutions, April 21, 2016
