University Relations > News > News 2009 > September

Intensive recruitment effort results in record student enrollment at Lander

Publ. Date: September 9, 2009

Office of University Relations and Publications

Last spring, Lander University administrators began seeing signs that the school's recruitment efforts could produce a sizeable enrollment increase this fall, and they began preparing for the eventuality.

By the time the fall semester began on Sept. 1, the university had registered 2,769 students, an increase of seven percent over last fall. The total includes 579 freshmen, one of the largest freshman classes in Lander's history.

Another important measure of a college's enrollment is its full time equivalent (FTE) status, which uses a formula to calculate the total number of credit hours for all students, full time and part time. Lander's FTE in September is up 10.3 percent over the same time last year. According to Mac Kirkpatrick, Lander's registrar and director of Institutional Research, an FTE increase of five percent or more is considered significant.

Director of Admissions Jennifer Mathis attributes the higher enrollment to a number of factors including an intensive recruitment effort that included visits that she and members of her staff made to every public high school and technical college in South Carolina.

She said brochures and other literature telling the Lander story were redesigned by the Office of University Relations and Publications and distributed to many prospective students and their families. "It was a huge effort," she said adding, "There has been no downtime. The admissions staff has been working nights and weekends in addition to their day shifts to deal with a steady stream of applicants."

There was an increase of 13 percent in the number of students who transferred to Lander after obtaining two-year degrees, and others who are returning to school after a break in their education, and a 12 percent increase in the number of former Lander students who have re-enrolled.

University President Dr. Daniel Ball said, "The record enrollment is the result of a lot of hard work done by a lot of people in the admissions, financial aid and registrar's offices as well as by our faculty and staff."

He said he is especially pleased with faculty and staff efforts to accommodate the larger group of students and added, "Every department on campus has worked tirelessly to prepare for and welcome our students, and to ensure that they have the best possible experience at Lander."

Danny McKenzie, Lander's vice president for Academic Affairs, said department chairs and faculty worked together to identify courses that would be appropriate to accommodate higher-than-usual enrollments. Decisions were made to outfit two new classrooms, add more classes in English and mathematics and hire more part time faculty. In some courses, upperclassmen will provide tutoring assistance in addition to the tutors associated with university's Academic Success Center.

"Because of budget cuts, we had to find a way to teach more students without decreasing the quality of our courses," McKenzie said. He added that academic programs will be monitored to ensure that the university is continuing to provide students with personalized attention.

Randy Bouknight, vice president for Student Services, said he has never seen such an enrollment spike in his more than 30 years at Lander. The Housing and Residence Life Department, which he supervises, scrambled to find housing for the increased number of students who registered for September classes.

Lander is leasing the former Inn on the Square in Uptown Greenwood and McGhee Court, an eight unit duplex near the soon-to-be-built Recreation, Wellness and Sports Complex, and together they house more than 130 students.

Bouknight said he also collaborated with Chris Spellman, director of Lander's Dining Services, to ensure that his operation could accommodate additional students during mealtimes.

In Bouknight's view, the university's experience this fall demonstrates that Lander's enrollment could continue to grow significantly over the next few years. And that, he said, means his department will have to look ahead and plan for student housing needs in the next one to three years and longer.