What does 92 students mean? - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Feb 3, 2005

What does 92 students mean?

Date: Feb 3, 2005

A change (up or down) of 90 students on a base of 14,000 is insignificant. All indications are that the enrollment of real, flesh and blood students in Hattiesburg has been essentially stable for three years. The average growth rate of senior and junior colleges in Mississippi has been well in excess of that at USM over the past few years.

Most faculty put a higher premium on getting better rather than getting bigger.

Date: Feb 3, 2005

It's amazing how USM's reported enrollment increases from semester to semester, but the enrollment is seldom, if ever, larger than it was a semester or two before. I fail to understand why the local media doesn't get wise to that trick.

Date: Feb 3, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Whose Counting?
"A change (up or down) of 90 students on a base of 14,000 is insignificant. All indications are that the enrollment of real, flesh and blood students in Hattiesburg has been essentially stable for three years. The average growth rate of senior and junior colleges in Mississippi has been well in excess of that at USM over the past few years. Most faculty put a higher premium on getting better rather than getting bigger. "

I agree and support your last statement.

I am a proponent, however, of exposing this administration's lies and misrepresentation of the facts. If, for example, an insignificant increase of 92 students (which they seem to think warrants a press release and media hype on the day that FS is voting) represents a significant loss of market share by an inept administration that continues to say it is following a business model to run a university, then I think it is worth pointing out.

Any industry executive I know would be unhappy with a unit losing market share or margin no matter what revenue increases the unit reported.

Date: Feb 3, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Exponential growth
"It's amazing how USM's reported enrollment increases from semester to semester, but the enrollment is seldom, if ever, larger than it was a semester or two before. I fail to understand why the local media doesn't get wise to that trick."

Well, there's a simple enough explanation for that one. What none of the press releases details is the number of students enrolled the previous semester who did not re-enroll in the present semester. This should be reported net of those who graduated. Wonder if that is a bigger number than 92?

Date: Feb 3, 2005

That reminds me -- wasn't there something about a test drive program on the coast designed to increase enrollment? How did that work out? Were those students considered "enrolled"?