Despite a record freshman class this year, Ohio University has seen a drop in its graduate student enrollment. It seems possible that amid a complex planning process to strengthen the university's future, one important aspect of that future has been overlooked. As OU prepares to implement its new plan - Vision Ohio - it cannot afford to dismiss the importance of sufficient enrollment in its graduate schools. If OU wants more respect as a research institution and as a prominent university in general, the importance of continuing improvement in graduate education should be a top priority.
Enrollment concerns were expressed at last week's Graduate Student Senate Meeting, but the question of what is to be done about this problem remains. Admittedly, numbers alone might not be as relevant to overall progress in the graduate school picture as they are to the undergraduate scene. It could be that graduate admissions are striving for fewer students, but of a higher academic caliber. If that is the case, then the enrollment deficit could be less of a problem than it seems.
Regardless, OU should take a renewed approach to its graduate recruitment much as it has for undergraduate, which President McDavis recently said would be a priority for 2006 enrollment. The administration should work to outline new goals for the graduate component of its educational experience as a means of further strengthening its overall image in the public eye. Offering graduate students more incentives could help the situation, as could cutting back on yoked classes - classes that have both undergraduates and graduate students in them.
Moreover, an integral aspect of OU's new vision is the plan to further legitimize itself as a research institution. With this in mind, the need to attract a growing number of bright and accomplished students to its graduate programs is made all the more pressing. Improvement in enrollment and quality in both undergraduate and graduate education is necessary for OU to become the school the administration wants it to be.
17 Archives
