OU’s College of Business saw a 33 percent increase in freshman class size this academic year.
For freshman Donovan Moritz, his decision to attend Ohio University’s College of Business was an easy one.
Moritz isn’t alone in his choice, leading to the college’s biggest class yet.
“It’s just really cool to see how many people want to be a Bobcat,” Moritz, who is studying sports management, said.
A record number of freshmen entered the college, Hugh Sherman, dean of the college, said in an email. The new class of 610 projected students is 33 percent larger than last year’s freshman class. In 2011, the freshman class had 349 students.
Sherman said in an email the college has changed its recruiting tactics to make prospective student visits more personal, allowing potential students to meet with current students and faculty.
“We want these prospective students to have the opportunity to see what is the feel of our college and to experience the personal interactions and relationships that our learning experience is all about,” Sherman said in an email.
Spencer Wilson, a freshman studying sports management, said in an email OU was recommended to him by a friend, but his on-campus visit and interactions with college faculty helped him make his decision.
“I felt right at home when I had Dr. Pfahl, the leader behind the undergraduate program, talk to me one-on-one about the program,” Wilson said in an email. “I think that alone helped me make a tough decision so much easier.”
Alex Stephenson, a freshman studying sports management, said in an email the connections he made with faculty influenced his decision, adding they “truly care.”
“When I spoke to several sports management professors they simply wanted to offer as much help and guidance as possible in order to help me as a student,” Stephenson said.
The college also redesigned its postcards, emails, website and other pamphlets to emphasize opportunities offered both inside and outside the classroom.
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More readily available materials meant many freshmen students like Sarah Ping, who is studying finance, could easily gain access to resources that provide more information about the college.
“Ohio University stood out to me because they gave me all the resources to learn as much about the College of Business that I could, and really led me to see that Ohio University had everything I was looking for in a school,” Ping said.
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