UNI has reported an increase in total student enrollment for the second year in a row. Total fall enrollment has jumped 2.9%, with total enrollment at 9,283 students. This enrollment jump marks the first time that UNI has registered an enrollment increase in consecutive years since 2009 and 2010. UNI’s Director of Public Relations, Pete Moris, discussed how on campus improvements have helped to see enrollment numbers grow.
With enrollment having increased again, what are the administrative team’s feelings about the consecutive growth since 2009 and 2010?
“We are excited that more students are here on campus and from a variety of different fields of studies. But there’s a lot of work that folks across campus have done to make this happen. I think one of the biggest pieces is that we are now offering programs that not only students want, but Iowa workforces demand. For instance, nursing, various health-related programs in the School of Health and Human Sciences and applied engineering. These areas are in high demand, and businesses across the state are telling us they need more UNI graduates in these fields to meet workforce needs.”
Do you think that university tours are better for capturing the interests of potential students vs things like ads, billboards, videos, interactions at the state fair, etc?
“Absolutely, we want to get prospective students on campus and get the families on campus so they can see for themselves. It’s great to have a virtual tour online, but it’s even better to sit in a class and hear from fellow students about what they like about UNI. Campus tours are a big part of it because you get to meet so many different people and really get to kinda feel what it is like for yourselves. But we have to get on your radar somehow; you have to get to know about us before you even think about applying here. What we try to do is to hopefully find a nice blend of telling the real authentic stories of our students and what campus is like and what your campus experience might be like.”
How does the college address the increased enrollment in terms of professors and college staff?
“One of our jobs is to attract not only the best and brightest students, but also the best faculty and staff. This is a pretty cool place to work too. We work closely with the City of Cedar Falls and Waterloo because what’s good for UNI is typically good for those communities too. For example, we’ve collaborated on events like Panthers on Parade and partnered with the city to kick off Sturgis Falls, including fireworks over the dome. There is something about a college or university in your community that makes the quality of life better. For some people that might be because they got to go to this cool show at Gallagher Bluedorn, hear this beautiful performance at the School of Music or see an exciting basketball game. A university brings a lot of variety, cultural and civic events that you don’t get in a place that doesn’t have a university. We like telling folks that it’s not only a great place to work and go to school, but it’s a great place to live too.”
What other initiatives is the university planning to help capitalize and maintain student enrollment?
“As enrollment grows, it not only boosts morale but also boosts the amount of revenue coming in. I always like to say that if you see construction happening on a college campus, it’s a sign that the university is doing something right because they are innovating, creating new spaces and renovating old spaces. Fortunately, through [the] Our Tomorrow campaign, we have had some really tremendous success in fundraising for a number of projects. The bulk of our campaign funds goes to scholarships and student and faculty support, but a kind of exciting piece is that you can show people the renovations happening. Iconic spaces like the Gallagher Bluedorn, the UNI-Dome and the Campanile have all benefited from the campaign.
Our goal is always to be a very affordable institution and part of that is if you can bring some college credits with you. What’s also cool is that right now 1 in 9 UNI students graduate in 3 years. Of course, you can stay here as long as you want, get a graduate degree and all that. Another part that I think is pretty cool is 34% of our incoming freshmen are first-generation college students. Just for reference, Iowa State has 21% of their incoming are first-generation students and the University of Iowa is 19%. That is one of the things that we have always been proud of because we are an accessible institution. We try to keep that differential between us and Iowa State and the University of Iowa. We are excited that we have done this two years in a row and we hope enrollment continues to increase.”
