(01-19-2021 02:10 PM)Todor Wrote: 9,xxx was including grad students. Fall of 2019 the were a squeak under 3k. Considering the overall shrink in llinois public University enrollment, it isn't as dramatic.
The main campus of Southern Illinois University is now 11,600, down from a peak of about 25,000 in the 1990's. Just saying.
https://www.carbondaletimes.com/news/201...20history.
No they weren't, that is the 2017 Fall figure. And the count Chicago State gave for that enrollment included 1000 in the graduate Pharmacy program and other grad students, which is irrelevant, and also includes a very large number part time students (basket weaving by housewives in extension campuses). The FTE at Chicago State is 1,278 undergrads in 2019-20. That is pre COVID-19.
Chicago State will take a very long time to recover if ever. There are many problems far beyond the number of students signing up. They do finally have competent leadership, and have purged almost all from the Kleptocracy of the Watson era. But fixing the systemic and administrative problems is not quick nor overnight, will take several more years. All you can hope for in the next five years is to stay above 1000 FTE undergrads to keep PBI status for student loans and other support. If they fall below that another huge hole will be blown in the budget.
The argument that it is just State money shortage is not near the truth. The foundation is empty, donations are bake sale levels, and the income is entirely driven by student enrollment where >98% are on financial aid, paying little out of pocket. Essentially all the money comes from grants and loans of the Feds and State, which means they are limited to the per student fees of the State of Illinois. More State money can only come from more students, putting Chicago State in competition with all the other 3rd tier Illinois State and directional schools (1st tier being UIUC, 2nd tier UIC and Illinois State) for the money which will be allocated. There is no windfall to be had, just incremental improvement over before.
I do wish the school well as south Chicago transforms (demographics are changing, population is declining), but I don't expect any massive turn around. Stability at 1,200-1,500 for the next 5 years would be good. They have to keep at that number while transforming the quality of the product, get the 6 year graduation rate up above 30% (it was 11% recently) and change the culture to have graduates donate (start with current students, you have already lost those who left). This is not a flip the switch change but one that takes a decade or more. You have to improve the quality coming out of Chicago State before you can get more students to want to come there. There are too many other alternatives from Roosevelt to Governors State to NIU to Illinois State plus various out of state options that offer "in state" tuition to Illinois residents.
Chicago State leadership lied repeatedly for years about this being temporary. The WAC played along saying nothing. But when the contract was up and the WAC had safety in numbers, they let them go. Chicago State has to fix their problems before anyone takes them