Can colleges stem an exodus of students?
Published: March 26, 2019. Written By Matthew Stolle mstolle@postbulletin.com
Rochester Community and Technical College has seen a nearly 21 percent drop in enrollment during the last seven years, a fall that has prompted officials to investigate ways of reversing the trend.
Last month, RCTC President Jeffery Boyd used his blog to call for changes at the college and invited a dozen faculty and staff to participate in an Enrollment Summit.
“I don’t see those numbers improving without some metamorphosis,” Boyd wrote in his blog. “No need to panic, but it does tell us it is time to spring into action and make changes, indeed.”
The fall in student numbers at RCTC mirrors a trend occurring at colleges and universities regionally and across the state.
As measured by headcount, the number of people taking classes, Winona State University has seen a 10 percent decline from peak enrollment within the last decade; Minnesota State College Southeast a 21 percent drop; and Riverland Community College a 17 percent drop, although Riverland has experienced a rebound in the last several years, according to Minnesota State figures.