Morehead State University - Raconteur Yearbook (Morehead, KY)

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The More The Merrier Story By: Suzanne Smith Photo By: Kevin L. Goldy Even before the students came to school, ol'Plce workers felt the increase in the workload in com- parison to the enrollment. DonnaP. McAlister, Pell Grant specialist in the Office of F inancial Aid, had a never ending pile of financial aid folders to go through to make sure everything was in order. all 1987 enrollment at the University increased 8.1 percent over the Fall 1986 semester. The total number of students enrolled was 6,490, compared to 5,894 of Fall 1986. Total positive attitude was responsible for the change, said Tim Rhodes, director of university enrollment services. Ev- eryone got involved in recruiting new students, including faculty, staff, students and both President Grote and former President Albright. President C. Nelson Grote confirmed Rhodes' statement. We were delighted that our efforts to recruit students by creating an awareness of our excellent programs and qualified faculty and staff have paid off, he said. It was not accomplished by one individual, but several, especially those in the public schools. They continued what Dr. Albright began last year. Perhaps the healthiest sign, according to Dr. Grote, was the 44 percent increase in new students. This was a growth of 729 students over Fall 1986. Rhodes cited several factors which led to the enrollment in- crease. Most notably were the efforts to restore relationships with the 22-county region of eastern Kentucky. Both Dr. Grote and Dr. Albright personally went into the high schools and restored these relationships. They promised that M.S.U. would help new stu- dents with enrollment and financial aid in any way we could, said Rhodes. Secondly, the University incorporated an aggressive marketing campaign into their recruiting efforts. The Office of University Relations spent thousands of dollars on radio, television and newspaper advertising. Half-page advertisements, which were created to encourage prospective students to learn more about the University, were placed in every newspaper in Kentucky. We also used Phil Simms, New York Giants quarterback and alumnus, to promote our school, said Rhodes. Special senior opportunity programs to answer any questions high school seniors had, were

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CC rimarily, its just a place for students to relax and enjoy themselvesf Dr. John Kleber tabovel, director of the Honors Program, said about the house the program acquired last spring. The house was first opened for use Fall of 87. It has al- ready been used to entertain other honors students and direc- tors from throughout the state. Dr. Kleber said, they have all been envious and impressed with the house. 91 started thinking about an Honors House about five years ago, in 1982. It was part of a master plan of changes for the programf, Dr. Kleber said. 71 never expected anything so nice. It took about four years to finally get the building. Dr. Kleber said that Dr. James Gotsick, director of Graduate and Special Academic Programs, interceded with Dr. A.D. Al- bright, who was interim president during 1986-87. Dr. Al- bright then promised to find a house for the Honors Program. In February of 1987, a place became empty. The house needed a lot of work before it was ready for honors students, use. When it was first built, it was a resi- dence. Then, it was used as offices by various support groups at the University. The house, which is located behind the Combs Building, was painted during the spring of 1987 and furnished during that summer with furniture from around the campus, includ- ing the presidents office. Interior design students helped decorate the house. Everyone was really supportive of putting the house to- gether, maintenance, housing, Dr. Roberta Anderson, who was the vice-president of academic affairs last year; they all worked above and beyond the call of duty, said Dr. Kleber. uGetting the house is the culmination of my years as direc- tor. Now the program has a permanent home, he said. Approximately 100 students are in the Honors Program. They can use the house to watch television, study or just meet friends. Most of them feel that the house is a good idea. uI want students to use the house to socialize, to have par- ties and discussions, Dr. Kleber said. iiHopefully, in this way, it will generate cohesiveness within the program. Melissa Nobel, a junior elementary education major from Somerset, thinks it is about time the Honors Program got something like the house. Sheis glad the univeristy is doing more for academics. iiItis a good thing to have access to, said Lisa Ison, ajunior English major from Greenup. iiltis a good meeting place. Two students live on one side of the house, but the other side is open for the use of all members of the Honors Program. Kim Courtney, a senior english and math major from Fal- mouth, said that living in the Honors House is an adventure. Both she and Suzanne Smith, a junior journalism major from Hebron, are the first residents of the HonorsPro- dome, gramis newest benefit. Living in the Sweei house offers many advantages. It is university-fund- ed, provides more CHOMQ, privacy, a kitchen and lots of opportunities to socialize with other honors stu- dents. In fact, it enables them to meet honors students from throughout the state. Smith and Courtney both hope that a microwave, typewrit- ers, computers and a VCR can be added to the house over time to draw more students in. Planned activities such as a Christmas party, movie nights and barbecues are also in the works to make more people aware of the Honors House and the opportunities it oners. Courtney, who worked in the houses planning stages, was especially interested in living in the house. She envisioned its potential and felt it would be exciting to live there. Both she and Smith hope that more people will take advantage of the house and all it has to offer. . - By: Donna Seward

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taken to schools in the service region. Students were given t-shirts with the University emblem courtesy of Alumni Relations. The University proved its desire for new students by enhancing its scholarship program. llFederal and state scholarships were not enough, so we used the University's money to provide more schol- arships, some were academic, some athletic, and some were need- based, Rhodes said. Other efforts included direct mail advertising. We sent out brochures and pamphlets promoting the University. Also, we con- ducted better follow-ups. We personally called those who had any questions, and did our best to provide them with answers, said Rhodes. Two popular and effective recruiting programs were the Senior Opportunity Days and the Senior Opportunity Nights. Senior Op- portunity Days brought students from 12 different high schools to campus and familiarized them with programs of study, class build- There have been drawbacks to the increased enrollment, but Rhodes still remains optimistic. We did have to hire extra faculty, because one of the advantages we promote is small class size. Also, housing has been a limited option to some people. It is not as good as we would like, but we have had few complaints Sandy McIntosh, admissions counselor, noted that the Office of Admissions had no difficulties serving the student increase. Every- thing flowed smoothly. I can't remember having any problems, she said. We are looking for another increase for the Fall of 1988, and we are hoping that things will go as well again With such an increase in enrollment, the question of lowered standards is considered. But Rhodes was quick to point out that this was not the case. 'First, we must serve the state's minimum stan- dards, and M.S.U. sets some of its own. But, there was no lowering of standards. In some instances, students were admitted provisionally; which means that their progress was monitored through develop- mental classes. Rhodes said that the majority of students enrolled in these classes were successful in com- pleting admissions standards. Charles Myers, associate director of admissions information and orienta- tion of the Office of Admissions, agreed with Rhodes. There has been no lowering of standards. Actually, due to pre-college curriculum, stu- dents have received in high school, they have brought above normal edu- cational skills and abilities to the Uni- versity, he said. Overall, the average ACT composite rose over one point which made the Fall 1987 class one of the best classes, academically, ever re- cruited ings and dormitories. Another 30 high schools were visited by faculty; alumni and 150 CREDIT HOURS Yearly thy tall semestori - students during the Senior Op- 140 - y. portunity Nights. The ViSltiI'lg 130 - 3 sun l crew would dine with school of- 120 - I 8 63562 ?'q I ficials before the program, then 110 1 ? m d I with displays in tow; begin the 100 - I y d I recruiting process. so - y y m I The University incorporated so - y y m ? themes such as We Care and 70 - y y y y Together We Can in their pro- 60 ' I y I m grams, but Rhodes felt their 50 I I I I strongest and most effective 40 ' 8 I y y theme was Affordable Quality, 30 d I y that is, quality education at an 20 'l d w W V affordable cost. The recruiting 10 ' H y Ill y ll 172m A m team also stressed personal at- o 1953 1934 ms 1986 1957 tention, quality housing and fi- a undmm m Gm, nancial aid. Many students expressed surprise and concern when faced with all the people Fall 1987 brought to campus. I couldn't believe the crowd, said Alan Alexander, a freshman from Wooster, Ohio. q had been to campus before, but there didn't seem to be half as many students as I was met with on the first day of classes. Joe DeLong, a sophomore physics major from Greenup, said he did see a few problems as a result of the increase in the student body. There was the usual lack of parking space, but it seemed worse than ever. There were also increased housing problems. I had trouble getting someone to repair my bed in West Mignon because the dorm was swamped with complaints from other residents.' But, according to Rhodes, he has had very few complaints con- cerning housing and the lack of parking space, which to him are not new problems. He claims there is a new sense of hospitabilty among students now. l'Everyone realizes that they are in this to- gether and rather than fight over these situations, the students work to maintain their relationships, he said. Mark Goode, a sophomore business administration major from Versailles, said he is happy about the increase in enrollment. The school atmosphere is better now, he said. I like more people in my classes. It means you become acquainted with more people. The most notable result among the recruiting staff was pride. We were saying, 'We may not have a gotten a raise, but we got an 8.1 percent increase in enrollment',' said Rhodes. Dr. Rose Orlich, professor of En- glish, supported that the majority of new students were well-prepared for college. llMany of the students I have in my introductory composi- tion classes have had pre-college courses in high school and were highly motivated. I only had a couple of students in the Fall 1987 semester who had problems with reading. But in general, I would say the students were not lacking in their reading or writing skills. Spring 1988's enrollment is following suit by decreasing only six percent from Fall 1987, usually it drops nine percent. There were 6,101 students enrolled for the spring semester, which was the highest spring enrollment in five years. President Grote expects the Fall 1988 enrollment to increase by as much as 6.8 percent. According to Rhodes, the University is using the same recruiting efforts, except they plan to extend their outreach to the Lexington and Louisville areas. mI'he excitement has caught on, noted Rhodes. University students are saying to graduating high school seniors, Go to Morehead. It is the place to be'. But, he realizes that Kentucky's educational budget will in- evitably affect the University. We have to wonder if these budget cuts will hurt the University. Will it take away our recruiting money? People read about these budgets, and they might decide it is worthless to try to attend college. But, we will tell them to apply anyway and let us see what we can do for them, Rhodes noted. Anyone who realizes how important education is will want to attend college. Enrollment will continue to rise. .