With the release of official enrollment numbers Thursday, Baker University’s enrollment has seen little change since the 2005-2006 academic year.
Director of Records and Registration Ruth Miller said total enrollment has increased to 923 students compared to last year’s 916.
Although total enrollment has increased, Miller said the number of new, degree-seeking students has decreased to 289, compared to last year’s 291.
Despite this minimal decrease, Miller said the last two years’ enrollment is a considerable increase from the fall 2004 enrollment of 856.
“We’ve jumped quite a bit from two years ago, but in terms of this year and last year, we’ve stayed about the same,” she said.
Director of Admissions Daniel McKinney said spreading the word about Baker is key in recruiting new students.
“In reference to new students, Baker gains stability in the marketplace by being present there,” he said.
McKinney said a few changes are coming to the recruitment process this year.
“We’re adding more travel this year in Houston and Dallas,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of success recruiting athletes there, so we’re going to go down to see if we can open up the market to all students in that area.”
Louise Cummings-Simmons, vice president of enrollment management, said retention also plays a role in enrollment.
“(Dean of Student Development) John Frazier and I work together when we hear a student is thinking about leaving Baker, in order to figure out what went wrong,” she said.