CU's out-of-state applicants drop 19%

the rocky mountain news ^ | february 22, 2005 | John C. Ensslin

[ken21]

CU's out-of-state applicants drop 19%

Decrease may mean $15 million loss in tuition revenue

By John C. Ensslin, Rocky Mountain News February 22, 2005

BOULDER - The number of out-of-state students applying to attend the University of Colorado this coming fall has dropped 19 percent compared with last year, school officials said.

If actual enrollment figures for the next school year follow that trend, CU officials project the decrease could translate into a loss of $15 million in tuition revenue.

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CU and higher-education officials differ on the reason for the drop. Some cite a grueling year of bad press that included a football recruiting scandal and controversy surrounding CU professor Ward Churchill.

Others counter that a steep climb in out-of-state tuition, coupled with a soft economy, is the real culprit.

But everyone is concerned that the numbers are down.

By the Feb. 15 application deadline, CU had received 9,553 applications from potential freshmen living outside Colorado. Last year, the school received 11,771 nonresident applications.

That is the second decline in two years and the lowest number of out- of-state applications the university has fielded in five years.

The drop is significant because CU relies heavily on revenue from nonresident students to subsidize the cost of education for its Colorado students.

Roughly three in-state students are subsidized by every out-of- state student, said CU spokeswoman Michele McKinney.

"This is important to us," McKinney said.

In addition to the out-of-state applicants, in-state applications are also off by 4 percent, she said.

Last fall, the Boulder campus enrolled 5,149 freshmen, of whom 2,165 were nonresidents. Typically, 9,000 applicants will not yield 9,000 students.

Five percent of the initial applicants fail to fill out the necessary paperwork. Another 5 to 10 percent are rejected for not meeting CU's standards. Of those nonresidents who are admitted, only about 20 percent actually enroll.

Reasons behind the drop in applications are in dispute.

Rick O'Donnell, executive director of the Colorado Commission on Higher Education, blames 15 months of bad press that started with a sex-and- recruitment scandal in the CU football program.

In December 2003, CU found itself enmeshed in a scandal after Boulder District Attorney Mary Keenan accused CU of condoning the use of sex and alcohol as recruitment tools for the football program.

Her allegations stemmed from a lawsuit in which three women said they were raped by CU football players or recruits in December 2001.

The story went national after former CU football kicker Katie Hnida alleged she was sexually assaulted by a former player.

None of the allegations resulted in criminal charges. However, the controversy led to an independent investigation that recommended sweeping reforms in how CU administers its athletics department.

The matter also resulted in a still-sealed grand jury report that sharply criticized CU officials for failure to properly manage the football program.

Then, three weeks ago, another national controversy erupted over an essay written by Churchill.

Churchill wrote that some of the victims in the World Trade Center attack were not innocent victims. He called them "little Eichmanns," referring to the Nazi technocrat who oversaw the systematic execution of the Jews during World War II.

CU Regent Thomas Lucero said he believes "distorted media coverage" of the football scandal, plus the Churchill matter, have soured parents of prospective students.

Lucero said he has received e-mails from parents whose children have been accepted to CU or are already attending the university but who intend to send them elsewhere by the fall.

CU admissions officers said about 99 percent of the current applications were received before the Churchill controversy began. They know of no one who has withdrawn from the school over the matter.

O'Donnell, however, said the cumulative controversies are having an effect. "Parents are smart people, and they want to send their children to a college with a great reputation," he said. "I would say this decrease has a lot to do with CU damaging its reputation."

School officials acknowledged the impact of what they called "negative media coverage." But they also pointed to another factor behind the decrease: steadily climbing out- of-state tuition rates.

Since the fall of 2000, out-of-state tuition has increased from $15,244 to $20,592, a jump of 35 percent.

CU is not the only public university in Colorado experiencing a drop in out-of-state applications.

At Colorado State University, where the price of out-of-state tuition also has climbed, the number of nonresident applicants fell from 5,735 in 2002 to 5,031 in 2004, a decrease of 12 percent.

That trend appears to be continuing this year. As of last week, CSU had received 3,998 nonresident applications, with a deadline of July 1.

CU Regent Michael Carrigan said he believes the costs imposed on out-of-state students have a lot to do with dwindling applications.

"While it's easy to point to the negative issues last year, the real story is how incredibly expensive it is for out-of-state students to attend CU- Boulder," Carrigan said. "It's time for the state to show leadership and recognize that excellent universities don't come for free and that tuition can't cover the whole costs."

Barbara Schneider, executive director for admissions at CU, said the cost of tuition is the most frequent reason she hears from out-of-state high school guidance counselors when they are asked about the declining number of prospective CU students.

"The counselors are telling us, 'You're pricing yourselves to the point where some of the students here can't do it anymore,' " she said.

Schneider is hopeful that the 9,553 students who have applied this year are serious candidates and that their group will yield the same number of nonresident students as last year when the enrollment deadline arrives in May.

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[Annie03]

"You know the school also has a quieter scandal going on with school funds buying over $300k in alcohol in the fiscal year. If the school admin doesn't like the party school title they have received, maybe they should start looking at their own behavior first."

That too. I'd never send my kids there - unless it came out of their very own pockets.

[ican'tbelieveit]

The school admin has tried to excuse the spending with it being for fundraising events. If they don't serve alcohol, those givers just won't give.

[huck von finn]

The school admin has tried to excuse the spending with it being for fundraising events. If they don't serve alcohol, those givers just won't give.

Are you kidding me? I used to work in the Engineering College! FREE FOOD AND BOOZE THE FIRST FRIDAY AFTERNOON OF EVERY MONTH! FREE WINE, BEER, AND HORS D'OEUVRES! I am not kidding!

[huck von finn]

The state's education system is in the toilet because of TABOR.

The road to hell is paved...etc.

[July 4th]

This installment of how not to run a university system is brought to you by the State of Colorado.

[radiohead]

i can't imagine having that kind of money.

Nobody has that kind of money. My son is a smart guy and got a scholarship, took out loans, and had the same work-study job (security) the whole time he was there. I still had to pay out of my pocket on top of that, but I thought a Michigan education was worth the sacrifice.

Of course, the fact that I'm a UM alumna may have something to do with it. : )

[ican'tbelieveit]

Newspaper: CU campuses spent $508,000 on liquor-related items over five years

posted by: Dan  Werner (Web producer)     

Created:  - Updated:

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BOULDER, Colo. (AP) - The four University of Colorado campuses spent more than $508,000 at liquor establishments and on related supplies during the last five years, a sum that an official in the State Auditor's Office said was beyond accepted practices for a public agency, a newspaper reported Saturday.

The state's flagship university outspent Colorado State University in Fort Collins and Greeley's University of Northern Colorado, according to an analysis of university records by the Rocky Mountain News. CSU spent $25,380 during the past four fiscal years, while UNC spent $1,771 on alcohol last year.

The liquor tab also differed from similar spending at the University of Nebraska, the University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas -- fellow Big 12 schools where officials said policies prohibit the use of "public money" to buy alcohol.

It was unclear how much of CU's $508,608 was spent on cups, ice and other supplies, and the total does not include alcohol purchased through hotels, bars, caterers and restaurants, the News found. About $13,000 of the total was funded through taxpayer money, university controller Mary Catherine Gaisbauer said.

State Auditor Joanne Hill is auditing university spending. An assistant to Hill said the liquor spending fell outside accepted practices for Colorado public agencies, and could widen the scope of the audit.

CU officials defended the tab, saying the spending was a small fraction of the school's expenditures, which were more than $1.62 billion in fiscal year 2004.

"The university, first of all, serves alcohol at its events to adults," university spokesman Ray Gomez said. "A large number of the events are donor and fund-raising events where this is expected."

At least some of the money used to purchase alcohol was from donations to the CU Foundation, the private fund-raising arm of the university, Gomez said. Outside parties also sometimes reimbursed the school for liquor purchases.

About two-thirds of the money was spent at a Liquor Mart store in Boulder partially owned by former CU Athletic Director Dick Tharp, who resigned under pressure in December. Gomez said the store had good prices, would deliver and could work with the university's purchasing system.

Spending at the store was not enough to trigger a university policy that examines possible conflicts of interest when school officials have a financial interest in a company doing business with the university.

University President Betsy Hoffman declined comment on the alcohol spending, while CU Board of Regents Chairman Jerry Rutledge said, "What's the big deal?" during a brief conversation with the News.

Former Regent Jim Martin, who decided not to run for re-election in November, said the university should take a close look at policies about serving alcohol at school functions.

"People need to know how to have a good time without alcohol, and in tight budgetary times we don't have the money for that kind of entertainment expense. As public servants we've got to walk our talk. You can't be living life in a double standard," Martin said.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

"'The university, first of all, serves alcohol at its events to adults,' university spokesman Ray Gomez said. 'A large number of the events are donor and fund-raising events where this is expected.'"

And another controversy about the money spent: "About two-thirds of the money was spent at a Liquor Mart store in Boulder partially owned by former CU Athletic Director Dick Tharp, who resigned under pressure in December. Gomez said the store had good prices, would deliver and could work with the university's purchasing system. "

[Richard Kimball]

While certain schools, MIT, Harvard, Yale, Stanford, etc., in certain fields, almost guarantee a great salary straight out of college, most students can get an excellent education at far less cost by attending a junior or community college for their first two years, while living at home, then attending an in-state public college for their last two years.

Community colleges are IMHO (be warned, I work at one), incredible bargains in education. Most large schools herd students into huge classes, 200 or more students for lower division courses.

Also, both parents and students have to become more discerning in selecting majors. Womyn's studies, ethnic studies, and for the most part, arts majors provide very limited opportunities for employment. Majoring in philosophy is also usually a mistake. What are they getting for their money?

I've suggested for a while that on FR we need to put together a list of ways to take the colleges back. They are supposed to be institutions of higher learning, NOT a place where 60's radicals can plot revolution at government expense, or a professional football franchise for non-students with no academic interest or ability.

[Dog Gone]

Others counter that a steep climb in out-of-state tuition, coupled with a soft economy, is the real culprit.

The economy is not soft, nor is it softer than last year. Nice try, lib reporter.

[nidan]

As a graduate of CU, I have advised them that I wouldn't be sending any money this year because of Ward Churchill.

[nidan]

As a graduate of CU, I have advised them that I wouldn't be sending any money this year because of Ward Churchill.

[ken21]

thanks 4 reading the article!

some people on fr don't do that.

[F. Barnard]

Good points, Richard. I applaud the education you're providing your students.

Community colleges offer a good education to many; and they are increasingly the only schools those of modest means can attend. They're great bargains; the calculus course I took at my local school, more than twenty years ago now, was a great bargain. Unfortunately, as legislatures' support for education decreases, even community colleges will be forced to raise tuition.

But I think English is a good major; most of the recent college grads I see could use some work on writing. I think students get a lot of that in philosophy, too. And they probably could get that in women's studies courses, too, if they were so inclined. Hard to say. English and statistics--that's what I'd recommend.

[hollywood]

Perhaps the football recruiting sex-fest included those who vote for "Coach of the Year" and Barnett had a camera?

[InvisibleChurch]

that's the free market for you

[hollywood]

Proudly from CU-Boulder, 1989, just before it became "The Stanford of the Rockies", and got all trendy and uppity. It's quite embarrassing to talk either CU-Boulder sports OR academics these days. At least I can say that I used to walk past Jon Benet Ramsey's house. I can be proud of that, right? /disgust

[McGavin999]

All of these universities are pricing themselves out of the market. If they would shut down some of the fluff departments and get back to serious education it would cost a lot less and more people could afford to got.

With the kind of money these schools are asking, they can't afford to act they way they did over Churchill.

[ken21]

i agree.

i'm anti-union, and many universities are unionized.

about 10 years ago the unions convinced some universities to reduce the teaching load from 3 to 2 courses per term.

meanwhile, american taxpayers are increasing productivity.

tenured faculty have an average pay of just about $100,000 per year. not bad for working only 9 months.

[MikeHu]

If the novelist is any good, why should he require thousands of lesser talented people to interpret himself to the audience? The reason he is a worthwhile author is that he should be the one saying best what he observes and understands. If others could do it better, they'd write their own novels -- that would not need to be interpreted by a thousand other intermediaries. And that's my point -- that what is being taught as the essential education is that which needn't be done in the first place -- and not how can we get a computer to do it.

If one wants to learn to write, he gets on a good forum and reads and writes -- not by somebody telling him this is "freshman writing," this is "sophomore writing," this is journalism, this is technical writing, this is ethnic writing, this is philosophical writing, etc., etc., etc. There is only good writing and bad writing; bad writing is when the writer is not clear, intelligible and obvious -- and so needs the help of countless academicians to interpret him to everybody else. Good writing is when that is not necessary.

Also, there is no artificial and natural intelligence; there is just intelligence -- the intelligence of a tree, a freeway, a cloud, an animal, every human being. What is artificial about any of it?

The person learning is capable of reading life and experience directly -- as well as books. Liberals and politically correct monitors insist that people cannot learn that way but require themselves as the transmitters of the known. But what the inquiring mind wants to know is not the known but the unknown -- which he has to learn himself by observing those around him doing so. That's what those like Edison, da Vinci, Gallileo, Krishnamurti, Jesus, Buddha -- had to do. They did not have Pharisees and Scribes to interpret these truths for them. Rather, they pointed out how these people got in the way of one earnestly pursuing truth.

Instead, what is done in the schools, from kindergarten to post-graduate, is to cultivate greater dependencies on the teacher, the education system and those who wish to exploit them for their own self-aggrandizement -- the countless demagogues that need followers.

This other stuff of learning only what everybody else knows doesn't need to be done expressly; he can pick it up just by living in society and interacting and communicating with his environment. That's really how the greater part of learning actually takes place. For a person still to think that the 5% of formal education he receives is the entirety of intelligence and the knowable is the delusion that produces the arrogance of our educational institutions and their "professionals."

[Richard Kimball]

I agree on the English major. I hesitated to put the arts in, as I was a Fine Arts major, visual arts, and I never felt like my degree was wasted. English majors find work in a wide variety of places, although frequently not what they'd envisioned. You're correct about writing capabilities having dropped. I think that's because so much testing is done by scantron now. Few teachers will take the time to grade written assignments, and as grading essays is much more subjective, it's also more open to challenge. Women's and ethnic studies are actually a detriment to getting employed, as basically, they teach people to have a chip on their shoulders and file lawsuits. I've never known an employer outside of academia that hired more than one person who had majored in women's or ethnic studies.