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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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I know Liquor Mart. I will only say that the CU Boulder colleges with the most money spent the most money there. You won't find much in the Liquor Mart budget, for instance, in the History or the English Depts., although they probably purchased a few bottles of wine for special occasions. No, find the colleges with the most money, and there you will find the greatest budget allocations at Liquor Mart.

Although I think this is another hit at CU Boulder, it's damn well time. The university is located on some of the most beautiful landscape the U.S. has. The poster who named it an "ivory tower" university is right; because of its ivory tower status, it is both a coveted place in which to work and a place that is subject to a lot of political corruption and abuse.

Ward Churchill has a very good reputation as a teacher, by the way. The drop in out-of-state tuition is not attributable to that. The drop has been happening for some time.

I have no problem with alcohol served at functions. What I do have a problem with is the student "partying" that is out of control and perception of acceptance by college officials.

The administration has to set the standard for the students.

And the drop in out of state registrations is unique to CU in regards to the big CO universities.

And I would have found Ward Churchill a shameful professor if I had mistakenly taken one of his classes. I happened across a pretty bad professor this summer that couldn't wait to find ways to bash Bush in her lectures about Western Civilization prior to WW2. If Churchill were as bad as her, he had not business teaching, much less being tenured.

Finally, I did work in Boulder. I lasted just over a year and moved out. The town is ridiculous. There is nothing to covet about working or living there.

OK. Some perspective. I am finding this thread knee jerk and totally out of perspective.

I am a CU Grad. B.S. and M.A. Journalism. I love the place. Much of what is written here is from people who don't have a clue.

The Leftist twits have been part of the landscape for years. However, perhaps my greatest Conservative hero was a faculty member there for decades. Professor Ed Rozek in the Poli.Sci. Dept. had a rough time of it during the crazy 60's and 70's. However, he became an inspiration for hundreds of young Conservatives and many who looked back and acknowledged his correct worldview.

The University has some sensational educational opportunities. The Sciences are first rate. The Engineering School is great. The buisness School graduated my little Brother who is a leader in his field.

Boulder is "Disneyland With Mountains." It's not reality. However, it is a wonderful place to live if you can afford the real estate. The Lefties are so retro they are a hoot. The New Age nonsense is comical. I wouldn't want my kids in Boulder Public Schools. That's a certainty. If my two Boys (13 and 11) want to attend CU I have some real soul searching to do. However, if I've done half the job my parents did they will be fine. There have always been Ward Churchills at CU. I think this entire fiasco will be a wakeup call to provide "REAL" diversity on campus.

Flame on

I don't think finding a huge chunk of taxpayer money going to purchase alcohol at a school that has a "poor" image in regards to student alcohol abuse a knee jerk reaction. The administration needs to step up and stop this practice not excuse it. They need to set an example for our children attending the school.

In regards to Churchill, you are right, those type of professors are everywhere. With the latest revelation of his admission that he is not an indian, he needs to be fired if the university wants to keep any respectability.

But more importantly, his type of professorship is harmful to students. If, I as a conservative, stood up for my beliefs in his class and classes of professors like him, I would risk a lot. I don't blame the university for it, unless they allow it to continue.

I was responding to those trashing the University's academics and overall atmospherics. No doubt these incidents harm the University. I am hopeful it will result in some REAL diversity to emerge. Your points are well taken. I just reacted to some posts questioning CU's overall mission. It's a school with 25,000 students and faculty. Most are dedicated to the pursuit of a strong academic community. Along with some great partying. :)

No doubt about the quality of some of CU's faculty. How many Nobel science prizes do they have? Just got one recently for something they did in Physics, I think. But, they need to change the public perception.

For instance, when it came out about how much $$$ they spent on alcohol, given their recent problems with student death's, etc, they should have immediately said they will review the practice & revise it. But, instead, they took an excuse approach. And it seems they have been doing that with all of their recent scandals.

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