WINONA, Minn. — Bolstered by the largest freshman class in years, Winona State University is confident it is reversing more than a decade of enrolment shrinkage. A preliminary headcount has 2,022 first-year students. That’s up 12%. The numbers are important not only for the tuition revenue but because state financial funding is enrollment-dtiven. Typically some freshmen drop out soon after arriving – blame homesickness. The result probably will be some enrollment slippage by the 10th day of classes, which is the date when state funding is calculated. At this point, the bean-counters and head-counters in the Somsen Hall executive suites are expecting overall enrollment growth for fall at 3.3%. Enrollment seemed to be bottoming out last vear after 13 years of losses, from 9,735 to 5,198 — a scary 29% plummet . Upshots have been painful — elimination of programs, faculty hiring freezes, and deferred maintenance.
Earlierr: Mark Street quietude after WSU move-in