Coe College boasts record enrollment

CEDAR RAPIDS - Despite a hypercompetitive higher education landscape that has Iowa's public, private and community colleges working harder to fill classrooms, Cedar Rapids' Coe College this fall is boasting record enrollment.

Coe's 1,340 full-time students for the fall term bests the previous high of 1,338 set last year after topping the 1,323 count in 2011. Coe this fall also has a record 423 new students, surpassing the previous high of 418 set last year.

Including full-time and part-time students, Coe's total enrollment is 1,438 for the fall term.

'Coe has bucked the trend of many small, private colleges in recent years with our growth,” said Rod Pritchard, director of marketing and public relations for Coe.

Other private colleges in the area are reporting static enrollment numbers, or slight decreases, this fall - including Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids and Cornell College in Mount Vernon.

Iowa's public universities all have announced enrollment growth this fall, including Iowa State University, which set another record that keeps it the largest public university in the state with 34,732 students.

The University of Iowa reported a total enrollment of 31,387, which is up over last fall and includes a record first-year undergraduate class of 4,666 students. UI officials have said they plan to continue growing the student body through aggressive marketing campaigns and other measures after the Board of Regents this summer approved a new way of funding the public universities that ties 60 percent of state allocations to in-state enrollment.

Coe President David McInally told The Gazette that increased competition for local students from the public institutions has put pressure on Coe and other private colleges in the region.

'It's more competitive than ever - it's harder work than ever to maintain the status quo,” McInally said. 'But I do think we have some momentum right now.”

He credited that momentum to strong programs and a solid foothold in the Cedar Rapids corridor. But, McInally said, there is a downside to this fall's strong enrollment numbers. The proportion of Iowa students is dropping.

'Thirty-eight percent of the class is from Iowa, and I'd like that percentage to be higher,” McInally said. 'We want to be sure to remain strong in Iowa.”

A few years ago, Coe reported 50 percent of its entering class reined from Iowa, and that has been declining to the 38 percent reported this fall, according to McInally. This year's Coe class includes students from 23 states and several foreign countries.

The overall enrollment increase shows strength in recruiting outside the state, but McInally said part of Coe's mission is to serve the region.

'We want Coe to have a strong reputation nationwide,” he said. 'But it's especially important for that reputation to be strong regionally.”

With competition continuing to ramp up across the state and nation, and Iowa students in the 'college pipeline” projected to decline through 2030, McInally said he has concerns about enrollment in the coming years.

'So we are planning new programs to reach out specifically to students in this region,” he said.

The same is true at Mount Mercy, which saw its enrollment remain steady at 1,762 students this fall compared with 1,761 last year, and Cornell College, which saw a slight drop from 1,122 last year to 1,075 this year.

Robert Callahan, vice president for enrollment and student services at Mount Mercy, said the university is 'very glad” to have maintained its enrollment this fall over last, even though the total is down from 1,810 in 2012 and includes a decrease in undergraduate enrollment.

'In this intense higher-ed competitive environment, with all the national conversations about affordability for students and value of higher ed in general, some others have seen a much bigger drop,” Callahan said. 'So while we certain want to grow our enrollment, to be in the same position as last year could be viewed as a good thing.”

Callahan said Mount Mercy this fall debuted two new graduate programs - one in criminal justice and another in strategic leadership - helping to drive up graduate enrollment from 285 to 318. That increase offset a drop in traditional undergraduates from 1,053 last fall to 1,037 this year.

'That can be indicative of decreasing high school graduates and increasing competition,” Callahan said.

In addition to rolling out new graduate programs, Callahan said, Mount Mercy is looking to grow its student body by increasing high school visits and its presence at college fairs.

'Historically, we have done really well within 50 miles, so we are expanding out to a 250-mile radius,” he said.

Cornell College is planning recruiting campaigns geared toward growth, although none are ready to be made public, said college spokesman Jamie Kelly. The institution gets the majority of its students from Iowa, Illinois, and Colorado, and Kelly said this fall's drop in enrollment is not unique.

'It's something a lot of colleges are seeing the Midwest,” he said. 'There are fewer high school seniors, and it's a very competitive market.”