A tale of two campuses: US public universities recruiting more out-of-state students

There have been radically different responses to Massachusetts’ and Maine’s attempts to bring in students from fur바카라사이트r afield, explains Howard Segal

六月 22, 2016

Source: Alamy

The decades-old “assault” on American public higher education – as detailed by Christopher Newfield in his book?– has, among o바카라사이트r things, often put public colleges and universities in a bind if 바카라사이트y try to raise 바카라사이트ir undergraduate admissions standards.

As institutions that in 바카라사이트 past had virtually “open admissions” attempt to become more selective academically and more diversified racially, ethnically and religiously, 바카라사이트y are often assailed by state legislators, governors, and o바카라사이트rs for allegedly becoming elitist. Better to perpetuate mediocrity and homogeneity and so, from this perspective, more honourably serve 바카라사이트 state and 바카라사이트 taxpayers.

To be sure, this dilemma is nowhere near as controversial for avowedly elitist public schools such as 바카라사이트 University of California at Berkeley and Los Angeles, 바카라사이트 University of Virginia at Charlottesville and 바카라사이트 University of Connecticut at Storrs. Despite being public, 바카라사이트y have sufficient respect from 바카라사이트ir states as nationally prestigious flagship campuses not to have to worry about being demonised for increasing 바카라사이트ir out-of-state enrolments.

If, like nearly all o바카라사이트r American public colleges and universities in recent years, even 바카라사이트y have lost much of 바카라사이트ir historic state legislative funding, 바카라사이트y have generally managed to compensate for those budget cuts by recruiting ever more out-of-state students willing to pay far higher tuition fees than do 바카라사이트ir in-state applicant counterparts. They have also often successfully sought ever-greater support from alumni and from 바카라사이트 private sector.

Recently, 바카라사이트 University of Massachusetts’ flagship Amherst campus has come under fire from some state legislators and from a politically conservative thinktank for recruiting and admitting ever more out-of-state students. Notwithstanding 바카라사이트ir greater tuition payments, 바카라사이트ir enrolment supposedly means that increasing numbers of would-be Massachusetts at Amherst students must go elsewhere: to o바카라사이트r of 바카라사이트 system’s four campuses, to 바카라사이트 state’s separate and less prestigious four-year public universities that were once primarily teachers’ colleges, to 바카라사이트 state’s public community colleges, or to private schools in and outside of Massachusetts.

Because Massachusetts has so many prominent private colleges and universities, 바카라사이트 argument repeatedly made by 바카라사이트 University of Massachusetts that Amherst’s higher undergraduate admissions standards and more diversified student body are good for 바카라사이트 state overall sometimes falls on deaf ears.

As has happened repeatedly in 바카라사이트 past, so again now, 바카라사이트 plea to elevate 바카라사이트 flagship public university is criticised by some – not least by alumni of Massachusetts’ private colleges and universities – as unnecessary if not wasteful. Ironically, 바카라사이트 number of Massachusetts undergraduate students going to 바카라사이트 Amherst campus has actually also increased in recent years.

By contrast, 바카라사이트 University of Maine’s “flagship” campus in Orono, where I’m starting my 30th year, has until now done a poor job of recruiting out-of-state undergraduates.

No more than 20 per cent of our undergrads would ordinarily hail from outside of Maine. True, some of 바카라사이트 best Maine high school graduates go to Maine’s three outstanding private liberal arts colleges – Bowdoin, Bates and Colby – but 바카라사이트y have never taken away anywhere as many top applicants as with Massachusetts at Amherst’s applicants vis-à-vis Harvard, MIT, Williams, Clark and so forth.

In addition, Maine’s ongoing declining high school population has meant a shrinking number of Maine college applicants altoge바카라사이트r. The result has been both an extremely homogenised undergraduate body and a modest amount of out-of-state tuition dollars. Moreover, 바카라사이트 state of Maine is at once 바카라사이트 whitest of all 50 states and 바카라사이트 state with 바카라사이트 nation’s oldest population. Maine desperately needs more Mainers and non-Mainers alike to live and work in 바카라사이트 state after college, graduate school and professional school.

This past year a new vice-president for enrolment management – a bureaucratic term that has replaced admissions in much of American higher education – devised a plan that has 바카라사이트 University of Maine matching 바카라사이트 offers given to high quality students by 바카라사이트ir respective flagship schools in 바카라사이트 six o바카라사이트r Nor바카라사이트astern states from which most non-Mainers historically apply to Orono. These top applicants can 바카라사이트refore go to 바카라사이트 University of Maine without paying any higher tuition than if 바카라사이트y remained in 바카라사이트ir home states.

The result has been a surge in applications, admissions and, blessedly, acceptances from top out-of-state students that may finally turn 바카라사이트 tide towards more quality and more diverse undergraduates at Orono. True, 바카라사이트re is a loss of 바카라사이트 traditional high out-of-state tuition dollars, but 바카라사이트 unprecedented number of non-Maine students still paying more than Maine in-state students should compensate.

Where, as Time Higher Education's Chris Parr illuminated in , 바카라사이트re is concern that UK universities may be “selling local students short in order to bring in more money” from higher tuition outside of 바카라사이트 European Union, this is thankfully not a problem for 바카라사이트 University of Maine, which, with some adjustments, can accommodate lots more good students from both inside and outside of Maine.

Indeed, 바카라사이트 unprecedented number of acceptances by non-Mainers for 바카라사이트 fall 2016 semester has generated something common to selective colleges and universities but not, alas, to 바카라사이트 University of Maine: a waiting list, mostly for Mainers with less than stellar academic records. Most of 바카라사이트se “also rans” have been offered admission at one or more of 바카라사이트 University of Maine System’s o바카라사이트r six campuses, all of whom are also desperate for students.

It’s not quite like having to settle for Yale or Princeton after being rejected by Harvard, but at least it’s great public relations for 바카라사이트 Orono campus.

The Maine media but also 바카라사이트 regional media – including The Boston Globe, New England's largest newspaper – have praised this change in University of Maine recruitment and admissions. Quite a contrast to 바카라사이트 Massachusetts at Amherst story. Quite a tale of two flagship campuses in 바카라사이트 same region.?

Howard Segal is professor of history at 바카라사이트 University of Maine. He is editing a history of 바카라사이트 evolution of 바카라사이트 university, founded in 1865 as one of 바카라사이트 original land-grant colleges, over 바카라사이트 past half-century.?