Provost says enrollment growth at OU won't be willy-nilly

Any enrollment growth must take into account the university's instructional capacity, Pam Benoit, executive vice president and provost of Ohio University, told Faculty Senate Monday night.

As OU saw a decrease in its state share of instruction (SSI) in part due to its static enrollment over the last few years, the university's Board of Trustees has asked university leadership to look at ways to strategically increase enrollment. Benoit has commissioned a committee to examine how the university can increase enrollment, and that committee is preparing a report that will be completed mid-December and presented to the board in January.

The report will analyze five areas - instruction, student experience, regional campuses, commuter and adult student populations, and facilities and housing, Benoit said.

"The report recognizes that there have been reductions in instructional capacity and student support," Benoit said. "These reductions have made it more difficult to meet the needs of students and have limited the institution's ability to respond to emerging enrollment opportunities."

Enrollment across the university grew by almost 2,000 students this year after years of nearly static growth.