Fall enrollment numbers announced

EOU announces official fall enrollments 

Oct. 26, 2017 La Grande, Ore. − Eastern Oregon University announced fall enrollments for the institution today.

At 3,016 students total, with a full time equivalent of 2,152, EOU saw a 3 percent decrease in both credit hours and full-time equivalents. The university welcomed 327 new freshmen and 439 new transfer students.

Economics, education, general science, humanities, library science, music, physics and social science programs saw growth in credit hours this fall. The Emergency Medical Services Administration program, a fully online bachelor’s degree program, nearly doubled the number of credit hours enrolled over fall 2016.

The number of credits taken at regional centers increased slightly, while online credit hours decreased and on-campus remained steady. In addition to a national trend of declining university enrollments, two state initiatives continue to create challenges: the Oregon Promise that in many cases is billed as “free community college” and the continued growth and expansion of OSU Cascades.

EOU President Tom Insko commented on fall enrollment and plans to continue reaching more students.

“We are not surprised by these levels given the challenging environment and our recent focus on developing internal systems for the institution that will allow for growth,” Insko said. “We remain financially healthy with a strong fund balance, so we can begin to invest in key areas that help increase our enrollments.”

Over the past year, the university has focused on building out several key leadership positions, hiring a new vice president for student affairs, an executive director of regional outreach and innovation, and two new academic deans. A new cross-functional Strategic Enrollment Management Team launched this fall and is charged with expanding EOU’s student population.

“Having a fully staffed enrollment management leadership team is a significant milestone,” Insko said. “We can now  aggressively take action and effectively implement our growth plan.”

EOU’s strategic plan calls for increasing full-time equivalent enrollment to 2,500 on campus and 5,000 online by the school’s centennial anniversary in 2029.

“These are significant goals and we acknowledge the challenges,” Insko said. “Together, we are up to the task.”