Recently in another thread, Alan made a profound point about hiring professionals with regard to recruitment efforts. We have reached a demographic tipping point in the Midwest in general and Ohio in particular. In addition, we are also facing stiff competition from other area schools.

When I came to Athens in the 1980s, most of my high school friends and my new friends in Athens, including myself were the first in their family to go to college. This may have continued into the early 2000's However, now most new Bobcats have parents who went to college. In other words, we are reaching the point of diminishing new customers, so to speak. Even now many new arrivals have come from community colleges like Columbus State, or perhaps another state school's branch campus.

We have to recognize the demographic trends and in addition to student volunteers and tour guides, hire professionals that will spell out the advantages of an Ohio education, as well as life in Athens.

What are Ohio's goals for enrollment? It's misleading to say we are down if we are not trying to increase enrollment, but that's what I don't know. Are we being any more selective? Basic raw-number enrollment doesn't mean as much to me as the other information behind it. Have we eliminated programs/offerings over the last couple of years? Is there a place we are seeing increases in enrollments and offerings?

It seems logical that as college costs rise, commuting within a larger population center becomes more appealing