The Western Kentucky University Owensboro campus has seen a nearly 64 percent decrease in face-to-face enrollment since it established its own campus at 4821 New Hartford Rd. in 2009. WKU has had a presence in Owensboro for 50 years, but the university shared space with other local colleges until 2009 when the L. Reid Haire Administration Building was built across the road from Owensboro Community & Technical College.
In its first semester in that building, WKU enrolled 529 students locally. Last semester enrollment only reached 189.
According to WKU Media Relations Director Bob Skipper, face-to-face enrollment may be down, but the regional campus has seen a growth in online enrollment. In fall 2011, 240 students that lived in the Owensboro region, which encompasses surrounding counties as well as some of southern Indiana, took online coursework and did not take classes on the main campus. In fall 2018, online enrollment was at 355 students.
“We are working to change the way the community sees the regional campuses from stand-alone institutions to an arm of our whole institution,” Skipper said. “Our focus at the Owensboro campus is on our transfer and graduate mission. Whether prospective students we meet transfer to the Bowling Green campus, the Owensboro campus or online, we are actively working to find the best WKU route for them.”
These numbers come on the heels of widespread job cuts across all WKU campuses. In March 2018, seven full-time positions were eliminated from the Owensboro campus, including the chancellor. In 2017, the campus employed 15 full-time staff members, but now six full-time positions currently exist at the campus.
Daviess County Fiscal Court provided the land and paid for the construction of the $6.1 million L. Reid Haire Administration Building through a memorandum of agreement (MOA) in 2007, with the goal of increasing the number of county residents holding bachelor’s degrees. Plans were established for two additional construction phases, adding additional classroom and laboratory space.
With more students choosing online courses over face-to-face, some have called into question the need for a brick and mortar location, or at least one with a 15-classroom footprint.
Judge-Executive Al Mattingly said there have been no talks of the Fiscal Court’s MOA with WKU regarding the building or the surrounding land.
According to Mattingly, the drop in WKU enrollment is a direct correlation with the county’s unemployment rate, which is currently at 3.4 percent. Owensboro Times reported in mid-January that the local unemployment rate was lower than it had been in 28 years. Mattingly said with more people employed, fewer adults are returning to post-secondary education, which is WKU Owensboro’s highest demographic.
Despite the low unemployment rate, all other local post-secondary educational institutions saw an increase in enrollment last semester. Kentucky Wesleyan College admitted more freshman in fall 2018 than it had in a decade. Overall enrollment at KWC was up by 333 new students, both freshmen and transfers, in fall 2018 marking a 39 percent increase from 2017.
Similarly, Brescia University reported the school broke their freshman class enrollment record from 1977 with a total enrollment of 1,037 students, the fifth consecutive year it surpassed the 1,000 student mark.
Owensboro Community & Technical College enrolled 3,947 students in fall 2018, a 4.2 percent increase from the year before.
OCTC President Scott Williams agreed with Mattingly that it is tougher to grow enrollment when unemployment is low, but said he was proud that OCTC did see growth last semester.
Williams said OCTC has always been and remains a close partner with WKU. In fact, the Fiscal Court MOA outlines that WKU Owensboro cannot offer freshman- and sophomore-level coursework. The idea behind the agreement was for a student to receive his or her associate degree at OCTC and finish the classes needed for a bachelor’s degree at the WKU Owensboro campus.
In the 2014-2015 academic year, 299 OCTC students transferred to a four-year public institution — 211, or 65.7 percent, chose WKU.
Williams said, despite the job cuts and decreased face-to-face enrollment, OCTC’s relationship with WKU has never diminished.
“Our students are still able to see WKU academic advisors who come on our campus to get the information they need,” Williams said. “That has maintained and continued. At this point in time our being able to work together has not changed.”
According to Mattingly, the job cuts to WKU Owensboro administration in 2018 canceled any plans for future buildings on the campus. He said he continues to sit on the advisory committee for the campus, where he and other members talk about course offerings and future planning. Although face-to-face enrollment numbers may be low, Mattingly said the campus is still serving its purpose.
“I am tickled we can provide an affordable four-year education to those 189 students,” Mattingly said. “I am proud we can make that available for them.”
