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Universities Enroll Fewer Blacks

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By ADAM EMERSON

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 1, 2008

TAMPA - Last year, several public universities in Florida could tout a growing number of minorities in their student bodies.

In many cases, however, that upward swing now has reversed. Enrollment last month among black freshmen at three of Florida's largest universities fell dramatically from last year, a time when some enjoyed record growth.

No one factor explains the dip, but administrators say job losses that have beset families are pushing many black freshmen into community colleges this year or out of higher education entirely.

In addition, officials from some universities had trouble competing for the state's top black students after budget cuts weakened their recruitment efforts.

One school, however, has benefited from recent events: Florida A&M University.

For years the focus had been on the historically black college's financial mismanagement and administrative failures, but a new president - and the resulting buzz - has turned around the school's declining enrollment. Its freshman class increased 23 percent from last year to 1,831.

Leaders at Florida's other public universities say FAMU's renewed popularity has drawn away many of their prospective freshmen.
University of South Florida Provost Ralph Wilcox said that he was "absolutely disappointed" at USF's decline.

Last summer and fall, USF recorded a 22 percent increase from the previous year in the number of black freshmen at its four campuses. Its recruitment efforts had paid off: USF reached beyond the Tampa area for high school students throughout the state and lavished them with application perks, wooing the best to its Honors College.

On the first day of school last week, however, USF showed a 23 percent drop from the first day of school last fall in the number of black freshmen.

Even taking into account the students who started in the summer, the number dropped 15 percent to 394 students.

Admissions standards were tougher this year and the number of rejections was up for all groups.

Demand was stronger for all groups as well, but USF cut back on recruitment because of budget cuts.

For the past two years, the university sent out application packets to students from about 150 Florida high schools that enrolled a large percentage of low-income students. The offer: no essay or fee required, and the application would have priority status.

This year, the university ended that practice, which cost about $100,000 a year, as it cut millions from its budget.

A strong increase in the number of black graduate students softened the overall decline university-wide.

Recruiting Challenges

Even so, Wilcox says USF will "redouble" its efforts to hold onto more of the black students it accepts, perhaps by strengthening financial-aid packages for those affected most by the state's economic downturn.
FAMU offers an attractive experience for black students, Wilcox said, but he said part of the enrollment drop could be tied to the difficulty in competing with other schools while having to turn away more prospective freshmen as state funding declines.

Other universities fared worse.

The University of Florida, the state's flagship, saw its summer and fall black freshmen enrollment fall 27 percent this year to 671 students.

The economy may have taken a toll on many of UF's prospects, said Zina Evans, the university's admissions director.

While overall applications were up, there was a drop in the number of completed applications among black students.

The university followed up with about half of them, learning then that family financial troubles would prohibit most from attending college this year, Evans said.

"This has been a rough year for families," Evans said. "I think that students want to be able to go to college and go where they want to go. But they also understand that paying for college is something they need to seriously consider."

Florida State University saw its black freshmen enrollment fall 15 percent to 460 students. At the University of Central Florida in Orlando, black freshmen enrollment was flat compared to last year at 375 students.

Affordable Options

For many prospective freshmen, community college represented a more affordable option.

Hillsborough Community College saw its overall black student enrollment increase 6 percent to 4,422 students. At St. Petersburg College, the number of black freshmen rose 20 percent to 483 students, outpacing total freshmen enrollment, which increased 13 percent.

Taylor Grimes, a first-year student at HCC, said that she was interested in attending USF, FAMU and Bethune-Cookman University, a historically black college in Daytona Beach.

But since HCC opened its first on-campus apartments this year, Grimes said she could save $200 in housing costs alone by attending the community college.

With on-campus housing, "I get the experience of going to a university," Grimes said.

For other students, attending FAMU, the state's only historically black public university, meant a chance to be among peers.

With a new president, who lifted the university out of accrediting woes, the campus is experiencing resurgence, students and other universities say.

"Here, I'm surrounded by all my friends, and I feel like I can do a lot better," said Jessica Nichols, a freshman at FAMU, who graduated in the top 3 percent of her class at Middleton High School in Tampa.

Nichols said she also considered UF, "and I'm sure I would have made friends there. But I just wanted to experience something different."

Reporter Adam Emerson can be reached at (813) 259-8285 or aemerson@tampatrib.com.

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