By Jeffrey Morris
Newly released numbers for the fall 2004 semester reveal that for the first time, the University of Louisville has students from all 120 of Kentucky’s counties. Sixty percent of U of L students come from the Louisville Metro area, which includes 11 counties, but that number has declined by 8 percent since 2000.
Jenny Sawyer, vice president for Admissions, said that more effort has been put into recruiting from other areas of the state without trying to reduce enrollment from the Louisville area. “We have no specific goals for any certain areas of Kentucky, although I’m not surprised that the numbers just from Jefferson County came down.”
One example of the increase comes from Pulaski County, in the Somerset area. The number of students enrolled from Pulaski County increased 1,000 percent, jumping from 5 to 51 students between 1986 and 2004. Kathy McAnulty, the admissions counselor assigned to Somerset and southeastern Kentucky, credited several new “Open House” sessions in the area for generating more interest in U of L.
“The Open House in Somerset was added three years ago, so this is something that could possibly explain the recent increases,” McAnulty said. “We have found that students are likely to recognize and appreciate our efforts in bringing U of L to them simply because of our presence.” She also credits U of L alumni clubs throughout the state for recruiting students to U of L.
Sawyer was surprised that enrollment from surrounding, fast-growing counties such as Oldham and Bullitt has been holding steady in recent years. She credits campus improvements and new admissions standards. Sawyer said U of L has greatly improved the quality of campus life in recent years, particularly in the area of student housing.
“We really didn’t have a reason to recruit other areas of the state because there wasn’t adequate housing, so any new students here would have to commute to class, which doesn’t create a satisfactory college experience,” Sawyer said.
Sawyer added that admissions standards at U of L increased substantially in 2000 as the result of the new state mandate to be a pre-eminent urban research university. “The new admissions standards, and also improvements in Kentucky’s high schools, mean that we are now getting more students who are college-ready.”
Sawyer said UPS Metropolitan College also recruits students from economically struggling areas of Kentucky to attend U of L.
U of L graduate student David Frost said U of L is a good fit for many such students. “I think most young people want to go to college far away from home. … Students from rural Kentucky may come here because it is somewhat close to home but not too close,” Frost said.
University President James Ramsey said there is a conscious effort to recruit students from outside the Louisville area, both in and out of Kentucky. “Students from outside the Louisville area add to the diversity of background, thought and culture of the campus, which is positive.” Ramsey did not say there were any goals to recruit from specific areas. “Our strategy is to get the very best students … be they from Louisville or outside our metro area.”
The increased geographic diversity has some U of L students concerned about the university losing touch with its local roots.
“Adding students from other areas is okay, but I feel that the number of students from Louisville shouldn’t go down. U of L should keep a commitment to Louisville,” said U of L sophomore Allison Mulen.
