@csun.edu

March 1, 2004

Vol. VIII, No. 11

Campus Panel Issues Long-Range Enrollment Policy Options

Group Invites University Community to Respond by March 19

Recognizing that Cal State Northridge's undergraduate enrollment continues to outpace funding and instructional space, the university's Enrollment Policy Group (EPG) this week issued its draft final recommendations for campus review.
"Some of the recommendations promote a fundamental re-framing of our approach to determining how many and which undergraduates are served by Cal State Northridge," said policy group chair William Watkins, associate vice president for student affairs(left).
Watkins called for campus comments on the group's recommendations by Friday, March 19. The EPG will submit its draft recommendations to President Jolene Koester for review and action.
"This is particularly timely consideration, given our expectation of further budget cuts next fall," said Watkins. He noted that Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Linda Bain in February announced an enrollment management policy for freshman applicants that focused on fall 2004 admissions decisions. The policy aims to reduce the size of the fall 2004 freshman class by 10 percent, from about 3,600 freshmen in fall 2003 to about 3,200.
The EPG options are aimed at Northridge's enrollment policy well into the future, said Watkins. The options can be reviewed in full at www.csun.edu/studentaffairs/policies/epg_draftfinal.pdf.
In brief, the group recommends that the university:

Continue its longstanding commitment to access and quality;
Continue to develop resources to support enrollment demand;
Assess current full-time equivalent student (FTES) capacity in conjunction with the campus physical master plan review process;
Pursue campus impaction only after less restrictive strategies have been exhausted;
Continue strategies in use from 2002 through 2004, such as the moratorium on mid-year freshman admissions;
Develop a comprehensive enrollment management plan specific to Cal State Northridge, one that addresses issues from outreach and admission to retention and graduation;
Establish a high level, standing university-wide committee able to quickly respond to emerging enrollment challenges and to consider issues such as student body size;
Consider small to moderate impact measures such as establishing zero quotas for overcrowded programs, impacting additional academic programs, requiring submission of SAT scores by a specific date, capping non-resident enrollment at the current level, moving some courses to lower division for completion at the community college level, and/or limiting repeated CSUN courses;
Consider moderate to major impact measures such as basing first-time freshman admissions on geographical proximity and on a school's historical relationship with Northridge, requiring transfer students to complete lower division major requirements at their community colleges before transferring to CSUN, developing more off-site classroom facilities, and/or increasing use of distance learning;
Consider implementing a "last resort" measure such as impacting the entire Cal State Northridge first-time freshman class, in which out-of-area applicants would need to meet a higher "eligibility index"Ñadmission standardÑthan local applicants.

Prior to formulating the long-range options, the policy group in spring and fall 2003 consulted a range of campus organizations and solicited feedback at campus-wide open forums.
Serving with Watkins on the Enrollment Policy Group are Jorge Garcia, College of Humanities; Mehran Kamrava, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences; Al Kinderman, College of Business and Economics; Say-Peng Lim, College of Science and Mathematics; Lorraine Newlon, Admissions and Records; and Heather Powell, student.
Comments on the policy group recommendations may be directed to enrollmentpolicies@csun.edu, or to any member of the committee.