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Wednesday, October 25, 1989 / University Daliv Kansan
Budget forces limits on entry
Business enrollment falls
By Beth Behrens Kansan staff writer
Reductions in School of Business enrollment during the past four years were not caused by a lack of interest but a lack of finances, officials said.
John Garland, director of the undergraduate business program, said financial problems and the loss of several full-time faculty members had forced the school to reduce its enrollment through competitive admissions.
Undergraduate School of Business enrollment figures for Fall 1985 show that there were 1,150 students. Figures for Fall 1989 showed 756 students, 394 fewer than four years ago.
"Several years ago, enrollment was increasing very rapidly at the same time that the number of faculty members was being reduced," Garland said. "This is precisely why we had to downsize the program. Quality was suffering in those days because of the size of classes."
To apply to the school, a student must complete 60 hours of college courses with a 2.2 grade point average. Three of those hours must be required preparatory business course. The student must pass a 2.0 GPAS. Cumulative GPAs and ACT scores are considered in the decision.
Garland said competitive enrollment caused uncertainty in the prebusiness students because the number and academic standard of students admitted varied each semester.
He said the number of students admitted depended on space available, number of applicants and quality of students applying. Garland an average of 20 percent of the students were rejected each semester.
Competitive Business School Admissions Have Often Dropped 20th Day Enrollment Figures
For Spring 1990, the enrollment figure had been set at 800, higher than the amount the school could handle. Garland said this decision was made because traditionally 18
FALL
20TH DAY ENROLLMENT % CHANGE
'83 807 14.7%
84 926 24.2%
85 1150 -13.7%
86 993 -6.6%
87 927 -16.9%
88 770 -2.1%
89 754 +6.1
SPRING
90 800°
F '89- 289 Admitted/51
Rejected
SP'90- 173 Admitted/4.3 Rejected
Kevin Maxteny KAHSAh
percent of the number of students enrolled did not show. The number admitted for the Spring semester was 173. The inflated figure still left 43 students with denials, Garland said.
Bruce Bublitz, director of the accounting division, said he thought that the uncertainty undergraduates had concerning school admissions and the trend in enrollment reduction might have caused some students to go to other universities for business degrees.
Garland said the reduction would not turn students away from the University, but instead would attract them to the school because of its quality.
He said that by solving immediate financial problems through limiting the size of the school, a larger problem is solved. He said he will be by students leaving the University.
In September, Bubitz said that the school could have been facing a $90,000 debt at the end of the school year. Because of reduced spending, he said, the financial situation had improved since then, but the problem still existed.
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He said the projected GPA, an estimated graduating GPA for a group of students admitted to the school, had risen since competitive admissions have been implemented. Students admitted in Spring 1989 was 67. The projected GPA for students admitted for Spring 1990 is 3.07.
"The setup of the University and the setup of the School of Business program is sufficiently unique that the fact that we turn away students at whatsoever on enrollment at the University of Kansas," Garland said.
Garland said competitive admissions was not a responsibility he enjoyed, but it was the only acceptable solution to the budgetary problem.
"I have sympathy with students," Garland said.
John Tollefson, dean of business,
said he was reluctant to further
reduce either enrollment or the number
of courses offered in the school in
order to control spending. He said his
focus was on students and education
quality.
Tollefson said overstepping budgetary boundaries was not unusual.
"It's like any other business," he said. "When you look in terms of the overall cost of what it takes to run the company from way away either way is not uncommon."
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Tolleson said the financial situation of the school was worse two years ago when several professors left their positions. Costs were incurred through searches for candidates and offers for competitive market salaries.
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