Looking at the Class of 2012.
Times change too swiftly for an organization to permit itself to be trapped by contentment and indecision. An organization must continually attempt to adjust itself to the internal and the external environment or it will not survive. Joan Bradshaw, Past President of P.E.O. International Sisterhood.The Cottey College Planning Committee, one of the most active committees on our campus, translated Joan Bradshaw’s insight about the importance of a planning process that examines the external environment into a semester of study and research. The committee members began by searching for answers to the question: “What will the Cottey student of 2012 be like?” Since there will be a major revision of the College’s five-year strategic plan in 2012, we need to understand clearly the students we will recruit and enroll, their level of academic preparation, their strongest interests, their financial status, and their expectations. The committee’s findings were interesting, challenging, and worthy of serious consideration. Our study was guided in part by the publication, Millennials Go To College by Neil Howe and William Strauss.
We are all no doubt aware of the rapidly changing demographics of our nation, but the committee’s findings on the topic of the expected ethnic diversity of the class of 2012 cause us to reflect on the implications for Cottey College. We are anticipating a decline in the number of students graduating from high school in a number of states. There will be a decrease in the number of white and African American students graduating and an increase in the number of Asian and Hispanic students. Cottey must prepare for the class of 2012 with both academic and cocurricular programs to support ethnically diverse students.
Changes in technology will affect the way faculty teach and students learn. The committee member reporting on the topic of technology demonstrated this point by showing a short YouTube video created by two mathematics professors at the University of Minnesota using 3-D animation to illustrate Möbius transformations. This video has been viewed more than 1.2 million times!
One of the most noticeable results of new technology may be in college bookstores. Students will have access to products such as Amazon’s Kindle that have the ability to download whole textbooks into one small portable device. This could halt or decrease the escalating cost of textbooks and eliminate the need for the twenty-pound backpacks that we see students carrying across campus.
A significant focus of the planning committee’sstudy was the status of women’s colleges. There are currently forty-seven independent women’s colleges. There are five additional women’s colleges within universities. Among recent changes are Hood College which has been co-educational since 2002; Wells College, Blue Mountain College, and Immaculata University that have been co-educational since 2005; Regis College and Randolph-Macon Woman’s College that became co-educational in 2007; and Rosemont College that changed status in 2008. Newcomb College at Tulane University was discontinued in 2006, and Marymount College at Fordham University closed in 2007. Only thirteen of the forty-seven colleges admit women exclusively, and most, all but eleven, offer graduate degrees.
While other institutions are admitting men or closing their doors, Cottey College remains steadfastly committed to women’s education. Alumnae of women’s colleges continue to affirm the value of their educational experience at women’s colleges. Cottey alumnae must help articulate to the young women they know what is unique about the Cottey experience to assist the College with our recruiting efforts.
The financial needs and expectations of the students of 2012 was, without doubt, the most difficult topic to cover because of the economic turmoil of the past eight months. The committee’s conclusions are based on the trends of the past several years: Students will need increased financial aid, and families will select colleges that demonstrate the value they add to students’ ability to move into desirable careers and professions. Cottey’s tuition remains low when compared to other private liberal arts colleges. If a young woman wants a liberal arts educational experience, then Cottey is a tremendous bargain. For example, Cottey’s average financial aid package in 2008-2009 was $14,800. The billable cost for tuition, fees, room and board for 2009-2010 is $20,300, so the average out-of-pocket expense will be about $5,500. This is a second message that Cottey alumnae must share with prospective students.
As Joan Bradshaw predicted, times have indeed changed swiftly. In August 2008, Cottey experienced the fourth consecutive year of enrollment growth and a remarkably strong endowment. In a very short time, the external environment changed, and we must adjust by understanding that environment and responding to it.
