For the first time in its University History, Mississippi State is officially over 17,000 students. Its is 300 students under Ole Miss.
"MSU has 17,039 students - up 833 from the autumn 2006 semester. This marks the first time in MSU's 129-year history it has enrolled more than 17,000 students, according to the university."
Yet despite having 69,000 students enrolled in high education, only 17% of Mississippi residents hold a Bachelor's Degree. Which is reported as 25% less than the national average.
Schools are definitely looking to increase enrollment, MSU through their StateOfTheFuture Campaign. But average tuition is said to be at $4,500 yearly, with most yearly ( 9 years in a row) increases fronted by Mississippi families. And the high school graduation rate is still at 61%, with ACT scores 50th in the nation.
While not to reign on my Bulldogs parade, these numbers are more important than 19-14, whether good or bad. Mississippi School pride needs to be more than X's and O's. We need to cheer for progress in the State, and question the status quo when "the bell tolls".
What I can't understand is why MSU and Ole Miss have 17,000 students each while JSU, located in the state's capital city, has less than half that number. MSU's initiative is something to be proud of, but our state's leadership will need to look beyond the big two traditionally white universities if it wants to increase enrollment and graduation rates.
ReplyDeleteThere also needs to be more economic development. We seem to do a really nice job of preparing college graduates for exciting careers in other states.
I agree with you here.
ReplyDeleteA quibble. Doesn't USM a greater number of students than Ole Miss? I'm not looking at any hard facts here, but I thought USM was #2 in enrollment.
wow, i had no idea Ole Miss was at 17000. for years they were in the 9600-12000 range. i also thought USM was #2 in enrollment (and someone else said this weekend that they're actually #1 due to the coast campus numbers...however they were USM alumni and you can't ever trust USM alumni...heh).
ReplyDeleteAs for JSU, it will never haver that sort of size because it is a historically black college in a state with 3+ historically black colleges and surrounded by numerous other stately historically black college. among the black students that go to college, the competition is tough (esp. when you factor in white maj. colleges too). Otherwise, they'd have to increase their non-white enrollment, and i don't know that a HBC has ever become a non-black majority college in the history of this country. it also doesn't help that the college is in what has been considered an awful part of town for decades.