UH must increase in-state enrollment

The University of Hawaii’s flagship campus hit its highest student headcount in the early 1970s when 22,370-plus baby boomers were enrolled. Since then, due to lower birth rates and various economic ups and downs, the numbers have been in decline, mostly.

Enrollment at UH-Manoa fell below the 20,000 mark in 2014 for the first time in more than a decade — and the slide is continuing. The headcount (16,568 students) for this spring semester is a 2 percent drop from last spring’s tally. Across the system, enrollment is down at six of 10 campuses.

The good news is that most of the declines are the least steep in recent years and, overall, enrollment appears poised to level out. It’s also encouraging that at UH-Manoa, university President David Lassner, who is also serving as interim campus chancellor, has set his sights on a climb back to the 20k mark. That campus has ample capacity to handle a significantly larger student count, and nearly half of its operational budget flows from tuition.

Among the enrollment-boosting strategies in the works at UH-Manoa and systemwide, UH leaders told the Star-Advertiser editorial board last week: development of an interdisciplinary “institute” model tailored for emerging high-interest fields of study, such as sustainability and data analytics; stepped-up personalized academic advising; and continued efforts to reach out to underserved populations.

Making strides is the Hawai‘i Promise scholarship program, which aims to spur enrollment and retention rates among students from low-income households. Launched last fall, the program assisted nearly 1,000 students.

In many cases, Hawai‘i Promise provided community college students with free in-state tuition and money for fees, books, supplies and transportation. With a deep discount on their higher-ed price tag, these students can more realistically seize college opportunities as the means to higher-paying jobs and a better quality of life.

Last year, UH asked state lawmakers to tag $2.5 million for the so-called “last dollar” program, which means that other sources of financial aid — Pell grants and scholarships, for example — are applied before Hawai‘i Promise funds are committed. The Legislature appropriated $1.8 million, prompting the university to seek the $700,000 balance this year.

The chances for securing that funding got a favorable bump last week when the Legislature opened its 2018 session with Senate President Ronald Kouchi urging colleagues to support expanding the Promise program, and the Early College program designed to help high school students earn college credits. Kouchi rightly described college as “a critical stepping stone to allow our children to find that pathway to success.”

But with Hawaii’s unemployment holding at record low rates, it’s tempting to skip over that stone and jump into the job market. The UH, therefore, must clearly communicate how a college education pays off.

According to University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization projections, the holder of a UH associate’s degree on average makes $360,000 more in his or her lifetime over a high school classmate who never went to college. The average UH bachelor’s degree-holder who works here makes $950,000 more.

Systemwide, enrollment last increased six years ago. Even so, the UH Institutional Research and Analysis Office

notes UH-West Oahu as well as Windward, Kapiolani and Kauai community colleges as current bright spots. Each has more students this spring than last.

As the sole provider of public higher education in the islands, UH administrators and faculty must push forward with initiatives to increase in-state enrollment; modernize programs to fit our future jobs market; and provide continued guidance and financial incentives along pathways to student success.