The enrollment nosedive at the college known for its liberal arts focus would have been unthinkable decades ago, past U officials said.
University of Minnesota Morris Chancellor Janet Schrunk Ericksen speaks about the school on Aug. 12. (Renée Jones Schneider/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
“[Morris] was called the crown jewel of the University of Minnesota system,” said Darrin Rosha, an attorney who served 14 years on the Board of Regents in two separate stints. “When I came back in 2015 and we’re talking ... about what a crisis we have at Morris, I was stunned.”
Morris officials attribute the decline to several factors, including the challenges of drawing students to a rural campus and selling families on a liberal arts degree’s value. The pandemic exacerbated the falling numbers.
“The towns get smaller and smaller and then people get here and say, ‘Oh, there is a great campus here,’” Ericksen said. “But we have to get people out here and show them.”
Ericksen said Morris has cut a few majors and minors, and decreased the number of employees through attrition. This year’s incoming class will also be bigger by almost 25%, with more first-year and transfer students, and officials hope investments in admissions staff, a new digital marketing campaign and a program promoting graduation in three years will help, too.
“Reintroducing ourselves through the new brand refresh is an opportunity for us to show them who we are instead of who your neighbor said we are,” said Melissa Bert, vice chancellor for enrollment management and institutional effectiveness.