FEWER, SMARTER STUDENTS; HIGHER STANDARDS LOWER ENROLLMENT

Southeast Missouri State University reported 195 fewer students enrolled this year compared to last year and blamed higher admission standards and the economy for the drop.

The number of full and part-time students attending the university this fall stood at 8,185 Tuesday, according to Fred Snider, dean of enrollment.

In addition to higher admission standards, the university also raised tuition and fees this year and started a new payment procedure that canceled classes for about 400 students who did not make at least partial payment of fees by Aug. 7.

About 300 students were denied enrollment because of higher admission standards, a move Assistant to the President Art Wallhausen called an attempt to weed out students who would likely drop or flunk out of college after the first semester.

It's part of an "enrollment management program" begun several years ago by the university, he said. The program means students are accepted only if they completed enough college-prepara~tory classes while in high school and scored at least 18 on the ACT test. Students can also be turned away because of a low high school grade-point average.

"We are taking our hit up front," Wallhausen said. "We can predict, statistically, who's going to do well here and who is not. It's not fair to the taxpayers to admit students whom you have every reason to believe will not be successful at a four-year college."

Wallhausen said those denied admission are encouraged to attend a community college and then finish the last two years of their education at Southeast.

He said the new admission standards will lead to higher graduation rates and larger sophomore, junior and senior classes.

"It means that we are not using higher education for the purpose of giving students further high school training," said Wallhausen.

More than half of students admitted at Southeast have to take developmental, or high school level, math classes in order to be able to do well in calculus and other advanced math classes, he said.

Others, because of low ACT scores or a lack of training in high school, take developmental writing and English classes.

"We expect to ease out of the developmental-course business over a period of time, and that certainly is a statewide goal" of higher education, he said.

Fall classes began Monday, but students can enroll until Friday.

The higher admission standards have led to this year's freshman class having the highest composite ACT score of any in the university's history, Snider said.

"This year's beginning freshmen have an average score of approximately 22.2 on the ACT admissions examination, compared to 20.4 in 1990 and 21.4 in 1991," Snider said.

The class also includes 13 National Merit Finalists and 55 Governor's Scholars.

"Just two years ago, the class had no Merit Finalists and only 24 Governor's Scholars," he said.

National Merit Finalists rank in the upper half of one percent of all high school seniors on the SAT admission test, and Governor's Scholars rank in the top two to three percent of their class.

Snider said many of the 300 students denied admission this year would have been admitted two years ago, possibly on a conditional basis.

"With limited state appropriations the university has been forced to limit enrollment to those who have demonstrated a certain level of academic ability and prepared for college" by taking advanced math, English and science while in high school.

Wallhausen said the university is following a nationwide trend of denying admission to students who are deemed, at least statistically, to fail.

"I think the message that needs to go out to parents is that left to their own devices, some students will not choose to take college-preparatory classes while in high school," he said.

"If you want to go to college in Missouri, you're going to have to prepare in high school."

The University of Missouri system reported an overall enrollment decline of 4 percent, also attributed to tougher admission standards, higher student fees and the economy.

Southwest Missouri State in Springfield Missouri's second-largest university reported a 300-student drop but a larger freshman class than last year.