Snow College Experiences Unprecedented Growth

Well--drum roll please--the third-week enrollment numbers are in and Snow College's growth this fall is the most impressive of any college or university in Utah. There are a variety of ways to look at the numbers but the most meaningful is the budget-related FTE (full-time equivalent) student count. The FTE number is counted by adding all credits taken at the college and dividing that number by 15 (15 credits is one full-time student). In other words, a student who is taking 15 credits is considered one FTE student; three part-time students who are taking five credits each are considered together as one FTE student.

Snow College's student FTE grew this fall over last fall by 24.4% or 578 students--a full two-and-a-half times the average growth rate for colleges and universities in Utah. Snow College had 2,369 FTE students last fall--2,947 this fall. The total number of full and part-time students (we call this the headcount number) at Snow College is 4,368. Dixie State College is the only institution that grew by a higher percentage than Snow College. Their growth was 25.14% but according to the System press release, (October 5, 2009) Dixie's growth was largely a result of adding four-year programs. Much of their growth came, not from new freshman students, but from sophomore students who can now stay on for two more years to finish a bachelor's degree. Behind Snow College, the next largest percent growth in student FTE was seen at Salt Lake Community College. SLCC realized a 14.62% increase of students, or approximately 60% of Snow College's growth rate. SLCC has ten separate campuses in Salt Lake County.

Snow College is the second smallest institution in Utah. Consequently, a smaller percentage growth rate at a large university might still result in more students at that institution. Nevertheless, take a look at the numbers for all other rural institutions: Snow added 578 new students (24.4%); CEU added 174 (12.91%) and Southern Utah University added 393 (6.83%); Utah State University added a combined total of 621 in Logan and all its rural, regional campuses combined (3.93%). USU has three regional campuses and fifteen educational centers accross Utah, in additon to their main campus in Logan.

The percentage growth rate for the urban institutions is as follows: The University of Utah 4.26%; Weber State University 10.31%; Dixie State College 25.14%; Utah Valley University 11.98%; and Salt Lake Community College 14.62%. The sluggish economy naturally drives students back to college in urban areas. The students coming to Snow College are less economy motivated, which suggests a more permanent growth trend.

It has been difficult for employees at Snow College, particularly in the student success offices, to accommodate this year's growth but they have worked very hard and have done an excellent job. Additionally, the growth has forced the college to add large numbers of sections of high demand classes pushing a fair number of our faculty and our financial resources. With state budgets being cut by 17% this year the massive growth has required us to work harder and smarter than ever in the past. We teach our students how to improve and grow--this year we get to model what we teach. I asked our student body officers how students feel about the growth this fall and was told they feel a great deal of excitement and energy they did not feel last year.

As a college we are expecting our growth to continue. We have created a strategic task force consisting primarily of the Academic Deans, Faculty Senate, College Council, President's Cabinet and students to work on the issues needed to accommodate growth while maintaining the small class size and individual attention that has made Snow College the best place in Utah for freshman and sophomores to prepare for life, further academic studies and the workforce.