Ohio public colleges cutting staff, reviewing academic programs after enrollment declines

10/27/2013

COLUMBUS — Enrollment at Ohio’s public colleges and universities has fallen for the second year in a row amid state and federal efforts emphasizing graduation rates over student totals.

The Columbus Dispatch reported today that more schools are laying off employees, freezing travel and reviewing academic programs after enrollment declines and funding reductions.

That includes the University of Akron and Shawnee State and Youngstown State universities.

Statewide enrollment figures show the number of students in college rose rapidly after the 2007 financial crisis then dropped almost 6 percent in 2012 and another 2 percent this year, the newspaper reported.

Campus officials cite fewer high school graduates, records numbers of students pushing to graduate before schools moved to semesters, changes in federal financial aid and more Ohioans going straight into the workforce.