Spring 1972 - Digitized Resources Murphy Library University of ...

Bonnie Spettel looked on as prospective students signed the guest book
at one of the six receptions she and Joel Hafner, '70, helped to arrange
for the Admissions Office during March and April.
Admissions Counselor Tom MacGillivray, left, provided on-the-spot information
for parents as well as high school seniors interested in attending
the university. Current students and high school counselors also came;
COVER
(see p. 11)
Page 2
An informal breakfast started each busy
day of "Campus Preview" activities.
Students and Parents
Invited to
Look Over La Crosse
While high school seniors in the sixties competed
for places in the colleges of their choice, today's
graduates find these institutions soliciting their
applications.
Several factors account for this new emphasis on
recruitment, not the least of which is a general leveling
off in enrollment nationwide. Within the University
of Wisconsin, for example, projected increases
for 1972-73 have been revised downward, and growth
throughout the system is expected to slow for a few
years. (Experts agree that it's only a temporary lag;
the number of college-bound youngsters is expected
to rise again near the end of the decade.)
Reduced enrollment can be attributed in part to
1) the financial hardships of parents and would-be
students caused by national economic conditions 2)
the stabilization of population growth and 3) the
emergence of community colleges with technical
programs that equip graduates for the job market
in less than four years.
With that last factor in mind, UW-La Crosse recruiters
take special steps to promote programs of
increasing popularity, Le. physical therapy, computer
science, physical education for the handicapped,
certified social work, mass communications, medical
technology, nuclear medicine technology and several
more within the newly founded School of Business
Administration.
Getting the word out on attractive academic packages
is part of the intensified recruiting campaign
that has been underway on and off campus this
spring. UW-L faculty, students, administrators and
alumni have made personal efforts to boost enrollment
and cope with academic problems that force
current students to leave.
On campus, Associate Dean of Students Norene
Smith is directing a special "academic success" task
force that has begun a university-wide tutoring program
to reduce the number of academic failures.
Each department has organized "academic rescue
squads", consisting of faculty and selected students,
to identify those who need assistance and arrange
tutoring sessions as needed. For example, the English
department operates two clinics to help students
improve their reading and writing skills.
In a new effort to inform high school students
about life and learning at UW-L, the university has
held two "Campus Previews". High school seniors
who expressed an interest in UW-L were invited to
meet students and faculty, to look over the buildings
and grounds, and to gain a better understanding of
academic programs and student services. They
st:ayed overnight in residence halls, visited classes,
The La Crosse Alumnus