Marshall must continue to step up, broaden its recruitment efforts

Stephen Kopp, president of Marshall University, says one-fourth of the school's enrollment could be from out of state when classes start in August for the fall semester.

That 25 percent projection is up from 19 percent for this school year.

Kopp gave those numbers last month at a Board of Governors meeting and at the university's general faculty meeting. He has said that part of the reason the percentage of out-of-state students at Marshall is increasing is the fact that Marshall's in-state enrollment is on a downward trend.

Kopp did say the school's out-of-state enrollment, including metro students, has increased because his administration has put more work into recruiting students from areas where Marshall is not a first or second choice.

That Kopp has stepped up Marshall's recruiting efforts is no secret, and it had to be done. Marshall has no choice but to go after students from new territories. The number of people graduating from West Virginia high schools is decreasing. You can see that locally. When it opened 12 years ago, Huntington High School had almost 2,200 students. Now it has about 1,600.

Recruiting more students from out of state is crucial if Marshall is to survive and grow. For Marshall to serve its primary market area of southern West Virginia, where the drop-off in high school graduates is particularly noticeable, it needs more out-of-state students to fill the gap.

If Marshall is to attract students from new territories such as central Ohio, and if it is to maintain or increase its in-state enrollment, the key lies in providing strong academic programs, an attractive university environment and a reasonable tuition price. That last one is particularly important as the cost of college continues its upward spiral nationwide and as community colleges offer a quicker, lower-cost alternative for people more interested in starting careers than getting a broad educational background in a university setting.

So as this wave of students graduates today, the class of 2012 could look much different -- assuming Marshall adapts to the changing higher education marketplace.