Mississippi University for Women is growing, as is its economic impact on the community, but the watchword for the years ahead will be change, MUW President Dr. Jim Borsig told members of the Town and Tower Club Tuesday morning during the group’s quarterly meeting.
The college has increased full-time enrollment by 19 percent over the past four years, hovering at around 3,200 students, but the demographics of those students have shifted. The biggest gains have been students transferring from other schools, especially two-year colleges like East Mississippi Community College, Borsig said. In 2007, only 57 percent of new students were transfers. Now, 72 percent are coming from other institutions.
The student body is aging, too. The average MUW student is 26 years old. The college conferred undergraduate degrees to 57 percent of students over the past five years.
Statistics favor those graduates, Borsig said. People with at least a bachelor’s degree are healthier, less likely to need government programs, and more likely to volunteer, vote and raise healthier, better-educated children. They also earn 66 percent more than those with only a high school degree.
The difference lies in how today’s college students prefer to receive information. MUW has seen a marked increase in students who are taking classes in which at least 50 percent of course content is delivered online.
“Generation I” has grown up with the Internet and smartphones, and they expect to be connected 24/7, Borsig said. That preference is forcing the university to adapt, gradually shifting MUW’s marketing strategies from print to digital.
Recruitment and retention strategies must change as well as the college caters to its primary income source — tuition. Whereas colleges have in the past been able to depend upon brand loyalty and family tradition to entice students, today’s generation is more interested in the strength of academic programs and the ways they can fit higher education into busy lives, Borsig said.
In terms of economic impact, data shows The W continues to have a positive effect on the local and state economy, through jobs created and student spending. Last year, 1,095 direct or indirect jobs were created, bringing in a total labor income of $39,597,500, Borsig said.
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
