CLARION – Clarion University has a record enrollment of 7,391 at the end of drop/add for the Fall 2009 semester, according to figures released at a meeting of the Clarion University Council of Trustees held at Venango Campus in Oil City.
“While the final figures may change a little in future weeks, the bottom line is that our total headcount has risen almost four percent to 7,391,” said President Joseph Grunenwald. “Last year we were at 7,111, so we’re up 280 in total university headcount. More importantly, the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) students is 6,108, up in excess of 3 percent. FTE is critically important in terms of budget preparation and appropriations.”
Clarion also has a record 1,460 new students – first-time, full-time, traditional – for a six percent increase. Total figures for distance education show a 15.3 percent increase with 1,354 students enrolled.
Total undergraduate count (6,273) is up 4.5 percent over last year, new FTIC (First Time in College) enrollment (1,460) is up 6.3 percent, and total graduate enrollment (1,118) is up 0.7 percent.
While enrollment figures presented Trustees with some good news, the budget situation brought an uncertain and ever tightening financial picture for Clarion University. Trustees are required to approve an annual operating budget for submission to the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and did so this year with a major part of the budget picture still uncertain.
Questions about the Commonwealth Budget and its related appropriation for Clarion University through the State System bring the uncertainty to the budget picture.
Paul Bylaska, vice president for finance and administration, presented a $73.2 million budget that projects a 3.4 percent cut in the state appropriation. “The budget situation Trustees meeting at Venango Campuscould change at a moment’s notice once the state budget is approved,” said Bylaska. “The proposed budget we are submitting includes a state appropriation of $26.2 million. In real dollars, this is less than the appropriation 10 years ago.”
The state appropriation in 1999 was $29.8 million. In addition to state appropriations, the bulk of Clarion’s budget is funded through tuition and other student fees.
Venango Campus shows growth in programs, facilities, and students
Chris Reber, executive dean of Clarion University – Venango Campus, welcomed the Trustees to their annual official meeting at the Oil City Campus. “We were delighted to welcome Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Chancellor John Cavanaugh to the campus earlier today and he had a good series of meetings with students, faculty, staff and community members,” said Reber. “We greatly appreciate the Chancellor’s interest in our activities and our service to the region.”
Reber also outlined many accomplishments of Venango over the past year, including the following highlights:
•Construction of two new student apartment buildings and the renovation and restoration of the West End Pond were completed, along with renovations of the Rhoades Center locker rooms and restrooms in Frame Hall.
•The Venango Campus Industrial Technology program is offered in Ridgway and St. Marys this fall, a partnership with Precision Manufacturing Institute, which is offering the technical instruction for the program in the ITEC building in Clock at Venango CampusRidgway. Students may choose technical concentrations in machining, welding and industrial maintenance.
•The University is also offering general education and support courses in the Community Education Council building in St. Marys. A total of 25 students are enrolled, most of who are displaced workers who have full tuition funding support through the Trade Act and WIA dislocated worker benefits programs.
•The Department of Allied Health continues to grow this year, expanding its radiologic sciences clinical partnership sites into New Jersey, North Carolina, New York, and Clearfield, Pa.
•The B.S. in radiologic sciences program enjoys a 100 percent pass rate on the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists Certification examination in radiography, dating back to the program’s beginning in 1998.
•The Clarion Bachelor of Science degree in liberal studies is now offered at Venango Campus. Students can earn an associate of arts in arts and sciences and a bachelor of science in liberal studies through a combination of traditional and on-line courses.
•Following a university-wide discussion over several years, a decision was made recently to create a new Venango Department of Arts and Sciences to provide opportunities for Venango Campus faculty development and for campus leadership in the processes of searching for campus faculty, developing course schedules, considering new programs, and other academic activities.
•The Department of Nursing received nearly $300,000 in nursing scholarship and grant funding to support nursing students last year.
•As of the end of the add/drop period, Venango’s fall enrollment has increased by 9.9 percent, or 85 students, representing a new enrollment record for the campus and its programs.
Other Business
Trustees approved the 2010-11 Academic Calendar as follows:
Fall Semester 2010: Aug. 30, registration for day and evening classes and classes begin, 8 a.m.; Sept. 6, Labor Day holiday; Sept. 30, mid-semester break begins, 10 p.m.; Oct. 4, mid-semester break ends, 8 a.m.; Nov. 23, Friday classes meet in place of Tuesday classes and Thanksgiving holiday begins, 10 p.m.; Nov. 29, Thanksgiving holiday ends, 8 a.m.; Dec. 10, classes end, 10 p.m.; Dec. 13, final examination period begins; Dec. 17, final examination period ends and semester ends, 10 p.m.; and Dec. 18, Winter Commencement; Dec. 23, semester grades due from faculty, noon.
Winter Intersession 2010-11: Dec. 20, classes begin/registration and drop add; Jan. 12, 2011, final exams; and Jan. 14, semester grades due from faculty, noon.
Spring Semester 2011: Jan. 17, no classes, Martin Luther King Jr. birthday; Jan. 18, classes begin 8 a.m. and registration for day and evening classes; March 4, Winter Holiday begins, 10 p.m.; March 14, Winter Holiday ends, 8 a.m.; May 2, classes end, 10 p.m.; May 3, final examination period begins, 8 a.m.; May 6, final examination period ends, 10 p.m. May 7, Spring Commencement; and May 12, semester grades due from faculty, noon.
Summer Session 2011: Session I, pre-session, May 9-26; Session I, regular session, June 6-July 8; and Session II, regular session, July 11-Aug. 11.
Attending were Dr. Syed Ali-Zaidi of Shippenville, Susanne Burns of Shippenville, Jim Kifer of Rimersburg, Kyle McMunn of Knox, Larry Pickett of Pittsburgh, and Howard Shreckengost of New Bethlehem.
The next meeting of the Trustees is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 19, at the second floor Carlson Library Conference Room in Clarion at 7 p.m.