MSU experiences growing pains

Zackory Kirk
The Reflector

Mississippi State University is the overwhelming choice for higher education in the state of Mississippi. The assertion that MSU is our state's top school has recently been confirmed by enrollment reports. More Mississippi students select MSU for furthering their education than any other school in the state. MSU has the largest enrollment of any school in the state, and, from the look of enrollment figures, that number is not going to decline any time soon. If this is true, we may have a problem on our hands.

MSU has recently set a sixth consecutive enrollment record, with a total of 16,878 students enrolled throughout the state.

According to university reports, 16,066 students are enrolled at the main campus, while 730 students are enrolled at the MSU-Meridian campus. There are 1,777 new freshmen and a record 1,692 transfer students.

Our university's record enrollment is indeed good news. This news shows that more students are realizing that MSU is a great place to matriculate. The entering freshman class has a reported average American College Test composite score of 23.5, and 22 percent of the entering class scored 28 or higher on the ACT, with 32 National Merit Scholars and two National Achievement Scholars. While our record enrollment reports should be celebrated, it is also important to note that with more students comes more problems. This is evident all around campus. Our university is growing by leaps and bounds.

As a result of these increases, students have seen other increases. Students wait longer in the library's computer commons during peak daytime hours, lines in Perry Cafeteria and the Union's Food Court during the lunch hour have grown, and the number of students vying for limited seats in required courses has increased.

While students have seen some unfortunate increases, they have also seen some key decreases.

The number of parking spaces available to day students along with the number of books available for sale in the local bookstores after the first week of classes have significantly decreased. Another important decrease has been in the number of full-time professors hired at our university. Due to a lack of pay increases over the past couple of years, many of our state's faculty members departed our institutions of higher learning for states that have legislators who care about higher education.

MSU is definitely experiencing growing pains. As our enrollment has increased, our ability to adequately provide for our students has decreased. This is apparent with our university's parking problem.

In 1999, I wrote a scathing article attacking our university's officials for suggesting they find a way to cap enrollment. I now realize what I failed to understand then. There is no way our university can continue to ensure a quality education to all students if the number of students continues to increase while our resources remain the same.

MSU is not the only university in the state experiencing growing pains. Officials from the University of Mississippi, under the leadership of Chancellor Robert Khayat, expressed concern over an increase in student enrollment, citing a record enrollment of 11,700 students beginning classes this fall. In an Associated Press release, Khayat said Ole Miss had reached full capacity in dormitories and was experiencing a 100 faculty member shortage. According to the press release, both Ole Miss and MSU are considering enrollment caps.

Enrollment caps are an option, but I do not think they are the answer. All students deserve the high-quality education MSU can provide.

The answer to our enrollment problems does not lie in limiting new students, but instead lies in increasing graduation rates. Our university's president, Dr. Malcolm Portera, has already targeted increasing graduation rates as a way to remedy enrollment problems. MSU freshmen with neither a 2.5 high school grade point average nor a composite score of 21 on the ACT were advised to receive counseling and special support to succeed at Mississippi State.

Mississippi State University is a great institution, and all qualified students should have an equal opportunity to receive an MSU education.