um enrollment

[91catAlum]

In light of all the enrollment challenges UM is experiencing, does anyone else find it interesting that a big chunk of student playoff tickets are being funded by the Enrollment Office? It seems to me they would have more pressing needs with their limited budget.

Maybe I'm way off base here....thoughts?

That's cute that they're copying Big Brother by giving students free tix.

[cats2506]

I don't know. I think of it as advertising/marketing. MSU is doing the same thing, although it's different departments doing it. Say they're giving away 2,000 tickets and the school is paying for 500 of them - $2,500? That's not much in terms of buying ads.

MSU had 2000 tickets funded from donors, when those sold out the Administration found funds for 500 additional.

It looks like UM may have done it the other way around, at first they didn't have any sponsored student tickets, then when they started getting calls about what MSU was doing their administration found some funds for student tickets, donors came in then and boosted the amount they have to give out.

Not dUMb moves by either place, but um didn't think of it and got behind again, kind of like getting a delay of game before the first play of a game.

[WeedKillinCat]

I don't know. I think of it as advertising/marketing. MSU is doing the same thing, although it's different departments doing it. Say they're giving away 2,000 tickets and the school is paying for 500 of them - $2,500? That's not much in terms of buying ads.

MSU had 2000 tickets funded from donors, when those sold out the Administration found funds for 500 additional.

It looks like UM may have done it the other way around, at first they didn't have any sponsored student tickets, then when they started getting calls about what MSU was doing their administration found some funds for student tickets, donors came in then and boosted the amount they have to give out.

Not dUMb moves by either place, but um didn't think of it and got behind again, kind of like getting a delay of game before the first play of a game.

And then they fumbled...

[Montanabob]

I don't know. I think of it as advertising/marketing. MSU is doing the same thing, although it's different departments doing it. Say they're giving away 2,000 tickets and the school is paying for 500 of them - $2,500? That's not much in terms of buying ads.

MSU had 2000 tickets funded from donors, when those sold out the Administration found funds for 500 additional.

It looks like UM may have done it the other way around, at first they didn't have any sponsored student tickets, then when they started getting calls about what MSU was doing their administration found some funds for student tickets, donors came in then and boosted the amount they have to give out.

Not dUMb moves by either place, but um didn't think of it and got behind again, kind of like getting a delay of game before the first play of a game.

And then they fumbled...

So does this mean that every DumB student gets a ticket? I know enrollment was down, but didn't realize it was down to 2500 students.

[Cataholic]

I don't know. I think of it as advertising/marketing. MSU is doing the same thing, although it's different departments doing it. Say they're giving away 2,000 tickets and the school is paying for 500 of them - $2,500? That's not much in terms of buying ads.

MSU had 2000 tickets funded from donors, when those sold out the Administration found funds for 500 additional.

It looks like UM may have done it the other way around, at first they didn't have any sponsored student tickets, then when they started getting calls about what MSU was doing their administration found some funds for student tickets, donors came in then and boosted the amount they have to give out.

Not dUMb moves by either place, but um didn't think of it and got behind again, kind of like getting a delay of game before the first play of a game.

That is a good possible theory... but MSU is not bleeding financially, laying off staff or cutting expenditures. Given the financial environment at UM, this is a bad look.

[catbooster]

To the people that complain about viewsheds, noisesheds, etc. because they don't see value in sports it looks bad. To people who think sports is the "front porch" it makes sense.

Both UM and MSU are state institutions under the same Board of Regents, responsible to the taxpayers, etc. If it's a bad idea at UM then why isn't it bad at MSU? Should UM not be allowed to advertise since it's a "bad look" to spend money on that when they are laying off staff? To me this seems like pretty good bang for their buck to advertise, get students involved in campus activities and develop the future donors when these students finish their education.

[Cataholic]

To the people that complain about viewsheds, noisesheds, etc. because they don't see value in sports it looks bad. To people who think sports is the "front porch" it makes sense.

Both UM and MSU are state institutions under the same Board of Regents, responsible to the taxpayers, etc. If it's a bad idea at UM then why isn't it bad at MSU? Should UM not be allowed to advertise since it's a "bad look" to spend money on that when they are laying off staff? To me this seems like pretty good bang for their buck to advertise, get students involved in campus activities and develop the future donors when these students finish their education.

Huge difference between MSU and UM financially. What may be sound financially at MSU does not mean it is a sound financial decision at UM.

Also, I am not convinced that buying tickets for kids to go to a football game is the best advertising money can buy. Maybe their marketing department could have put together a nice mailing with that money to actually attract new students. And they can actually direct those mailings to kids interested in going to college next year. I am guessing that less than 1% of new prospective students even hear that UM did this.

[Rich K]

https://missoulian.com/news/local/unive ... -top-story

The University of Montana’s enrollment dipped again, though with improvement in retention, as well as continued growth reported in the graduate and law schools, spring enrollment reports show.

The Montana University System’s flagship school has seen declining enrollment since a record high point in Fall 2011, with the current figures showing a nearly 35% decline in total student headcount since then.

The total headcount of students, including all levels of students on the main campus, as well as at Missoula College, now sits at 10,247.

The present overall number is now smaller than UM’s undergraduate enrollment peak in Fall 2010, according to that semester’s census day report, when it counted 10,891 undergrads. As of the census report released Tuesday, the number of undergraduate students nearly halved, dropping 47% to 5,789.

[Rich K]

Today's headline: University of Montana enrollment dips again, but shows retention progress

Sept 24 2019 headline: UM enrollment drops again, but retention increases

Progress, right?

[BozoneCat]

Well thank god at least they're still pumping out more lawyers, that always makes the world a better place!

[iaafan]

This is what happens when something is obsolete and is being phased out. They people operating it put in a minimum effort to stimulate growth. It gets used less and less until it’s no longer worth maintaining.

5,789 students isn’t gonna pay the bills.

[WeedKillinCat]

Jeez their undergrad numbers are almost half of 10 years ago...what a dumpster fire....

And how can they be considered a flagship school? Heck they can't even make it half mast!!!

[ilovethecats]

Jeez their undergrad numbers are almost half of 10 years ago...what a dumpster fire....

And how can they be considered a flagship school? Heck they can't even make it half mast!!!

Because their basketball team has beaten the Cats 18 of 19...

[grizzh8r]

Flagship? Pffft. What hubris.

[Bobcat4Ever]

This is crazy. Further down in the same article:

Undergraduates have been hit the hardest since enrollment began falling nearly a decade ago, with the Chronicle of Higher Education reporting last semester that UM has lost more undergrads than any other public flagship in the country this decade.

Well, it’s a national championship of sorts, although I would recommend changing “flagship” to “rowboat”. It sort of dispels the excuse that everyone is seeing declining enrollments.

[Cataholic]

1,700 of that total number is at their Missoula College branch. They only have about 8,550 on their main campus.

https://www.umt.edu/institutional-resea ... ending.pdf

[catgrad05]

1,700 of that total number is at their Missoula College branch. They only have about 8,550 on their main campus.

https://www.umt.edu/institutional-resea ... ending.pdf

If they keep going in that direction dUMb will be able to supply the entire school with full cost of attendance for the same price as MSU will pay for their athletes.

[Go Scats Go]

I know the flamers are coming, but a serious question

Why do cat fans care?

Over the past few years these same threads are started on bn many times and it really strikes of "red headed stepchild behavior", please take no offense if you are red-headed.

I for one could not give a crap about how many students go to msu, Idaho, EWU of any other school and I certainly don't give a crap about what bozeman is doing with their school.

They are different schools with different reasons for existing. One is (generally) liberal arts/ business and one is (generally) engineering/ Ag. One is more liberal and one is more conservative.

So UM might have to change the way they do things, doesn't msu re-evaluate each year and make adjustments/ changes?

So seriously why do you care about how many students are going to UM?

[91catAlum]

I know the flamers are coming, but a serious question

Why do cat fans care?

Over the past few years these same threads are started on bn many times and it really strikes of "red headed stepchild behavior", please take no offense if you are red-headed.

I for one could not give a crap about how many students go to msu, Idaho, EWU of any other school and I certainly don't give a crap about what bozeman is doing with their school.

They are different schools with different reasons for existing. One is (generally) liberal arts/ business and one is (generally) engineering/ Ag. One is more liberal and one is more conservative.

So UM might have to change the way they do things, doesn't msu re-evaluate each year and make adjustments/ changes?

So seriously why do you care about how many students are going to UM?

It's a rivalry thing. You guys would be doing exactly the same if roles were reversed.

Oh, and 48-14.

[KittieKop]

I know the flamers are coming, but a serious question

Why do cat fans care?

Over the past few years these same threads are started on bn many times and it really strikes of "red headed stepchild behavior", please take no offense if you are red-headed.

I for one could not give a crap about how many students go to msu, Idaho, EWU of any other school and I certainly don't give a crap about what bozeman is doing with their school.

They are different schools with different reasons for existing. One is (generally) liberal arts/ business and one is (generally) engineering/ Ag. One is more liberal and one is more conservative.

So UM might have to change the way they do things, doesn't msu re-evaluate each year and make adjustments/ changes?

So seriously why do you care about how many students are going to UM?

The two universities are more than their football teams, or should be to most people. As Montanans, I think a lot of people care on their heart of hearts if one of the state's flagship institutions can't get out of their own way. You ask if MSU doesn't re-evaluate and make changes. Yes, MSU did, about a decade ago, that's why they're on an opposite trajectory. UM still hasn't figured out how to adapt and change as they hire an "outside" businessman with no expertise in the field to guide the university and your one time PR firm sends out invitations to students to enroll at MSU. The institution can't figure it out and can't get out of it's own way. This isn't meant to be mean, but it's sad and pathetic. The interest for many is pity for the students, faculty and supporters who are getting run over in this thing. It's the same reason people gawk at car wrecks. They dont know or really, really care who's in the wreck, but they can't look away