Some Maryland HBCUs see enrollment growth, mirroring national trends.
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Posted By: S. Moore on December 14, 2022 Morgan State University welcomed its largest student body ever this fall — for the second year in a row. The University of Maryland Eastern Shore, a fellow historically Black university in Maryland, documented its largest undergraduate class since 2015. Coppin State University, another HBCU, experienced 35% growth in freshman and transfer students, according to the school’s president. The growing enrollment numbers at some of Maryland’s HBCUs mirror national trends. Though the National Student Clearinghouse reported enrollment declines across the country and in Maryland for the current fall semester, HBCU undergraduate enrollment grew 2.5% — with 6.6% more freshmen enrolling at the schools. That’s a reversal from last fall, when undergraduate HBCU enrollment declined 1.7%. The upticks in student population have prompted Maryland’s HBCUs to build more on-campus housing, as well as seek housing contracts with local hotels to meet student demand. By comparison, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, which is not an HBCU, saw undergraduate enrollment decline 1.9% from fall 2021 to fall 2022, though total enrollment, including graduate students, rose 2.7% to 13,991. Not all of Maryland’s four HBCUs have seen overall enrollment growth. Coppin State and Bowie State University experienced slight declines in total student population from fall 2021 to fall 2022 with decreases in both undergraduate and graduate enrollment. At Morgan State in Northeast Baltimore, though, 9,101 students enrolled this fall, an increase of 7.5% compared with 8,649 last year. And enrollment at University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne grew 5% from fall 2021. Morgan State plans to increase enrollment to 10,000 by fall 2030, and the past two years of record numbers could help it reach that goal in a shorter time frame. Morgan State also attracted its largest out-of-state student population in school history. More than half of new students are from outside Maryland. “Back-to-back years of record enrollment is a defining moment, reflective of our robust, highly sought-after academic programs and our accomplished faculty, who are readying our graduates to compete on any stage, anywhere in the world,” Morgan State President David K. Wilson said in a news release. To accommodate the growing population, Morgan State is working to expand student housing, opening the 670-bed Thurgood Marshall Tower on campus in August. The university also signed a contract with Lord Baltimore Hotel, located downtown about 4 miles from the school, to house students. The university has a history of housing students off-campus through local partnerships to cope with its overwhelming demands for housing. Going as far back as 2006, Morgan State had more students than dorm rooms. Meanwhile, Coppin State, which has been struggling with as declining student population since about 2012, sees reason for hope of a turnaround in its recent enrollment data. Coppin State President Anthony L. Jenkins said the West Baltimore school saw 35% growth in freshman and transfer students this fall. While it overall enrollment of 2,006 is down 4.5% from 2,101 in fall 2021, the incoming freshman class could boost numbers in coming year. Jenkins credits the increased student numbers overall at HBCUs to recruitment efforts as well as a society attuned to racial unrest and the COVID-19 pandemic finally realizing the value HBCUs have to offer. “We provide a very quality education that can compete with most anyone, and I think students and parents have been hearing that message,” Jenkins said. “I think that they are more in tune to it today because of the pandemic, the environment with [George] Floyd’s murder and some of the other unrest in our country over the last several years.” Jenkins also said more Coppin students are coming from other states and countries. In 2021, non-Maryland students came from 21 states and 19 countries; in 2022, those numbers have jumped to 35 states and 30 countries. Such trends have prompted plans to build more on-campus housing over the next two years, Jenkins said. One such international student is Rishi Jalota,19, from India. He said Coppin State’s HBCU status didn’t factor into his college choice. Rather, he based his university search on tennis programs since he has dreams of going pro. Coppin State has a Division I tennis program. “Before coming to Coppin State, I had talked to the tennis coach and that motivated me to become part of the CSU family,” Jalota said. Bowie State, though its fall enrollment slightly declined from 2021 to 2022, has grown its enrollment by 1,000 over the past decade, according to a report from the University System of Maryland. The report found Bowie State, Maryland’s oldest HBCU, “steadily increased” total enrollment before and through the pandemic. Bowie State President Aminta H. Breaux said in a July interview that enrollment growth has been part of her vision since she arrived at the university about five years ago. She said Bowie State used to be known as a “best kept secret,” but that was “not a recipe for success.” Breaux said the university has helped grow its enrollment by instead “marketing excellence.” Bowie State freshman Kayla Williams said she saw the university marketing itself on social media before choosing to attend. Her father and grandfather also attended Bowie State. Williams also said she only looked at HBCUs when applying to colleges because she wanted to feel a sense of belonging. Back in 2020, she played on a predominantly white volleyball team and remembers feeling out of place. “Choosing an HBCU was important because I wanted to feel comfortable and be around more people who are like me,” Williams said. SOURCE The Baltimore Sun If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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