Since the Rensselaer Plan was approved, the administration has been developing its new vision for the Hartford campus, and it is just now being implemented. New ideas and plans are usually good, provided they are implemented in the right way.
Two years ago, significant changes were made in the graduate tuition policy on the Troy campus. The change removed the option for students to pursue a part-time graduate course of study and as a result, the number of gradute students in Troy fell. Several departments on the Troy campus were hit hard by the new policy, but most of the graduate students here were full-time anyway and the graduate population has the chance to rebuild.
Now, there are plans to make significant changes in tuition and programs at the Hartford campus, and it must be remembered that the students studying in Hartford are very different. Most students there are getting a degree on the side, in addition to working a full-time job and having a family. They may not be as open to changes as the Troy students were, and may not respond as well.
Currently, the tuition in Hartford will have the most immediate impact. Cost per credit hour rose to $978 from $750 this year, and as a result, the student population has dropped 30 percent. The largest change that has been proposed is changing the bulk of the programs from night classes to weekend, project-based curriculums. Despite students already beginning to complain and this large drop in enrollment, there has not yet been an active effort to poll students on their opinions.
At a university, students should be the central focus; they’re what make it run. As such, any big changes that are going to be made should have the students at the center. Having them at the center requires student input from the beginning.
It is better to get student input now, than not at all. The administrators controlling the Hartford campus should seek student input as soon as possible and implement it the best they can so that the Hartford campus has an opportunity to grow.
