GThe
UILFORDIAN
Low enrollment leads to budget deficit for Guilford
Peter Smith
News Editor
College officials are reevaluating their
enrollment and budget figures for the 1989-
90 academic year due to an unexpected
decrease in the number of freshmen who
enrolled at Guilford College this fall.
The reevaluation occurred after only
271 first-year students enrolled at Guilford
versus 334 students from the previous
year.
The college had originally planned to
reduce freshman enrollment to 310 stu
dents for the fall semester, but found itself
with an actual enrollment deficit after los
ing an unexpected 30 students during the
summer months to other schools.
"It appears more schools decided to go
to their waiting list this year," said Larry
Extensive curriculum
changes proposed
Linda Kreem
Staff Coordinator
Now that the chore of choos
ing classes is over, can you imag
ine having to do it again in four
weeks?
That's exactly what you would
be doing under one plan
Guilford's Curriculum Task
Force looked at. The task force,
which was formed two years ago,
considered some radical changes
UNSIDE
A look into
Guilford's future t
4
VOL. 74 No. 4
West, director of admissions. "Normally
we lose about 1% of the freshmen during
the summer, but this year we lost 30 fresh
men to other schools after May Ist."
In a report issued on September 12 to
faculty and staff of the college, President
William Rogers called for "immediate
budget adjustments and fiscal restraint
due to the unanticipated decrease in fresh
man enrollment."
The President outlined two "strategic
planning issues" to deal with the enroll
ment deficit, calling for budgeting adjust
ments and improved enrollment manage
ment. The President stressed the impor
tance for all departments across campus to
be extra careful in staying within their
respective allocated budgets.
Although it is unclear as to exactly what
effect the decreased enrollment will have
on the school's proposed budget, current
estimates range from a deficit of $200,000
in the basic curriculum structure,
including a program in which
students take one course at a time,
each lasting three and-a-half
weeks, with a half week break in
between courses.
"We spent about a year asking
what the basic structure should
be," said Sam Schuman, vice
president for academic affairs.
"It was a matter of trying to find
our place in the spectrum of col
see CURRICULUM on page
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GUILFORD COLLEGE, GREENSBORO, N.C.
to $260,000.
"It's hard to predict right now what the
exact deficit will be," said Dick Coe,
Guilford's business manager. "We will
have to sit down in the Budget and Plan
ning Committee and work through this."
Although the drop in freshman enroll
ment was substantial, the deficit was off
set by an increase in CCE and transfer stu
dent enrollment.
Even in considering main campus and
CCE enrollment figures, the college will
be operating at a predicated 1.47% under
its budgeted enrollment calculation.
With the unexpected decrease in fresh
man enrollment, the college could be forced
to resort to a variety of cost-cutting meth
ods in order to meet balanced budget goals.
Normally, the college plans for deficits
through Plan B budgets. Plan B budgets
often serve to offer more flexibility in
determining ways to cut budget costs across
A DAY IN THE PARK
Ilk
? photo by Charles Almy
A roving magician mystifies students during "A Day in the Park" last Tuesday.
campus.
"We can go to the B budget and decide
on a variety of ways to cut cost," said Coe.
"Some things are too late to cut cost on,
but we could save by limiting travel ex
penditures, copying costs or by repaying
funds to the R & R account. These are just
a few of the things we could consider."
Despite the obvious budget deficit, many
administrators have kept an optimistic
outlook on this year's budget projection.
Nancy Cable Wells, vice president for
student development and dean of students,
expressed concern over the deficit but
believes it will prove good for the college
in the long run.
She noted that the college has hoped to
decrease its freshman class enrollment,
with hopes of stabilizing total enrollment
at approximately 1500 students. She be
see LOW ENROLLMENT on page 4
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SEPT. 18, 1989