Growth Trend

“I’m standing in front of 105 new students this semester,” said Rik Hine, an associate professor of philosophy who is teaching three introductory classes each maxed out at 35 students this semester instead of the normal two classes that were usually less than full.

With Washburn’s recent growth in enrollment, including the largest freshman class ever this fall, many departments adjusted their course offerings, and faculty and staff are feeling the excitement that comes with packed classrooms.

“Students sit down in my class in the morning, and for many of them, it is probably the first university class they have ever taken,” Hine said at the start of fall classes. “That is so cool because you’re the first person who gets to make an impression. That’s a huge responsibility, so you’d better be doing something exciting.”

Fall enrollment showed the number of new high school graduates and first-time college goers grew by 27% to 1,196 students, a record in Washburn’s 159-year history. Overall, Washburn’s full-time equivalency climbed by 8.7% with the university seeing an 8.1% spike and Washburn Institute of Technology recording an increase of 11.4%. All of this came after last year’s growth, which was the first reported enrollment increase in a decade.

“It’s really an amazing story to tell,” said JuliAnn Mazachek, president. “You can tell there’s an energy, a buzz of invigoration on our campus. We’re excited about the students we get to serve this year.”

(JuliAnn Mazachek speaks with students during the President’s Student Lunch in August. Photo by Leah Jamison)

The growth trends are the result of a campus-wide focus on recruiting new students, retaining current ones and increasing access to financial aid.

“Washburn’s continual commitment to making really accessible and affordable pathways for students has been not only noticed by community members, but embraced,” said Carson Kay, an assistant professor of communication studies who also feels energized teaching in front of packed classrooms.

“It’s the normal level of excitement for me times 20 because there’s even more of them and their excitement is infectious. It’s making me excited to teach and I feed off their energy.”

Providing the Best Learning Environment

A full classroom fits perfectly into Hine’s teaching method for his three Introduction to Philosophy classes. He divides students into small groups and they take tests together after each new reading.

“If you walked into one of those classes, it would seem like absolute bedlam,” Hine said. “There’s so much noise and students are animated and they’re talking. But the glorious thing is you listen in and you can hear that they are engaged in the material. A bigger class brings so much more energy. Rather than coming out of back-to-back classes exhausted, I’m exhilarated and really happy about what happened. It’s been a massive boon to have those classes full again.”

In the School of Business, Dmitri Nizovtsev, professor and associate dean, has worked to make sure faculty and staff have the necessary resources to accommodate the influx. He personally helps several students a day navigate college.

“They seek advice on how to achieve their goal, and we work together to develop a plan,” he said. “Every student’s story is different. I’m proud to say we find a solution and find a path for every student. It’s what we do every day.”

Like many other departments, he said enrollment in business classes exceeded expectations and they had to make adjustments as students signed up for, and maxed out, classes.

“Our staff had to do magic,” he said. “It’s one thing to get students in the door. The second thing is to provide them with good quality services. If you make promises to students, you have to keep those promises.”

Doing so has involved moving classes to bigger rooms, adding extra sections of full classes and offering different summer classes to alleviate the burden the rest of the year. Nizovtsev praised the School of Business support staff and the facilities and scheduling departments.

Serving Students

Kay has seen students bring more desire to be involved.

“I’ve had a lot of students coming to me, especially the last two years, saying, ‘I’m super excited to get engaged on campus and there are so many opportunities. Where do I get started? Where do I meet friends? Where do I build connections?’” Kay said. “Community building seems to be such a pivotal trend here at Washburn.”

Giving students many of the resources and guidance to build that community falls under Eric Grospitch, vice president for student life, and his team. One of their biggest challenges was providing on-campus housing for everyone who requested it, especially first and second-year students. To do this, they reopened Kuehne Hall and West Hall, two buildings closed for residency as part of long-term planning. Grospitch said campus housing is now fully occupied.

(Residence halls were filled to capacity during Move In Day this fall. Photo by Leah Jamison)

Another priority for Student Life was growing fraternity and sorority numbers at Washburn after their numbers saw the same decline other universities had in recent years.

“Students who get engaged with fraternity and sorority life earlier are more likely to graduate and do better academically than our other students,” Grospitch said. “So many of our alumni have had such a great experience in those areas.”

As summer came to an end and those students filtered onto campus, Student Life anticipated 10-15% more attendance at the annual Weeks of Welcome events, and those projections seemed to hold true.

“We have more students coming through the doors, so we don’t have to spend as much time on promotion as we get to provide on service, and that’s pretty exciting for us. I think that’s going to bode well for an active and engaged year.”

(WU Fest offered students a chance to meet with several organizations. Photo by Leah Jamison)

“It’s nice to see a buzzing campus,” Nizovtsev said. He mentioned the work of the admissions and recruiting teams and Alan Bearman, vice president for strategic enrollment management and student success. “It’s his energy, his initiative that really pushed us to where we are right now. His team has been reaching out to prospective students, getting the word out. This growth is a sign that the community is realizing Washburn is a great place for students to be.”

Seeing Success

“A lot of people were busy all summer making sure we got students enrolled, got them the financial aid they need and deserve, were in the right classes and have places to live,” Mazachek said. “We’re going to keep doing everything we possibly can to serve the most students and see their dreams come true. It’s been very exciting”

Once those students arrived, faculty and staff noticed a difference and the students’ motivation to succeed.

“Students will come to me and say, ‘I have this scholarship and I know it’s a huge impact on my life. I want to make sure I’m doing everything I can in this class to succeed because I don’t want this going away. I’m going to hold onto it and fight for it 100%.’” Kay said.

“If you’re a professor, to see a full class is just heavenly,” Hine said. “It’s just so much more invigorating. What’s the saying: ‘A rising tide lifts all boats.’”

As Washburn works through the adjustments that come with increased enrollment, faculty and staff will continue to be invigorated by the influx of new students and inspired by what they accomplish throughout their educational journey.

“It’s why I do what I do. I love it so much,” Kay said.