BY THE STATESMAN EDITORIAL STAFF Thirty-five percent of the freshman class will leave UMD before they complete their four-year degree.
This statistic was recently stated in a town-hall style meeting held last week by Chancellor Black.
Administration gathered to discuss retention rates and the recent low enrollment that has been plaguing UMD. Administration gathered to discuss how to keep students in college.
Of course there are external factors that were stated in the meeting, like how high school enrollment rates have been declining.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) there has been a decline in the last few years, but from 2012-2024 only 16 states are said to have seen a decrease in high school enrollment while the rest have seen a minimum of a 5 percent increase.
Though enrollment may have gone down, high school graduation rates have gone up for all but 3 states since 2011 according to the NCES.
Though those are just details, internal changes also need to be made.
Black brought up students’ greater needs, like mental health for example. Which is true--counseling services should see students for long term therapy instead of the interim counseling program that is currently in effect.
Black also stated that students are telling faculty and administration that interactions--positive interactions--with faculty members are one of the most important things to us. While that is true in our later years of college, it is very rare that freshman interact with their professors in their general credit, 300-person lectures.
These are important problems and good points to bring up, but there a few things that in administration’s years of wisdom are forgetting to consider.
First is that Duluth is Duluth. It’s a cool city, and is completely unique. It is not the Twin Cities or a small town. Duluth has beautiful, hazardous winters with -60 degree wind chill and endless feet of snow. These winters are useful only to those who love it, or can handle it.
Duluth has a music scene, but it is perhaps more underground than Minneapolis. We have a bar scene but the main happenings are in a two block radius.
For the right people, this just means a smaller crowd and more close friends.
As far as UMD sports go, we have a football team, but you can be truly happy if hockey is your first love.
Thank goodness though, the rest of us find each other, hang on and thrive in a smaller college.
Administration is forgetting that Duluth and UMD have their own audience. But you can’t make an audience for things that aren’t there.
Those with a love for natural beauty, fresh air, fall colors and the perfect Christmas setting will love Duluth. Those who find solace in the woods and on nature trails, or perhaps fishing boats and four wheelers are happy here. Those who appreciate the workout that the notorious “hill” will give you (and therefore can handle standing on the hockey bleachers) will never want to leave.
Most importantly though, administration is forgetting that they are not students. They are not part of the younger generation, and they do not know what youth want. They don’t know what music we’re listening to or what we value politically. How can they know the best way to keep us in college, or at the very least, how do they know what will keep us at this university?
Yes, their guesses thus far are fair and true, but they are forgetting a few things. They are forgetting to ask what we want.