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February 20, 2024
Dear William Paterson Faculty and Staff,
I hope everyone had an enjoyable and relaxing extended holiday weekend. I am happy to be back on campus after a pair of brief visits to Washington, D.C. and Florida on University business. Earlier this month, I attended meetings of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, which included visits to Capitol Hill.
I took part in briefings on the state of our public college and university sector, nationally, as well as where things stand with the federal education budget. Threats to funding for both federal work study, which many of our students rely upon, and Hawkins Centers of Excellence, which provides WP with grant funding to improve the career pipeline for teachers of color, are troubling and demonstrate that higher education remains a target of many conservatives in Washington. Part of AASCU’s program was arranging visits for member Presidents to their and other key members of Congress. We are fortunate that our representatives are strong supporters of public higher education, but unfortunately that is not the case with many who hold the reins of power in D.C. So, we must, and we will, continue advocating for William Paterson and public higher ed, in general at the federal, state, and local levels.
Last week, I visited Florida, where Vice President Pam Ferguson and I were able to engage with alumni and friends at receptions in Sarasota and Boca Raton. It is always great to meet with Pioneer alumni and share updates on all the great things happening here at their alma mater. Both events drew engaged crowds who were eager to reconnect with each other and William Paterson. I want to thank Alumni Relations Director Jenna Villani and Annual Giving Director Wren DiGisi for organizing these events, which, among other things, helped raise funds for the Florida Annual Alumni Scholarship.
I’m pleased that there is good news to report on Spring enrollment numbers. As of Friday, we have now hit our KPI headcount goals for overall headcount, as well as continuing and new students, for Spring 2024, with new additions still to come for Session II. Overall Spring headcount is 7.8% ahead of this time last year, though we need to continue monitoring to ensure that we have the right mix of students (full-time, parti-time, WP Online, etc.) enrolling. Looking ahead to Fall 2024, as of Friday, first-time student applications are up 11.8% over this time last year and first-time student acceptances are up 16.6%. While still early, deposits are also trending ahead of this time last year. Overall, new student applications for Fall 2024 are up 13.5%, and acceptances are up 17.0%.
Please join me tomorrow, Feb. 21, at 12:00 p.m. for Office Hours in the Hobart Manor Green Room. As always, I look forward to hearing your questions, concerns, and any good news you’d like to share.
Looking further ahead, the Budget & Enrollment Forum and Tuition & Fees Hearing will both take place on Thursday, March 28 at 12:30 p.m. in the Library Auditorium, so please plan to join us for a joint presentation by Vice President for Finance and Administration and CFO Kirsten Loewrigkeit and Vice President for Enrollment Management George Kacenga, as well as an opportunity to comment on tuition and fees for the next academic year.
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