ENMU continues emphasis on student recruitment

With a renewed emphasis on student success, Eastern New Mexico University is recruiting students at an earlier age, and when students do get to campus, there is an extra set of hands in the classroom.

This earlier recruitment, according to ENMU President Steven Gamble, begins today as Eastern hosts a new program called Junior Review.

“We’ve never had this before. We’ve invited high school juniors and their parents to come to our campus to learn about Eastern,” Gamble said. “This is just another way in which we are emphasizing enrollment through enhanced recruiting. Also, we’ve increased our scholarship allocations.”

ENMU has traditionally invited only high school seniors to campus for visits.

During an ENMU Board of Regent meeting Friday in Ruidoso, Gamble presented his presidential goals for the 2008 calendar year. Among these goals are enhancing external communication with U.S. senators and representatives, as well as with school superintendents, on how the college can better serve teachers and students, teachers looking to work on their master’s degrees, and students looking to get college credits while still in high school.

Along with this, Gamble is reinforcing his “Classroom first mission.” He said, “We are re-emphasizing to our faculty to be as helpful as they can to our students and not put roadblocks. We want to hire people and keep people at our university that are student-centered. And so we are re-enforcing, but also looking for new ways to get this point across to our people.”

In putting classrooms first, Gamble added, “One thing we’re also doing is a new tutoring program which we have tried for the first time this semester. With supplemental instructors, we are putting tutors in the classroom with teachers, as the classes are being taught.”

In other business, the Board of Regents:

• Approved an extended fall break for the ENMU Roswell campus, the same fall break that was approved for the Portales campus and will run the entire week of Thanksgiving.

• Briefly discussed the November general obligation bond for $12 million. If voters approve the bond, ENMU will receive money for Technology Building renovations, to improve the electrical distribution system, and finish renovations in the Music Building.

• Gamble also informed the board about the April regents’ meeting in which he will submit a budget which will mostly likely include a proposal for a 6 percent tuition and fees increase for the 2008-2009 school year. The budget will also include a proposed 3 percent raise for ENMU faculty and staff.

• The ENMU Board of Regents will meet again at 9:30 a.m. on April 25 in Portales.