European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 19, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Scaling Down at . Colleges by Edward a Fiske hew York times f our years ago officials of Hampshire College in  found that to keep enrolment a 1,200 students they were accepting freshmen who previously would not have met their academic standards. They. Dovidi d 10 get smaller this Yea humps Hue has Only 1,000 students and 81 Rathe than 90 processors list me Quality of the student body has risen in us previous level of Licals say. It was a risky pro Cross. Bul now we re in shape to Cope with the Newt decade said Adele Simmons the College president Hampshire s decision is  of the retrenchment that is going on a i four year colleges throughout the United slates in response to a decline in the number of 1b-Yea Olds. Predictions were that hundreds of Small. Private colleges would have to close i heir doors but the new demographics Are changing the lace of american higher education mergers Lor example seem to be on the increase last year Barrington College in  Island decided. Thai there was room for Only one evangelical Prol slant College in its Region. Tho trustees sold the Campus and Barrington became part of Gordon College in Massachusetts. Also a number of women s colleges that held of against the trend Loward co education in the 1970s Are reconsidering. Most conspicuously though scores of cot cues and universities including major schools like the University of Miami and Baylor have decided Lor demographic and economic reasons thai smaller is belter. The demographic acts Ollile Are real said Charles e. Glassick. President of a Ellsburg College in Pennsylvania la recently announced that it would reduce its size by As much As 10 percent to avoid lowering academic standards so Lar we be kept enrolment up by More Agres Sivo marketing and recruiting he said. Now we have of choose Between size and Quality and in the Long run trial s not a Choice. If you Don i sustain the Quality you eventually lose the numbers  according 10 the department of education the number of High school graduates grew steadily until 1977, when in reached 3,154,000. Since then however it has been declining and is expected to Bottom Oul Al 2.3 million in 1992, a decline of nearly one Quarter. The number of High school graduates is Only one of numerous factors. I a i determine How Many students enrol in College and enrolment is not expected to decline As precipitously As the number of High school graduates. Nevertheless the a Fleck is Likely to be substantial an analysis was done for the College Board an association of schools and colleges that coordinates Small Telleger like Taw Tenea unit entity a Appleton wit Art finding that by tailing Down they Aren t losing Quality joint Ellerts in guidance admissions and placement. It concluded that total enrolment in higher education is Likely 16 decline by 250,000 students from the current High of 12,35 million to 13.1 million in 1990. Enrolment declines Ore expected to vary widely in different sections of the country. Some northeastern slates including new York expect the number of High school graduates to All by As much As 40 percent of contrast areas of the Sun Bel expect few in any losses. To avoid closing some colleges have Laken the less drastic step of merging. Last year Rock Mont collage and Western Bible College two evangelical protestant institutions in Denver merged to become Colorado Christian College. In the 1960s and 1970s, largely in response to changing Slud enl tastes a number of women s institutions like Vassar became to educational. Now some of the holdouts Are deciding to accept men too a step thai instantly doubles the Pool of potential applicants some colleges have absorbed enrolment declines Kalamazoo College in Michigan had two bad years in the Eady 1930s, partly because the stale was hard hit by the economic turndown. Enrolment there has now fallen from 1,350lo . At Ohio Wesleyan. Enrolment plump need from 2,000 students tour years ago to 1,350 this year. Anticipating such problems Many colleges Are deciding to reduce their size now to avoid problems later. Gettysburg College decided jail month to Cut the size of its freshman class from 54s to 530, with a possible contraction of 10 percent the trustees  Franklin and Marshall College Are in peeled to a prove a plan to reduce its Studen t body rom the eur Reni 1.900 to less Ihan 1,600 Over the next decade i think smaller is better for the next 10 or 15 years in Iho Northeast said James l. Powell. The president who pointed out thai the College expects a 25 percent Dropoll in High school graduates in is recoiling area. Even some Sun beit institutions Are deciding to contract in january the trustees of Baylor University in Waco Texas announced that effective this fall. It. Would gradually reduce the size of the freshman class from 2,500 to 2,200 and the Overall size of the. Institution from 10,900 to 10,000. We have outgrown the ability of our faculty to have personal close relationships with  said William Hillis executive vice president a key reason Lor getting smaller College officials say. Is he marketing judgment thai Quality is essential to survival in the enrolment crunch. Several years ago the University of Miami in Florida decided to improve its image by cutting undergraduate enrolment from 10,500 in 1980 to the current s.50q. And possibly even As Low As 8,000. By becoming More selective. It has increased ils mandatory median scores of entering freshmen on the Scholastic april Udo test irom 990 0 1080. We made the decision to sacrifice size for Quality because we Houghl that Given the demographics it was in our Long term Best inheres is said James Ash the Provost. Asil turned Oul we did t have la get 3s Small As we Houghl we would. Raising standards had the a Fleck of increasing demand. People who pay High tuition want to come to Quality   de  Price i Page 14 the stars and stripes