As the country’s economic woes continue and financial aid cuts persist, administrators at colleges and universities across the country are working hard to devise innovative ways to attract students and boost enrollment. And for small, private colleges, already at a deficit because many kids opt to attend public institutions with less-expensive tuition costs, the challenges are even greater.
Livingstone College President Dr. Jimmy R. Jenkins, Sr. gets it – so much so that next week he’ll join officials in the college’s Office of Admissions on a recruitment trip to several school districts in the state of Virginia. The way Jenkins sees it, Livingstone must do whatever it can to ensure it gets a fair share of the enrollment pie. And if that means Jenkins has to roll up his sleeves and pitch the institution at which he’s served at the top of the administrative helm for seven years, so be it.
“Unfortunately, we’re at a time when students aren’t applying to colleges and universities in record numbers,” Jenkins said. “In fact, enrollment is down, by and large, across the country. Our charge here at Livingstone College is to ensure we do everything humanly possible to properly educate prospective students on not only why they should attend college but also why, specifically, they should come here to Livingstone. I have very capable people working in the Office of Admissions, but this is a collective family responsibility which includes the president. I look forward to next week’s recruitment trip because I’m fully aware of the potential impact on our enrollment.”
Jenkins will be joined by Tony A. Baldwin, associate vice president of student affairs operations, Jesse Brown, an admissions recruiter, and six students including Brittany Thatcher, Miss Livingstone College.
Plans are for Jenkins and the Livingstone contingent to visit Denbigh High School in Newport News on Tuesday morning, followed by a stop at Maury High School in Norfolk that afternoon. On Wednesday, Jenkins and other Livingstone officials will visit Woodrow Wilson High School in Portsmouth in the morning and Heritage High School in Newport News that afternoon.
Livingstone College is a four-year liberal arts institution that was founded in 1879 by the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. The college has about 1,100 students, competes in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) and is a member institution of the United Negro College Fund. Livingstone College has been reaffirmed for accreditation until 2021 by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.