Huwe

LA GRANDE — Eastern Oregon University President Kelly Ryan found herself in a paradoxical position while preparing to address her school’s board of trustees.

Ryan had promising news to deliver and was delighted to have the chance to present and celebrate it. Nevertheless she also felt a need to slightly rein in the excitement she knew it would generate.

Minutes later Ryan took on this delicate balancing act.

The first-year president told the board of trustees on Nov. 15 that EOU’s enrollment is up 1.1%, the school’s first enrollment increase since 2019 and only the second since 2015.

Ryan told the trustees that the news was cause for celebration and a great credit to the work of Eastern’s staff. Still, Ryan said, she would “not be doing cartwheels” to mark the news because EOU was only an instant removed from a stretch during which its enrollment had fallen six times in past eight years.

Strong recruiting was a factor in this year’s uptick, but now Ryan wants to focus on another tool: She believes that student retention needs to be boosted if Eastern is to thrive.

“Retention is our greatest avenue for increasing enrollment,” Ryan said.

The reason is demographics. Ryan said that, starting in 2026, the number of students graduating from high schools in the United States will begin falling due to a decline in birth rates that started in 2008. Therefore, she reasons, keeping more students in school will become increasingly important to EOU.

“We have to focus on it,’’ Ryan said.

Keys to retentionThe key to boosting retention is spotlighting the needs of freshmen and sophomores, Ryan said, because these are the students who are most likely to drop out or transfer to another university. Students who return as juniors are more likely to stay at Eastern and graduate because of the nature of the advanced courses they will be taking as upperclassmen.

“They will find their 300- and 400-level classes more compelling,” Ryan said.

When focusing on getting more underclassmen to stay at Eastern, Ryan said it is critical to understand that the needs of freshmen and sophomores are different. Freshmen need to have a sense of belonging, that they are part of a campus community that cares about them.

That’s particularly true, she said, for students who are the first in their families to attend college. Ryan explained that these students face more challenges because they can’t turn to family members who have college experience for advice on things ranging from learning how to take notes in classes to filling out financial-aid applications.

Ryan has a special place in her heart for first-generation college students.

“They are my passion and the reason I am in education,” she said.

First-generation students who go on to graduate can elevate the trajectory of their families for generations, she said, noting that they can inspire other family members to attend college. And, Ryan said, numerous studies show that the lifetime income of college graduates is much higher than it is for students without college degrees.

That’s the sort of transformative change that appeals to Ryan: “I want to help lift people.”

But the needs of students change as they enter their sophomore year. At this point, Ryan said, students want to feel that they are moving toward a clear career path.

“It is important that sophomores have a purpose,” she said.

Students with a sense of purpose are more likely to feel good about themselves and stay enrolled, Ryan said.

“We want students to be successful. Student success is the key to retention,” she said.

Proactive advising Isaac Insko, chair of the EOU Student Senate, supports EOU’s drive to boost student retention and especially endorses the focus on first-generation students. Insko said that a one-size-fits-all approach cannot be used when reaching out to first-generation students.

“Some are super excited and proud that they are first-generation students and others are nervous and scared,’’ he said. “It is different for each student.”

A key to helping students achieve success is making sure they meet with advisers who provide the guidance they need to stay on course and graduate. Ryan said it is important that students meet regularly with advisers. And, she added, students who might be at risk of leaving school, such as first-generation students, typically should meet more often with advisers than other students.

Bennie Moses-Mesuhed, associate vice president of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging at Eastern, said the university’s focus is on proactive advising. This means that advisers are not just helping students schedule classes, but also focusing on making sure they are getting help to meet other challenges at school and in their lives overall. Moses-Mesuhed said it is important students are open about what they are facing when seeking help from advisers and others.

“You can’t fix what you don’t know about,” Moses-Mesuhed said.

Online challengesRyan said retention rates for online students are lower than they are for on-campus students. A big reason is that many online students are taking classes part-time. Ryan said part-time students, whether online or on campus, are more likely to leave than those who are full time.

One step Ryan is looking at to support online enrollment is to arrange to get students to take more online classes together. This would make it easier for online students to get to know their classmates and develop a stronger feeling of connection to Eastern.

Currently 58% of Eastern’s students take their classes online and 42% are on-campus students. The high number of online students has reduced the number of students on campus. To counter this, Eastern introduced a campus vitality program this fall. It made a splash earlier this fall with a well-attended series of lunchtime activities that included karaoke, smashing pumpkins and making ice cream.

Andy Huwe, director of political affairs for EOU’s student government, is impressed with Eastern’s campus vitality program and thinks it could help more first- and second-year students to stay.

“It is important to have more events on campus,” he said. “Students look inward on campus when they first get here. When they get older they look out.”

“Student success is the key to retention.”

— Kelly Ryan, Eastern Oregon University president