Auburn has been in an enviable position over the years, in that it has experienced greater demand for admission to the University than facilities and resources could support effectively. Accordingly, it has been possible to control growth and to be selective in the admissions process. This has translated, over time, into Auburn University's recognition as having an undergraduate student population of outstanding quality.

     Graduate level enrollment growth has not kept pace with that of most major Land-Grant universities in the Southeast. To aid in the State's development, to support an expanded research endeavor, and to assist in the recruitment of faculty, graduate student enrollments need to expand more rapidly.

     A primary criterion for any enrollment management plan pivots on the need to maintain high levels of quality in programs offered. That is, enrollments should never exceed resources required to provide levels of excellence -- in faculty, facilities, libraries, parking, and the like. Similarly, while enrollment growth does result in some economies of scale, costs have been shown to rise at points beyond 20,000 students. Finally, Auburn has traditionally been known for its personable, warm campus atmosphere. With increasing size, some of the openness and familiarity could be lost.

Given these considerations, I am prepared to offer the following recommendations:

     1. That Auburn's overall enrollment be permitted to increase gradually, with a maximum student body size of 25,000 to be reached by 1999. It shall be the policy of Auburn University to actively recruit and give priority to Alabama residents.

     2. That the student "mix" at that time reflect an 80 percent/20 percent distribution of graduates and undergraduates (20,000 v. 5,000).

     3. That undergraduate applicants who do not achieve admission to Auburn be invited to consider AUM as an alternative.

     4. That annual targets or goals be roughly as shown in Table I, below.

     5. That, since most of the projected increase is at the graduate level, if resource limitations dictate restrictions, they should occur at the graduate level. That is, undergraduate enrollment should be permitted to rise to 20,000, even if graduate
goals are not achieved.

     6. This Enrollment Plan implies a need for faculty numbers (in 1999) as follows:

     7. To provide balance between continuity of the faculty and programs and flexibility to adjust to changing enrollment patterns, the maximum proportion of tenured faculty should not exceed 60 percent.

     8. The mix of faculty by rank should approximate the following percentages:

ADOPTED: 8/18/89