Purdue News
Purdue News
|
|
February 8, 2002 Jischke to trustees: Indiana must invest in its futureWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue President Martin C. Jischke told the university's Board of Trustees today (Friday, 2/8) that while the university stands to lose up to $90 million this biennium because of the state budget crisis, the long-term effects on the state's potential are even more significant. "Depending on what actions are taken, the financial loss to Purdue during this biennium could be in the range of $85 million to $90 million," Jischke said. "That's a lot of money. "But, as serious as this situation is, we are even more concerned about the long term. Further cutbacks in state support could have a profound effect on Purdue's plans. And the great irony is – our plans are directly related to promoting economic development and producing more revenue for Indiana. "We believe this state needs to do more than cut spending to balance the budget. It needs to invest in measures to strengthen the economy. "Cuts in education are not the answer to Indiana's revenue problems. Investments in education are the solution to those problems. "Purdue is part of a coalition of business, economic development, education, real estate, agriculture and community leaders. The coalition is called the Alliance for Indiana's Future. The alliance is working to support our state officials as they work together on these difficult issues." Turning to enrollment, Jischke reported that students are applying to Purdue in record numbers. "Our Office of Admissions has received nearly 21,000 applications for beginning students in the fall semester. ... This is an increase of more than 43 percent since 1995 and more than 10 percent above last year. We anticipate enrolling about 6,600 freshmen next fall." Jischke noted that the applications continue to be strong, even though the university announced in November that it will increase fees by $1,000 for all new students beginning next fall. "It is obvious that people in Indiana, around the country and world consider the quality of a Purdue education to be well worth the price," Jischke told the board. "We remain an incredible bargain." The quality of the student body also is improving. "The bar at Purdue is being raised," Jischke said. "As we receive more applications, the average SAT scores and class rankings of those we admit is going up. Last year the average SAT score for beginning students was up 39 points from 1996. And next fall that upward trend will continue. We are projecting a 10-point increase, bringing our overall average up to 1,144. "Also, of great importance to us and a significant part of our strategic plans – we're looking at increasing minority enrollment next fall. We also are seeing jumps in our minority applications. While it is too early to project actual numbers, all minority enrollment data point in a positive direction for next fall. This is great news for Purdue University." Purdue's application deadline is expected to be March 1, the same date as last year. In 2000 the deadline was April 1, and there was no deadline before that. Only two peer institutions have deadlines later than Purdue's. "We have made it very well known to the public and high school counselors that applications should be sent to Purdue as early as possible," Jischke said. "We will continue working to keep them informed as this very positive trend at Purdue continues." Writer: Jeanne Norberg, (765) 494-2084; jnorberg@purdue.edu Source: Martin C. Jischke, (765) 494-2098 Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
|
