(UDC President Ronald Mason responds here.)
In 2010, when the University of the District of Columbia was mapping out its Campus Master Plan for the coming decade, increasing student enrollment was one of its four goals. At the time, around 5,800 students were enrolled in its degree programs. UDC initially set 10,000 students as its goal, but settled on an enrollment cap of 6,000 after discussions with the Zoning Commission.
UDC has not even maintained its 2010 enrollment. By spring 2020, UDC had 4,157 students, which included graduate, undergraduate, community college and law students.
At the first public engagement meetings for the 2021-2030 Campus Master Plan in February and on August 5th, student enrollment did not come up at all. There were no projections of enrollment over the next ten years, no graphs or charts on what kind of students UDC is targeting, and no presentation or discussion on where and how it is targeting growth.
And at the DC Council oversight hearing on UDC on March 5th, Council Chair Phil Mendelson asked UDC President Ronald Mason about enrollment, and got no answer.
We know that increasing student enrollment is important to UDC. Enrollment is crucial to the viability of any university. To understand more about the forces shaping UDC’s enrollment through its history and today, I hunted through archives including the Washingtoniana collection’s news clippings on UDC. Here’s what I found.
UDC was formed by the 1977 consolidation of Washington Technical Institute, Federal City College and the DC Teachers College. They had 14,134 students at the time. Washington Technical Institute was already at Van Ness, and the others soon followed.
The majority of the students were Black. They also tended to be older and holding down jobs while going to school. In 1983, the median student age was 27. Seventy-seven percent of the students were attending classes part-time, and 70.4% of the students working full- or part-time.
Enrollment declines in the 1980s tracked the District’s population decline. By the 1988-89 school year, enrollment dropped below 10,000. But older working students remained the predominant proportion of the student body.
The District’s population continued to fall well into the 1990s. So did UDC’s. Enrollment dropped from 9,660 in 1995 to 4,754 in 1997. From that point on, enrollment hovered around 5,000 to 5,500 with roughly 60% part-time students enrolled between 2003 and 2013.
UDC also struggled with losses in accreditation and cuts to its budget from the mid-1990s into this century, when UDC and DC population trends diverged. The District’s population grew from its 2000 low of 572,000 to more than 705,000 in 2019. UDC enrollment fell to 4,270 students in the spring 2019 semester.
UDC’s community college separated from the Van Ness “flagship university” campus in the 2009-2010 academic year. UDC gained Middle States accreditation in 2012. And in 2016, Ronald Mason, a leader with a reputation for turning around troubled universities, joined UDC as its president. But enrollment continued to fall.
Through it all, UDC’s largest group of students continued to range between 25 and 34 years of age. But UDC’s vision for itself is as a destination for the District’s high school students.
UDC believes newer, modernized facilities will make its programs more attractive. At the March Council oversight hearing, Mason requested between $700 and $900 million to upgrade its Van Ness, Bertie Backus and Congress Heights campuses. Mendelson pushed him – which figure was it? he asked. Mason ended up at the $900 million figure. He stated that all three campuses need serious upgrades.
Troy Le-Maile-Stovall, UDC’s outgoing chief operating officer, concurs. He told me UDC needs significant capital investment to increase its enrollment and increase interest in its dual track program, which awards college credit to high school students. It is difficult, he said, to attract those students when high school facilities are better equipped.
“There’s a direct link between what our facilities look like and our ability to attract and retain students,” LeMaile-Stovall told me in March. “Our facilities don’t need to look modern but must be modern.”
LeMaile-Stovall said that’s the heart of UDC’s 2018 Equity Imperative Strategic Plan – “an imperative,” he said, “to bring equity to our academic and academic support facilities.”
Getting the $900 million for campus upgrades doesn’t solve another UDC numbers problem.
In 2018, as UDC was rolling out its four-year strategic plan, 3,359 students graduated from DC public schools and charter schools. According to the DC Policy Center, 56% of those students went on to pursue a postsecondary education within six months. And with a number of area colleges and community colleges also competing for these students, the pool does not appear to be large enough to provide UDC with substantial growth.
However, the District’s growing population does provide a large pool of potential students in UDC’s core 25 to 34-year-old student age group. Given its strength over the years, this is a population that bears more attention.
Questions linger about whether UDC has a clear understanding of its student market and a realistic plan of how it will attract more students to its campuses. More attractive and better outfitted facilities are necessary, but that alone will not get UDC to its enrollment goals.
Charlie says
There are a lot of historical and political issues surrounding UDC and its Van Ness Campus. When I first moved to the District twenty years ago, then-mayor Anthony Williams proposed selling the Van Ness campus to commercial developers and moving the school to the larger and more park-like St Elizabeth’s campus in Southeast. That proposal was met with cries of racism and oblique references to “The Plan.” I didn’t have an opinion at the time, but in hindsight it might have been a better plan than remaining at Van Ness. Meanwhile Van Ness appears to be just plain jinxed. After the National Bureau of Standards (and their contractors) moved out, no other entity (not a shopping mall, not UDC, not Intelsat, and not Fannie Mae) had sufficient economic power to make the Van Ness area grow and prosper.
Roberta Carroll says
Anthony Williams could not sell the Van Ness Campus of UDC because it was given as land that must be used for education to DC. I believe that is the requirement and DC cannot sell the land.
Malcolm Devine says
This article is a racial wrecking ball. Such a strange title. “UDC is focused on the wrong students”. UDC has always, since 1851, till today 2020 focused on the students that DC and the residents of upper NW DC wants to ignore.
When I listened to the meeting, I heard a university who was willing to partner with its neighbors while being innovative in the long terms plans of DC’s public (HBCU) university. Name one other university that even invites this level of transparency in the District. In turn, how does Marlene Berlin respond, with a shameful attack on the university and its students. #SHAMEFUL
G. Nickels says
Mr. Devine, I didn’t see this article as an attack at all, This commentary was well researched and full of well documented information. It was void of emotion and racial pandering.
I, too have done some research, trying to find out why DC high school graduates who choose to stay local most often choose schools and programs in PG Co., according to some sights listed in a simple Google search. Indeed, there is a good percentage of UDC students who transfer to PG Co. programs, or drop out altogether. I looked for ratings and commentary by students themselves, and was most surprised to read of frustrations with admin and staff regarding paperwork, the application process and simple communication. Over and over, students stated that they could not get someone to answer the phone!!!!!!
To think that that same admin staff will get new digs first riled me a bit.. Solar panels and coffee bars will not attract and KEEP UNTIL GRADUATION students who know they can do better elsewhere. The enrollment has now dropped below 4,000 according to the most current numbers I have seen.
Mr, Devine, please. Let’s drop the outrage that is so fashionable at the moment, and direct our efforts to discover why UDC is failing in it’s stated mission.
Barbara Lappin says
Ms. Berlin’s comments were on target and to the heart of the matter. A nniversity exists because of its students. If there are no students then what’s the raison d’etre?
There’s nothing racist about that. The bottom line shows that most of the students that graduate from DC high schools do not go there.
UDC needs a new plan. How about servicing continuing ed students or commuter students seeking second careers.? There you are. I’m not even being paid for this idea.
Anyway, congrats Ms. Berlin. It took fortitude to put out your remarks.
Actually Read says
Did you read the article? The author is advocating for increasing enrollment by focusing on UDC’s historical core demographic.
Ryan Moore says
Strange article! I listened to the presentation live and I felt that the university presented a clear plan. This article failed to highlight all the university’s successes, accreditation, partnerships within the last decade. It also doesn’t highlight the DC TAG program that pays DC students do leave DC. Also doesn’t highlight that the very community in Van Ness that UDC enriches seems to treat the university’s students in very unwelcome ways. Let’s continue to partner and learn about our public university’s successes. Proud current student! In your responses, please state how many credits you earned from UDC.
Pho Murphy says
THANK YOU everyone for your thoughtful comments. I sincerely appreciate this conversation about your state university, THE University of the District of Columbia (UDC). My awesome Mom is a graduate of Washington Technical Institute, I am a proud 2005 graduate and currently serve as the director of Alumni Affairs and Outreach. The one thing I’m hearing from everyone is that you really don’t know UDC, and that’s our fault. UDC needs to do a better job of getting the word out about all the fabulous things we are getting right. I’ll definitely convey your concerns to leadership. BUT if you would please let me know how do I reach you community, that would be helpful? Should I post to the listserv or a community board? Please share insights?
When we re-open, you’ll all be my guest at UDC’s Firebird Farm, where the farm team has been delivering fresh produce to Ward 7 & 8 nonprofits since March 2020. Please feel free to check out the listing of online workshops offered by the College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES) –
https://www.udc.edu/causes/land-grant/workshops-and-trainings/
Until we can gather safely, continue to be safe! Thanks again for your interest in UDC and your thoughtful comments!
Ryan Moore says
I 100% agree. I am a current student. I love UDC and all that it did to expose me to a real college experience away from my small community in Virginia. I live in the dorms. Yes! The dorms that our university provide us across the street from the campus. I often don’t feel like the neighbors like us. “The look” is something that I as a minority student is very aware of. I wish our neighbors would get to know the students and get to know UDC before speaking on our behalf on newspapers or threads. Firebird Forever! That you FHC for spreading the word.
FHC says
It has been FHC’s mission and great joy over the years to make sure the community knows about successes in UDC programs including the Firebird Farm. The UDC news section of the site has a number of examples going back eight years. Marlene wrote earlier this year, “The District’s only public university is also an important institution in the Van Ness community.” And in 2016, Marlene wrote, “How does a young woman who started out in community college get to do research in nanotechnology for her Ph.D. in science and engineering at the world-renowned Oak Ridge National Laboratory? The answer: UDC.”
We think it’s terrible that some neighbors have made students feel unwelcome over the years. We want to be part of the work to bring the campus and the community together.
Gloria Nickels says
Would you please elaborate on how Van Ness neighbors have made UDC students feel unwelcome? You are the second or third commenter to state this, and I am puzzled,
Thank you.
Marlene Berlin, says
In response to Pho Murphy about getting the word out about UDC: Forest Hills Connection has promoted many programs at UDC including its farmers market, CAUSES and Engineering Programs.. As editor, I invite Pho to contribute posts about UDC to Forest Hills Connection, which is the main communication vehicle of our neighborhood.
Ryan says
UDC lacks a dormitory to house students and a meal plan to feed the students. This hurts UDC’s ability to attract students just graduating from high school. There are apartments the university leases, but not enough for the student population. Students are left to find housing in area with high rent and an expensive cost of living. A dormitory will allow the university to grow and create an on campus community. It will also help the businesses in surrounding area with more students living on campus.
ken says
My daughter went to UDC right out of High School from PG County. She is a Junior now. She is extremely happy and completely satisfied with the University. She comments often about how kind, caring and concerned the Professors are.
UDC is an over looked school, the HBCU rankings for UDC has moved from approximatley #47 a few years ago to #26 today (tied with Bowie State). The campus is beautiful as well. The registrar’s office lead by Ms. Cooper is simply outstanding. Dollar for dollar this is great University that is often over looked by local students. Why go to a local Community College when you can go to UDC.