Blinn College trustees again discuss the continued enrollment decline on the Bryan campus

This podcast contains comments from the June 18, 2024 Blinn College trustees meeting.

June's meeting of the Blinn College trustees included learning spring enrollment on the Bryan campus fell to 4,728. 

That's almost one-third of the record high of 12,071 that took place in 2015. 

Administrators repeated from past discussions, one reason for the decrease is Texas A&M's decision to admit more freshmen. 

Chancellor Mary Hensley said Blinn could be losing more students as A&M strives to fill low enrollment programs with freshmen.

Trustees were also told that another obstacle affecting all Blinn campuses, are students dropping out due to low grades. Vice chancellor for academic affairs Marcelo Bussiki says there will be an emphasis this fall on retaining students.

There was no response to the idea from Blinn trustees chairman Jim Kolkhorst of Brenham to reduce the price of tuition as an incentive to keep students in school.

The chancellor and the longest serving member of the Blinn trustees, Charles Moser of Brenham, brought up the past history of Brazos County leaders wanting more input into the funding of Blinn's Bryan campus.

Blinn trustees also discussed at length, prior goals of the home campus in Brenham reaching 3,000 students. Spring enrollment in Brenham was 1,553.

Spring enrollment increases were reported at Blinn's RELLIS campus, high school students taking dual credit, and the number of online (distance education) students.

Spring 2024 enrollment at all Blinn locations was 15,953. That is up from 15,685 in spring 2023, 15,167 in spring 2022, and 15,505 in spring 2021. The spring 2020 enrollment, at the start of the pandemic, was 17,076.