This semester seems like a bad time for the Chicago State University as the total freshman enrollees this year is less than a hundred. According to school officials, enrollment has been in decline for the past six years but the past year caused alarm for the school.
According to a report released by the university, enrollment has dropped almost a half since 2010. The report said that the total population of the Far South side campus now is 3,578, which is a very big drop compared to its 7,362 2010 population.
The decline has been alarming since the recent number of enrollees is smaller than the population of a local kindergarten school. In fact, overall enrollment of the university decreased by 25 percent while enrollment for its undergraduate programs is down by 32 percent just within a year.
This has left a lot of questions how the university is going to survive while a lot of students and faculty members are disillusioned and becoming hopeless whether the university will have its much-needed revival.
In the past year until now, the university has been in trouble starting with a state budget battle that left the school struggling for months without a budget. When it came, they only received half of it resulting in 40 percent of its employees getting laid off.
Then, newly appointed President Thomas Calhoun Jr. Was let go only after barely a year of service. Both Calhoun and the university had an agreement that they will not disclose the reason of his departure. However, that left a lot of students disillusioned and disappointed considering Calhoun as the leader who will bring about the change they've been waiting for.
With this year's enrollment, trouble continues to brew for the embattled university. In order to survive, it has to cut its budget by 30 percent. In the wake of all these, students and faculty are demanding the resignation of the university's trustees. On the other hand, none of the board has been available for comment.
