Colleges face uncertain enrollments in pandemic

We talk with three different colleges about what the coronavirus pandemic has meant to their enrollment for the fall semester.

HOPES TO HELP GETYOU AND YOUR FAMILYPREPARED FOR THEUPCOMING SCHOOLYEAR.TONIGHT WE'REGRADUATING OFF TOCOLLEGE..HERE'S NBC26'S MATTJARCHOW WITH ALOOK AT WHAT THISPANDEMIC MEANSFOR ENROLLMENTSAND THE STUDENTEXPERIENCE.IN THE WORLD OFHIGHER EDUCATION..AGGIE HANNI, UW-OSHKOSH"We've never been in thiskind of situation."AN UNPRECEDENTEDFALL SEMESTER ISCLOSING IN..AGGIE HANNI, UW-OSHKOSH"We're expected to bedown probably a fewpercentage points."BRIAN BRUESS,PRESIDENT OF ST.NORBERT COLLEGE"It's a little down fromwhere we have been inthe past."JENNIFER LANTER,FVTC DEAN OFGENERAL STUDIES"We have had kind of anenrollment surge if youwill."CHANGE FROMTALKING HEAD TOVIDEO STILL IN'BOXES?'WE TALKED WITHLEADERS AT THREEPRETTY DIFFERENTCOLLEGES..UW-OSHKOSH..APUBLIC SCHOOL INTHE STATE SYSTEM..ST.

NORBERTCOLLEGE..A PRIVATESCHOOL..AND FOX VALLEYTECHNICALCOLLEGE..A TWO-YEAR SCHOOL...WE'LL START THERE.JENNIFER LANTER,FVTC DEAN OFGENERAL STUDIES"We're actually at thehighest headcount that wehave been in four years."COLLEGE LEADERSSAY THERE'SPROBABLY A FEWREASONS FOR THAT..JENNIFER LANTER,FVTC DEAN OFGENERAL STUDIES"One, we're close to homefor many students whomay or may not haveplanned to go away to afour year school."JENNIFER LANTER,FVTC DEAN OFGENERAL STUDIES"Others just not wanting tobe put in that dormenvironment where they'reunsure about thepandemic."TO ADJUST TO THEPANDEMIC..THE COLLEGE ISOFFERING MOREVIRTUAL OPTIONS ANDSMALLER IN-PERSONCLASSSIZES..SOMETIMESDOWN TO JUST 9STUDENTS.ELSEWHERE..AT ST.NORBERT COLLEGE..BRIAN BRUESS,PRESIDENT OF ST.NORBERT COLLEGE"We're looking at about500 new, first-yearstudents."THE COLLEGE'SPRESIDENT SAYSTHAT NUMBER IS ALITTLE DOWN FROMPRIORYEARS..PRIMARILYFOR ECONOMICREASONS DURINGTHE PANDEMIC.HE'S CONFIDENTDEMAND IS STILLTHERE.NORBERT COLLEGE"That's a really strongresponse in the face of apandemic, and right nowwe're tracking 3-5 percentahead of our revisedbudget."THAT BUDGET WASADJUSTED LASTSPRING..THISFALL..CLASSROOMSWILL BE MOREDISTANCED..ANDRESIDENCE HALLCAPACITY WILL BELOWERED.NORBERT COLLEGE"We're facingunprecedented uncertaintyand challenges with thispandemic, but our abilityto adapt and respond hasbeen inspiring and we'relooking forward to havingthe students back anddoing it safely."VIDEO TRANSITION..LEADERS AT UW-OSHKOSH ARE ALSOEXCITED TOWELCOME BACKSTUDENTS..BUT LIKELY FEWERTHAN IN YEARS PAST.AGGIE HANNI, UW-OSHKOSH"A lot of fluctuation, somelevel of being down, butwe don't know what thatwill look like just yet."LEADERS HERE SAYTHEY'VE BEENCONSERVATIVE INESTIMATINGENROLLMENTS ANDTHE IMPACTS ONBUDGETS..AND EVENPREPARED FOR APOSSIBLE DROP OF10-TO-15PERCENT..THOUGHTHEY DON'T THINK ITWILL BE THAT MUCH.STUDENTS CANCHOOSE TO GOONLINE WITHOUT ANYKIND OFPENALTY..BUT ASMUCH AS 70-PERCENTOF CLASSES AREEXPECTED TO OFFERAN IN-PERSONEXPERIENCE..AGGIE HANNI, UW-OSHKOSH"Students are lookingforward to being oncampus together, theresidence life, the events,the organizations andhaving all of thoseexperiences."THOSE EXPERIENCESWILL BE A LITTLEDIFFERENT..AS THECOLLEGE KEEPSSTUDENT SAFETY INMIND.AND WE KNOW FROMTALKING WITHOFFICIALS AT ALLTHREECOLLEGES..THIS FALLWON'T BE THE SAMEAS WHAT HIGHEREDUCATION ONCEWAS.MATT JARCHOW, NBC26.TONIGHT AT TEN INOUR SAFELY BACK TO