A 33% decline in enrollment at Rhode Island College over the last decade should be sounding alarm bells on campus and at the Statehouse.
The state school long known for its nursing and education programs now lacks an identity at a time when nurses and educators are in high demand and its affordability should be attracting more, rather than fewer, students.
So, what happened?
As this week’s cover story reports, the enrollment decline worsened after 2017. That’s when Rhode Island Promise began. The Community College of Rhode Island’s gain from the free state college tuition program has seemingly been RIC’s loss, though there are other factors. Leadership changes that include four presidents since 2008 have also left longtime faculty members feeling left out of decision-making and unsure of the school’s direction.
Interim President Jack Warner, whose contract was recently extended to June 2024, calls RIC “a sleeping giant,” and acknowledges it needs to better sell itself.
It should start by deciding what it does best – and include faculty in the evaluation – and focus on expanding and marketing that everywhere.
And it needs more help from the state, starting with reversing some of the unintended consequences of Rhode Island Promise.
Warner wants lawmakers to create a scholarship to cover two years of tuition at the four-year school for students who enroll directly out of high school.
Without it, the school, which dates to 1854, may not survive in a competitive marketplace where the value of a four-year education is no longer blindly accepted.
