Photos Courtesy of SUNY Fredonia Above, SUNY Fredonia graduates wave to family members before getting their diplomas at SUNY Fredonia’s 191st graduation ceremony.

Incoming student numbers are rising for the State University of New York at Fredonia as the next school year will likely break a record.

The fall 2017 semester saw the second-largest incoming class in the State University of New York at Fredonia’s history. While the numbers will fluctuate going into the fall 2018 semester, the university says it’s on track to bring the largest class to campus in its history.

Cedric Howard, vice president of student affairs, says around 1,700 new students are expected to attend SUNY Fredonia with an incoming freshman class making up 1,200. Applications from students have come from 23 states and more than 500 high schools. Howard says that’s a difference from where the school was several years ago when applications came from just six states. Housing is also up and expected to be at the highest capacity the university’s had in about nine years.

“We are ecstatic to see those numbers,” Howard said. “We don’t know quite where numbers will be, but we feel good about where out housing is this for this upcoming fall.”

Howard acknowledged a variety of components which are factoring into increasing admissions classes, including recruiters, admissions operations staff and those involved with a new pre-college outreach program. Launched in the fall, the pre-college outreach program is primarily targeting students in sixth through 11th grade who have an interest in specific topics like science or music. Howard says they’re not necessarily in the recruitment process, but more they’re interested in college.

Close to 2,000 students from Chautauqua and Erie counties schools have visited campus since the program initiated. Howard says it’s introducing Fredonia to individuals who to date haven’t been involved or considered the university as an option. It’s paying dividends as Howard says local recruitment is up significantly.

“The cascading effects that we see are that their oldest siblings are considering Fredonia because they’re hearing what their younger siblings have experienced here,” Howard said. “While they’re here they’re bringing parents as chaperones. We’re bringing them to exit 59 to come here and say, ‘Wow, Fredonia is a wonderful place that I should consider.”

With 85 percent of students deciding on school prior to their senior year, the university’s admissions operations transformed from a five-month to a 24-month planning process. Howard says they’re already planning for fall 2019 and how they’ll implement strategies, what size class is desired, what went well the previous year and how to expand outreach territories. Howard says they’re asking what are the support structures and information needed to ensure students make informed decisions.

“It’s really turning recruitment into an information gathering process that we use to develop a recruitment strategy for students based upon where they are,” he said. “Usually a school says this is who we are, let’s advertise and if you’re interested let us know. What we’re saying is based on where you are at in the discovery process we have a strategy for you.”

From scholarship opportunities to housing, Howard says the university’s admissions letter is also providing all the information students need to make decisions.

“Rather than say congratulations, what we have said is we want to make sure that we can transition you from notification that you’ve been accepted through being enrolled,” he said.

As to the role the Excelsior Scholarship Program is having on enrollment, Howard says they’re still speaking with students about the determining factor that led them to Fredonia. Anecdotally, Howard says the program has resulted in increased enrollment.

The Excelsior program launched in fall 2017 and will be phased in over three years. Middle-class families and individuals making up to $125,000 per year will qualify to attend college tuition-free at all CUNY and SUNY two- and four-year colleges in New York.

“In order to qualify and quantify, it would be difficult in part because we’re just now getting to ask students those questions,” he said.