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Enrollment has been in the spotlight at the State University of New York at Fredonia for the wrong reasons lately. Most noticeably, in the recent U.S. Census numbers that were released earlier this month.
Over 10 years, village of Fredonia population decreased 14 percent from more than 11,200 to 9,500. Not all of that is tied to university enrollment, which counts toward the municipality total, but some of it is.
It has been no secret enrollment numbers have been down since 2010 at the institution. COVID-19 did not help efforts last year, either.
What is important to note, however, is a recent success. A national marketing effort by the university netted a 21% increase in the number of out-of-state students. Helping to spur that growth was the Good Neighbor Award program, now in its second year, which reduces tuition for students from Pennsylvania and Ohio, making a Fredonia education more affordable than most public institutions in those states.
"This shows that people are willing to travel for a quality education," said Cory Bezek, executive director of Enrollment Services. "It shows that we're a destination campus."
Students began returning to the region last week as classes began on Monday. That always adds a bit of energy to a small community -- while also boosting local business.