HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Enrollment has been declining at Marshall for the past 13 years, but President Brad Smith expects that trend to change.
Smith met with Marshall University’s Board of Governors (BOG) last week, supplying them with a full rundown on what’s been happening and what can be expected for the university heading into the Fall 2023 semester and beyond.
Marshall’s President said enrollment for the fall of 2024 is trending in the right direction.
“If we keep this trend on pace, it’ll be the strongest enrollment we’ve seen at Marshall in recent history,” said Smith. “The metro students are up, the transfer students are up, and the online learners are up.”
The President told board members that the institution is at a 2.8% mark above last years numbers for year-over-year retention of students.
Smith also spoke to the excitement he and many others have for the upcoming school year while at the “Paint the Capital City Green” event held in Charleston at the Bill Noe Flight School hangar at West Virginia International Yeager Airport.
“Things are moving in a great direction at Marshall University right now,” Smith said last week. “We’re dreaming big, but we’re translating those dreams into reality.”
Another big announcement coming out of Huntington in the last week was the contribution from a Marshall alumni that supports the new “Marshall for All” program.
Marshall University and the Marshall University Foundation said alumnus and current Board of Governors member Jim Smith and his wife, Pam Kushmerick, are gifting the program $2 million. The gift will be allocated to support the program which is designed to help students earn their degree and graduate debt-free.
“President Smith has an inspiring vision for Marshall University,” Jim Smith said. “Marshall for All is an important part of his plan and it addresses one of the biggest issues in higher education today. Pam and I feel blessed to be in a position to support this effort. We are both first-generation college graduates, so we understand the challenges – but more importantly the rewards – of that journey.”
The “Marshall for All” program was launched in 2022 and allows Marshall students to combine scholarships, grants, and work opportunities to earn their bachelor’s degrees without the need for student loans.
“This remarkable gift exemplifies the boundless possibilities that arise when individuals passionately advocate for education,” he said. This gift will open doors to opportunity, elevate potential and extend the reach of our university’s impact in making Marshall the right choice for everyone.”
The first 100 students have been accepted into the program this Fall, according to Smith.
The university is planning to scale up the program over the next decade.
“Our 10-year goal is to every student graduate with no student loan debt.”
Jim Smith, a 1981 graduate of Marshall, is the former president and CEO of information and media giant Thomson Reuters. He’s been inducted into Marshall’s College of Business Hall of Fame.
First day of classes for Marshall students in the Fall 2023 semester are Monday, August 21.