Bay West looks for ways to boost enrollment
By LINDA LOBECK, Staff WriterIRON MOUNTAIN - Although members of the Bay West Advisory Committee are pleased with the increases in contact hours and students from last year to this year, they want to focus on getting more local high school graduates to come to Bay West.
Information presented to the committee Thursday showed that 17 percent of the Dickinson County high school graduates go the Bay West.
This compares to 47 percent of the Delta County high school graduates attending Bay College.
Dr. Patrick Kennedy, the executive dean of Bay West, reported to the committee that the contact hours were up by 31 percent compared to last year and the head count was up by 29 percent.
Committee member Dave Brisson asked whether the market strategy was just to the students or included businesses.
Kennedy said that they are trying to market classes for businesses, too.
Committee Vice Chairman Bruce Orttenburger also felt that getting information on classes to local businesses is good because they can have their employees take classes at Bay.
Another idea that Kennedy said they are looking at is bringing in the parents of sophomores or juniors on campus and showing them the facilities.
"Iron County and the Wisconsin area are growth areas for us," he said. "The market is ripe for us there and we see a lot of potential."
Cindy Carter, director of admissions for Bay College, reported on the recruiting practices of the college noting that one of the biggest is scholarships for incoming freshmen.
Information presented by Carter to the committee showed that in 2008 there were 18 freshmen from Iron Mountain High School, 29 from Kingsford High School, three from North Dickinson High School and 16 from Norway High School.
Members of the Bay West Foundation committee were also present at the meeting and had some questions and suggestions about recruitment.
One member, Dwight Romagnoli felt that something needed to be done to seek out the Dickinson County high school seniors.
He offered to cater a meal four times a year and have the
college have its own private college night for parents and students of juniors or sophomores.
He suggested having a program with the professors and Bay students available, giving tours of the facility and having people there to answer questions.
"It would take away the mystery of what happens here," Romagnoli said.
"I'd be more than happy to do it. Have separate nights for the Iron Mountain and Kingsford students and combine Norway and North Dickinson together since they are smaller schools. In the economic times we are all facing, it comes down to dollars and cents for parents. We need to promote what we have here - a quality education and quality professors and a first class facility," Romagnoli said.
Bay President Laura Coleman accepted Romagnoli's offer.
"That's a very generous offer and a tremendous idea," Coleman said. "We can use it to boost our enrollment. Some of these students are first-generation college students and it will help to bring in the parents and explain what we do here."
"Thank you Dwight for your very generous offer," said committee Chairman Jon Pryor.
The board discussed how to get the word out to the students and parents and Committee member Johanna Ostwald, who is the superintendent of the Dickinson-Iron Intermediate School District, said that each school district decides at the board level what information they will make available on their students.
The parents at the beginning of the school year also have the opportunity to opt-out and not have any personal information released to anyone, she said.
She added that she would ask the other superintendents during the next roundtable meeting.
Orttenburger wanted to know if there are other ways to get this information to students and parents rather than a direct mailing.
Kennedy noted that they are already networking with school superintendents, principals and counselors. Ostwald suggested sending a letter to the various superintendents asking to make a professional presentation on Bay at a school board meeting.
In other action, the committee:
- Heard from Kennedy that the new nursing faculty, Deb Sleik and Joyel Brule, were in place for the new semester replacing Kay LaCount who retired at the end of the fall semester. Other new staff incudes an adjunct criminal justice professor, Joe Pacheo.
- Learned that the Foundation board members have been involved in the projects to landscape the college and get the retention pond in place. Carolyn Bissel reported that the foundation put in $10,000 into landscaping and this was the first phase that included trees and an irrigation system. They are trying to find funds for the next part of the project. The retention basin was finished and the boardwalk is an ongoing project.
- Presented Romagnoli with a Bay College flag to have in his Romagnoli's supper club. The flag was signed by Bay students and staff. Romagnoli was instrumental in getting the millage passed for the Bay West facility.
Linda Lobeck's e-mail address is llobeck@ironmountaindailynews.com.
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bigcity
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01-12-09 11:42 AM
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Quote - "something should be done to seek out Dickinson county high school seniors" Yeh right! What college or professional minded kid would want to stay in the county and attend Bay? Give me a break! I cant believe they even wasted the money to put another "college" in the UP. Lets see........fun, meeting tons of new people, broadening your world views and a chance to be someone in life OR attending a college where 75% of the students will never see one of those moving step things (escalator)in a mall or a real life minority. Oh, yeh there is that big place they call Green Bay, and they have everything. Cut off your mullets, wear make-up, visit a dentist, throw away your stone washed jeans, toss your FOX Racing t-shirts in the trash, pick-up your yards, repaint your house, rebuild the very out of date downtown, put in some modern things, update everything to at least circa 1999 and lazer off your home made tatoos that are on your hands. Maybe people will come back
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bigcity
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01-12-09 11:16 AM
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If Romagnoli's was in a more populated city, it would have gone under years ago. Along with Fontana's and that so called steak house across the bridge in Wisconsin. All that food sucked! I used to travel to Iron Mountain for business on occasion. We no longer service the area as our business (major US financial institution) left the area about 10-12 years ago. Half the employees couldnt read or perform in a professional manner. I think we we estimated the UP had the economic notion of like 1970. What a waste of our time and money!
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Enlightened1
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01-09-09 11:29 PM
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"It would take away the mystery of what happens here," Romagnoli said......and here all this time I thought it was the Fornetti's new dental clinic,silly me,, thanxs for clearing that up for me :)
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BlueBlooded
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01-09-09 11:20 PM
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Dickinson County residents don't pay the same tax rate as Delta County residents. I talked to the Director of Development about two years ago and she said that Dickinson residents could pay in-County tuition as soon as the Dickinson tax base equaled Delta's. I don't think the taxpayers will go for it!
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Enlightened1
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01-09-09 11:12 PM
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or perhaps Bay College will soon be able to donate there building to the homeless and Mr. Romagnoli would be more then happy to donate his building for a soup kitchen <winks> soon enough we will all have the oppurtunity to learn how to unite as ONE :) Namaste' Life is an illusion,only Love is reality
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Servai
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01-09-09 6:51 PM
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Maybe the enrollment would be closer to Delta County's if our local students got the same tuition rate as Delta County students get there. Our tax dollars are paying for this new facility, but our kids pay higher tuition.
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truckerdan
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01-09-09 3:57 PM
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look just one more reason to not go to Romagnoli's to eat crappy food. with a jack*** for a host. Just wish some of the profits for the collage would help our county. Since we have to pay for it. Thank you
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