When the Board of Higher Education meets for its retreat this summer, one of the issues on the table will be declining student enrollment.
"If we don't have students, we're out of business," said Board member John Warford. He will be leading the discussion on enrollment.
"The taxpaying citizens aren't happy, the Legislators aren't happy, the faculty aren't happy," Warford said during a meeting of the Board's Academic and Student Affairs Committee. "We need to be very pro-active."
University System Chancellor Mark Hagerott told the Committee recruitment may require some “outside the box” thinking. He said he recently heard from someone in private industry on the
subject.
"They have a proposal from some of the medical providers to give some type of financial benefit to anyone who recruits a nurse — including a nurse student," Hagerott said. "And if the person stays in the state, an annuity or something could be offered. Like, 'Hey — you recruit a high quality person, who passes the courses and stay here, can we have a way to remunerate them for doing that?'"
Hagerott said that's what head-hunting firms do.
Hagerott said North Dakotans are the best recruiters to get people to come to North Dakota. He saids everyone is a recruiter, not just the admissions chair.