A look at the 'enrollment cliff' facing colleges and universities

In the article, Dr. Pinto specifically mentioned the "enrollment cliff," the idea that student populations at universities across the country are dwindling.

"Before we visualize ourselves as lemmings rushing toward the edge, though, it’s worth looking through the numbers at the people behind them," he said.

He added that certain schools, including the University of Cincinnati, are on an "enrollment roll," with growing numbers, even during the pandemic, which isn't to deny the existence of future challenges. 

However, growth sometimes comes from non-traditional sources.

"Universities often focus their enrollment lens almost entirely on freshmen. As it happens, our freshman numbers were down slightly this fall, but online and transfer students increased substantially, contributing to the record enrollment. Our summer enrollment, too, is now the largest in Ohio," he said.

Dr. Pinto added that part-time student numbers have also increased nationwide, especially at four-year public schools. As with online learning, this continues a trend that peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Educating more of us is essential because it enhances every aspect of an economy driven by knowledge and lifelong learning," he says. 

"Universities are repositories of knowledge, yes, but also economic engines and creativity fountains. The changes education can bring people and communities are difficult to measure but hard to miss. Even a cliff offers us all a better view."

Read the full opinion article on the Cincinnati Enquirer website.