How many of you came to the University of Dayton because it’s “not too big, and not too small?” It’s just
right. I didn’t want to go to a school like Ohio State or Notre Dame; where the amount of undergraduates equals
the population of a small city.
One of the most highly noted mottoes of UD is the idea of “community.” All I knew is that it was the
perfect size for me. We have such a great community because of our size. We are a unique university where
we have “student neighborhoods.” No one else has a cluster of homes that are specifically for our upper class
students. My friends at Miami, Ohio State and Marquette cannot say the same thing.
About a week ago, a group made up of one senior, one sophomore and two freshmen expressed that they all
felt the same way as I do; we love the size of UD.
But wait, the senior class is so much smaller than the freshman class. We wondered, are they going to
continue to admit more students? I thought that I would take the liberty to find someone who could give me
some answers to these questions.
Sundar Kumarasamy, vice president of student enrollment, gave me facts that we should all know and
understand about the enrollment process. It is his job to anticipate what is going to happen within the next few
years and into the future until 2022. He has to manage stability while taking into account the demographic
shift, graduates, transfer students, economic and financial stability and resources. He calls it the “Perfect
Demographic Storm.”
He has to foresee what is going to happen within the student population and make sure that we, as a
university, do not fall below or above our ideal number. There is an average that he wants to stay at due to the
resources that are available and not available. The good news is we are currently holding a solid average at
about 7,000 students.
In 1997, about 93 percent of applicants were accepted into UD, and fifteen years later in the fall of 2012, only
55 percent of applicants were accepted, which shows we are becoming more selective. The admissions office
accepts a certain number of applicants in the fall in anticipation of what might happen in the spring semester. If
so many kids leave for the spring, that leaves empty beds, which the university still has to pay for.
The size of our community is much more than just the number of students. It determines the future for the
university as a whole. We all love UD! It is our home and we want it to continue to prosper as a successful
university. We have great people like Kumarasamy doing their best to keep UD high on the totem pole and a
place where students want to further their education.
If you look at the acceptance and yield rates for UD and Xavier, we are doing very well. Our acceptance rate
is at 55 percent and our yield rate (those who said yes to our offer) is 27 percent. Xavier’s acceptance rate is 69
percent and their yield rate is 16 percent – GO FLYERS!
When I am home, in a small town in suburban Cleveland, wearing UD Flyers gear, there is always someone
coming up to me, expressing their love for UD. I’ve had alumni, current students, grandparents and even
parents come up to me and strike up a conversation. That is a great feeling. We are such a tight and unique
community. Hopefully, the great staff of UD can ensure that we can have the same amazing community for
many years to come.
