By: Taylor Martin
Tuition at Milligan College has not risen as fast as public universities and colleges over the last 10 years and college administrators hope that fact will attract more students to the campus, but they also know that improved enrollment will require improved housing on campus.
Kate Anderson, director of residence life and housing at Milligan College, said that Milligan is attracting more students because it hasn’t been impacted as much as other schools from the economy’s inflation rate.
“I think new and remodeled residence halls can certainly attract students,” said Anderson.
Inflation hasn’t hit private colleges as hard as public. A study from the U.S. Department of Education states “between 1999–2000 and 2009–10, prices for undergraduate tuition, room and board at public institutions rose 37 percent and prices at private institutions rose 25 percent, after adjustment for inflation.”
Milligan’s College tuition cost has only risen by 20 percent between 1999–2000 and 2009–10. The number of students living on campus has increased as well, from 549 in 2008 to 600 this year.
The administration is planning to increase enrollment even more by giving students improved facilities to live in. Anderson said the administration is concerned that the declining conditions of the dorms will cause a decrease in student admission if not fixed.
Megan Foote, a sophomore education major, enjoys living on campus in a double room with her suite mates that have become her closest friends here at Milligan, but she also said that there are issues with her dorm room.
“We’ve had to have my window repaired a few times and our shower is pretty disgusting. The floors in the shower are extremely old and the temperature is always changing,” Foote said. “Also, during the spring and end of summer when we return to school, it’s incredibly hot with no air conditioning in Sutton.”
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