CNGA LooseLeaf February March 2019

8 LooseLeaf February/March 2019 colorad o nga.org Unprecedented Enrollment Growth in CSU’s Horticulture Major Back in fall 2008, Colorado State University had 350 undergraduate students in the Department of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture. The recession hit, and student numbers declined for the next five years. From 2013 to 2015, we held steady at about 270 students. In 2016, we started to see an upswing, and in fall 2018, we finally surpassed that 350-student mark, previously hit 10 years ago, and soared up to 436 undergraduate students in the department. In two years, our student numbers have grown a full 50 percent! Declining student numbers following the recession was common among university horticulture departments across the country, but our growth, as far as we know, is unsurpassed. According to a 2016 article by D.W. Reed et al. in Acta Horticulturae,* undergraduate enrollment in horticulture decreased by 19 percent from 2004 to 2012. Only 21 percent of land grant universities experienced enrollment growth, and average enrollment was 100 students per university. Our department offers three majors: horticulture, environmental horticulture, and landscape architecture. Enrollment in landscape architecture and environmental horticulture majors has been level since about 2013 or 2014, at about 110 and 75 students, respectively. Meanwhile, our horticulture major enrollment has been increasing, leading to the overall growth in our student numbers. By Dr. Jessica Davis, Department Head, Dept. of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture, Colorado State University 270 students 436 students 2015 2018 Male Female 62% 38% Almost half of our enrollment growth these last two years has been in a new online degree program in horticulture with a concentration in horticulture business management. Its rapid growth with students from across the country and around the world shows that the program is meeting a previously unmet need. continues on page 10 » Growth in Students Majoring in Horticulture at CSU 2018–19 Student Demographics, CSU Dept. of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Nzc3ODM=