Dear Editor,
It was a pleasure meeting you and I wanted to advise you that I had the opportunity to read your article entitled Enrollments Numbers Down in the October 6, 2016, issue of the Equinox. I appreciate your attention to such matters of importance regarding our University.
I think you did an admirable job breaking down a very complex issue. However, I would like to clarify a couple of items and request a correction. First, you reported, “Vodde also mentioned that the University is under scrutiny over its new pharmacy program and that they’re working with an outside consulting firm.” This is not accurate.
While it’s true that Fairleigh Dickinson, like so many other universities, works with outside consultants on admissions-related subjects, it’s important to note that the School of Pharmacy is not under scrutiny; rather, it is an exceptional program that has achieved wonderful results and strong enrollments. The school recently expanded its state-of-the-art facilities, and its Doctor of Pharmacy program gained full accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. As such, it would be most appreciated if a correction could be made to what was published so our campus community can appreciate and take pride in one of the University’s stellar programs.
In addition, your enrollment numbers were not accurate. You wrote that we declined from 873 to 652 in the number of freshman and transfer students. I’m not sure where these figures were obtained but the number of full-time freshmen and transfer students last year was 756 and this year, as of October 12, is 704. So the decline from last year is 52, significantly less than the 221 as reported. Again, we would appreciate a correction.
Thank you for your time and attention to this most important matter. Sincerely,
Robert F. Vodde, Ph.D.
Campus Provost
