ULL boosts recruiting to improve retention

• By MARSHA SILLS
• Advocate Acadiana bureau
• Published: Aug 13, 2009 - Page: 1BA

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LAFAYETTE — Eighty high school valedictorians will begin their first semester at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette this fall.

The group is the university’s largest class of valedictorians — for now, ULL President Joseph Savoie told a group of potential recruits visiting the campus Wednesday.

“We want you to help us beat that record when you come,” Savoie said.

The message was directed to nearly 200 high school seniors from across south Louisiana invited to the campus for a “backyard” barbecue and face time with college deans and administrators.

For many of the students, such as Dylan Creasman of Abbeville High, it was their first visit to the campus.

“I’m interested in architecture and pretty much set on ULL,” Creasman said.

The proximity to his home, which is about a 30-minute drive away, is another selling factor, he said.

“I could consider LSU, but I’d rather be close to home,” he said.

Wednesday’s recruitment effort is just one of the new ways the university is reaching out to the area’s brightest students.

“We want to make sure local students know about the quality of education they can get in their backyard,” said Steve Landry, ULL provost and vice president of academic affairs.

That’s why despite a $7.5 million budget cut this fiscal year, ULL has increased its investment in attracting students to the university and ensuring they have the support they need to finish their degree.

Last year, the university increased its recruitment and retention spending by 49 percent from $256,000 to $381,000, according to Jerry Luke LeBlanc, ULL vice president of finance and administration.

This year, the budget was increased by 26 percent to $481,000.