Charting UL Enrollment since 1901

[ZoomZoom]

Looking at the numbers in post #1 ...

https://forumeus.com/showthread.php/...=9164#post9164

... it looks like growth stagnate around 16,000 in the mid 1980s

Right after the court shot down the name change.

Also coincided with the O&G bust and outmigration of citizens. Us older fans can remember friends just packed up, gave their keys to the bank, and left.

[MarlinMan3]

I have one there. They call it the "New LSU".

How long did that last? What do they call it now?

[cajun4life]

After doing a little research, under T-Joe’s tainted leadership, we have 1700 less undergraduate students than when he took over.

In-state tuition and fees are $11k per year. That’s almost $19M per year in tuition that we are missing out on.

The lack of increasing student attendance is one of the contributing factors to this shortfall.

[Turbine]

It's no secret why undergrad enrollment plummeted.

Mismanagement or underusage of the advertising arm of the university. Namely athletic marketing.

At a time when the Louisiana branding battle was won and is most available, Athletics hunkered down and pushed "Ragin Cajuns" on everthing without distinction.

They dropped Lady Cajuns and flooded everthing Ragin. Now you need a "men" or a "women" qualifier for dual sports when they were once brand self sufficient and self explanatory.

They quit marketing to the State at large and abandoned marketing to Acadiana completely.

"My Team My Town" Lafayette on everthing academic. (something President Stephen's said you should never do) causes atrophy.

When you have brand atrophy coupled with silent exclusion, it's no wonder high schoolers become unaware of what is available in their own backyard.

And those who are aware, don't feel welcomed.

jmo

Market to Acadiana. Market to the State. Have two brands doing it concurrently

Lady Cajuns
Ragin' Cajuns

And get a mascot.

Watch Enrollment jump.

[MarlinMan3]

Can we waive the "fees" portion of the tuitiin and fees for those who would apply to UL under TOPs. Are those same fees waived for those on athletic scholarship?

[CajunVic]

It's no secret why undergrad enrollment plummeted.

Mismanagement or underusage of the advertising arm of the university. Namely athletic marketing.

At a time when the Louisiana branding battle was won and is most available, Athletics hunkered down and pushed "Ragin Cajuns" on everthing without distinction.

They dropped Lady Cajuns and flooded everthing Ragin. Now you need a "men" or a "women" qualifier for dual sports when they were once brand self sufficient and self explanatory.

They quit marketing to the State at large and abandoned marketing to Acadiana completely.

"My Team My Town" Lafayette on everthing academic. (something President Stephen's said you should never do) causes atrophy.

When you have brand atrophy coupled with silent exclusion, it's no wonder high schoolers become unaware of what is available in their own backyard.

And those who are aware, don't feel welcomed.

jmo

Market to Acadiana. Market to the State. Have two brands doing it concurrently

Lady Cajuns
Ragin' Cajuns

And get a mascot.

Watch Enrollment jump.

he has a point . . .

[MarlinMan3]

Another possible reason for lower student attendance at games (albeit a small pct) is whether or not the players engage and live their daily live as real members of the student body. Are they in a wide array of classes or mostly holed up in the athletic center or kinesiology classes or online?
Are they in student govt or professional societies?
Talking and interacting with other students can go a long way, and classmates tend to go to each other's events.
Havent we been to school plays, or free speech alley, or an open mic night because a classmate mentioned it/invited us, even though those arent things we normally went to?. Why not for football too?