As part of an overall enrollment strategy, in tandem with academic changes and enhanced marketing, Keene State is focusing efforts in the recruitment and retention of student athletes.
In November, KSC President Melinda Treadwell announced $16 million in investments from the University System of New Hampshire (USNH) Board of Trustees, $4.2 million of which was allocated to athletic enhancement and growth.
However, The Equinox is wary of how much this strategy will really impact enrollment as a whole.
Although we recognize the investment plans are still in early talks and specifics have yet to be announced, The Equinox is concerned about how well student-athletes are treated at Keene State and the lack of facilities provided. Are the hopes and dreams of current student-athletes being met by Keene State? If not, this recruitment strategy may not be the way to go.
The Equinox believes that Keene State could definitely improve on the quality of existing facilities and expanding them, as recruiting more athletes to increase enrollment numbers will only work in the long term if the needs of athletes are being met.
Funding allocated to the improvement and development of facilities is promising; however, we feel the projects the school has planned should be executed before moving on to recruitment and retention strategies, otherwise many prospective students may be met with disappointment when they ultimately step foot on campus to start their season.
For instance, if a track athlete comes to KSC but the campus does not have the proper facilities that other schools may have, how will KSC retain those athletes?
If recruitment is going to be done through student-athletes, Keene State needs to improve its existing facilities in order to first get them interested and then maintain that throughout their college careers.
Keene State is a Division III school. Many student-athletes strive to go to Division I schools, and it is clear to many that Keene State is not widely known as a sports school. Attempting to make it one would be disappointing to those who want to focus on academics instead.
The existing facilities need to improve before bringing in more student-athletes. It can not and will not work the other way around. Keene State can not wait for more student athletes to join to improve the facilities. The improvement needs to be a priority if more student-athletes are going to enroll.
The Equinox hopes that the $4.2 million investment will be used wisely and that Keene State will know what to do and how to do it.
If this is the plan to get more students enrolled, it may only work for the short term. This would be very damaging to the reputation of the school if they can not follow through on their promise to these athletes.
It is a strategy that can work, but major improvements will have to be made first. The Equinox does not want to see Keene State fail, and hopes that they will make the correct adjustments before making any rash decisions.
