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Delta State president urges IHL trustees to back enrollment, keep tuition steady
Summary
Delta State University President Daniel Ennis told the Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) board that the university held tuition steady, improved fiscal position, and is focusing on marketable, tech-forward programs and student retention, especially for Pell-eligible students.
Delta State University President Daniel Ennis told the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees on June 18 that the university will not raise tuition this year and is prioritizing programs and practices to boost enrollment and retain low-income students.
Ennis told trustees that Delta State "didn't raise tuition last year, and we won't raise it this year," framing the decision as a commitment to economic access rather than a concession on quality. He said the university has moved its student-faculty ratio from 10-to-1 to 12-to-1, replaced 21 low-enrolled programs with four new degrees, and signed transfer agreements with regional community colleges to recruit students.
The president emphasized workforce-aligned offerings, citing new degrees and investments in technologies such as geospatial information systems, sound recording and engineering, and artificial intelligence. Ennis pointed to program outcomes, saying nursing graduates have a 100% NCLEX pass rate and that 73% of Delta State nurses remain employed in Mississippi within five years of graduation. He also noted a roughly 70% first-year student retention rate during his two-year tenure and highlighted that 49% of the student body is Pell eligible.
Ennis asked the board to consider how state funding formulas could create incentives that disadvantage institutions serving high proportions of low-income students. "If a future funding formula does not take into account the financial status of a student at matriculation, IHL will create incentives to leave students behind," he said, urging trustees to weigh risk and benefit when setting funding policy.
The president credited recent fiscal improvements: a turnaround from a deficit to a surplus in year one and doubled cash on hand in year two after cost-control measures and operational changes. Ennis described new branding efforts and recruitment strategies intended to sustain the university’s regional mission.
SGA President Hayden Kirkhart briefly welcomed the board on behalf of Delta State’s students at the start of the meeting.
Ennis’s remarks were delivered as part of the board’s June meeting on campus; the presentation preceded the IHL agenda items that included academic program approvals and the system’s budget discussions.
