CWU is Building a Bright Future Focused on Student Access and Success

Central Washington University is looking to build on its increase in first-year student enrollment from last fall with new university-wide initiatives focused on creating access and breaking down barriers for every student to be successful.

Central Washington University provides our students with one-of-a-kind learning opportunities that can't be found everywhere. And we are always looking at how to improve so we can continue to attract the best and brightest.

Through a new six-year initiative called The Central Experience, CWU will be working with the Governor's Office, the Washington Legislature, the university's Board of Trustees, the campus community, and other partners to accomplish goals that are critical to the future of the state and the institution. Among the priorities outlined in The Central Experience are plans to expand the availability of dual-language and STEM instruction, address the learning loss brought on by the pandemic, improve financial literacy among prospective students, and gradually increase employee salaries to help attract and retain top talent.

The Central Experience delves into the importance of increasing engaged learning opportunities, implementing High Impact Practices (HIPs), improving and expanding student-support networks on campus, upgrading physical spaces, and investing in programs and facilities that will help Central meet the rigorous demands of 21st century learning.

"We will continue to offer a wide array of programs designed to help Washington build a more tech-savvy workforce, add to an already strong pipeline of K-12 teachers, and introduce more equity-focused work that will benefit the many, not the few," CWU President Jim Wohlpart said, adding that The Central Experience will help the university achieve its priority to build enrollment to pre-pandemic levels as it seeks to meet the educational and workforce needs of Washington state.

"It won't be easy, but we truly believe CWU can make an even greater difference in the lives of more people in the years to come."

Early Successes in Post-Pandemic Enrollment

After a two-year pandemic decline, student interest in attending Central Washington University is on the rise. The final number of new incoming first-year students-excluding those who transferred from another institution-in fall 2022 was 1,549, which is a 6.1% increase over the 1,460 first-year enrollments in fall 2021.

Wohlpart believes the enrollment numbers from the 2022-23 academic year foreshadow a positive trend for Central as it emerges from a pandemic-influenced enrollment lull.

"The reason for this change is that we have shifted our recruitment process from one that is transactional to one that is more relational, working more directly and closely with students, their families, their guidance counselors, and even their teachers than we have in recent years," the president said. "By building lasting relationships in the communities we serve, we believe CWU will be in a category of one as we become a destination for people from across the region-and even the world."

As Central's faculty and staff begin to live into the university's vision of being a model community of equity and belonging, they will work to create opportunities for more people to earn four-year degrees-specifically students from traditionally underrepresented populations.

Wohlpart noted that the total number of high school graduates in Washington is expected to increase for the next 12 years, with significant growth in the Hispanic/Latinx population and a moderate increase in Asian and Pacific Islander and individuals from two or more races. He firmly believes that this change in demographics presents CWU with an opportunity to reimagine itself and become a more diverse, more equity-based destination for people from a wider range of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

"This work will require us to become a learning organization, to investigate our patterns of thinking that invisibly guide so much of our daily operations-systems and structures that benefit the few, while excluding, disadvantaging, and even diminishing so many others," Wohlpart said.

Student Success Stories

CWU's efforts to invest in student success and grow enrollment are building on a strong foundation. Every year, CWU sends approximately 3,000 graduates into the workforce after helping them develop the hands-on experience they need to contribute at a high level from day one.

Recent graduates like Kahmina Ford speak highly of the professional preparation they receive at Central, thanking their many professors and advisors for helping them discover their own paths to success. Ford, a CWU biophysics alumna, is now in the second year of a PhD program at the University of California, Berkeley, and she remains eternally grateful for her experiences in Ellensburg.

"They (CWU faculty) taught me to not allow fear to limit my options or make the decisions in my life," Ford said of her CWU mentors. "Apply for that job, scholarship, or program. Take the leap. You'll never win if you don't take a chance on yourself."

CWU physics student Isaac Smith has had a similar experience during his time on campus, developing the skills and experience he needs to pursue a graduate degree in astronomy. Over the past year, the senior from Spokane has taken the lead on a high-level research project that he never would have found at a larger university.

"Most undergrads, if they even get to do this kind of research, are usually just grunts," Smith said. "But last summer, I got to help install a $70,000 piece of glass into a telescope. That never happens anywhere else. To say this opportunity is priceless would be an understatement."

Meeting Students Where They Are

Another positive sign for Central this academic year is a 3% increase in transfer student enrollments, bucking the nationwide trend of declining community college enrollments over the past decade. Of the 1,516 students admitted last fall, 906 of them enrolled-an indication that nontraditional learners view CWU as a place that can help them achieve their career goals.

With eight university centers and instructional sites around the state, Central has immersed itself in communities from Yakima to Lynnwood as it seeks to provide higher-education access to more people-especially those from underrepresented and minoritized populations.

"CWU is reversing the decline in transfer students, and we are seeing significantly stronger applications than in previous years," said CWU's Finance and Administration Vice President Joel Klucking. "This is another reason for us to remain optimistic about the next few years."

Despite seeing a number of positive trends, Central's overall enrollment was 9,395 for fall 2022, representing about 900 fewer students than the previous fall quarter. Due to smaller, pandemic-influenced pipelines, CWU is prepared to see its overall enrollment decline in fiscal years 2023 and 2024. At the same time, the administration remains confident about the incoming student population returning to pre-pandemic levels.

"Our first-year class increase of 6% over the prior year is within our target range, and this represents a positive trend for Central as we come out of the pandemic," Klucking said. "Our returning students the past couple of years helped us maintain strong overall enrollment, but many of those students have graduated, which means we are going to have to build up our numbers in the years to come."

CWU offers high-demand and personalized programs in business, the sciences, education, technology, health care, aviation, and many more fields that contribute to Washington's workforce. For more information, visit our Degrees & Programs page.