Towson student body is becoming more diverse thanks to steady increase in black students
By Shanda Kersey
When Joshua White, a graduating senior, entered Towson University in the fall of 2014, what he saw on campus was noticeably different than what he is seeing as he leaves.
White, who is outgoing president of the Black Student Union, is from Prince George’s County, Md., a predominantly black county near Washington, D.C. Coming to Towson, a predominately white institution (PWI), was a very new experience for him.
“It was a unique culture shock," White said. "I never felt the pressure of being a minority and the immediate danger that it could have on both your mental and physical well-being. It was very draining my freshman year seeing as the Freddie Gray uprisings were a focal point of my first year here at Towson. I didn’t feel safe talking about these events in class or in my dorm with non-black individuals.”
Many people experience a culture shock when traveling to new countries. However, it is common for minorities to go through this when going to PWIs. In the fall nearly four years ago when White began at Towson, there were 3,035 black undergraduates enrolled (16 percent of its population). By the time he started his senior year last fall, the number had risen to 4,070 (21 percent of the population). An analysis of Towson's diversity data shows that the number of black students increased roughly 43 percent during this time -- the biggest jump in recent school history.
White said he noticed this upward trend without having to see the data. One of the reasons for the increase is a concerted effort by the university to recruit and enroll minority students.
“I think we’re just doing a better job getting students from racial/ethnic minority groups to come to college and a better job as an institution advertising to those populations,” said Joel Bolling, the senior director of student retention and development at Towson.
White, who is outgoing president of the Black Student Union, is from Prince George’s County, Md., a predominantly black county near Washington, D.C. Coming to Towson, a predominately white institution (PWI), was a very new experience for him.
“It was a unique culture shock," White said. "I never felt the pressure of being a minority and the immediate danger that it could have on both your mental and physical well-being. It was very draining my freshman year seeing as the Freddie Gray uprisings were a focal point of my first year here at Towson. I didn’t feel safe talking about these events in class or in my dorm with non-black individuals.”
Many people experience a culture shock when traveling to new countries. However, it is common for minorities to go through this when going to PWIs. In the fall nearly four years ago when White began at Towson, there were 3,035 black undergraduates enrolled (16 percent of its population). By the time he started his senior year last fall, the number had risen to 4,070 (21 percent of the population). An analysis of Towson's diversity data shows that the number of black students increased roughly 43 percent during this time -- the biggest jump in recent school history.
White said he noticed this upward trend without having to see the data. One of the reasons for the increase is a concerted effort by the university to recruit and enroll minority students.
“I think we’re just doing a better job getting students from racial/ethnic minority groups to come to college and a better job as an institution advertising to those populations,” said Joel Bolling, the senior director of student retention and development at Towson.
Bolling noted that the Center for Student Diversity, where he works, has a lot of programs to help students of color at Towson, including Students Achieving Goals through Education (SAGE) and the College Readiness Outreach Program (CROP), which sends Towson staff and students to public high schools in Baltimore City and Baltimore County to get them thinking about college and life after high school.
“We work intentionally with ninth graders, we’re expanding to 10th graders, to help them start thinking about college and life readiness," Bolling said. "These are students that are predominantly low-income in terms of families. These are schools that historically don’t send a lot of students to college overall. We’re working with them to say ‘hey you can go to college, but you can’t wait until you’re in 11th or 12th grade to make that decision.'"
Having these kinds of programs in place creates a relationship with these communities -- and the payoff for Towson has been evident.
“It’s this pipeline of not just recruiting them, it’s not just retaining them or graduating them, but making sure that they’re getting to wherever they want to be and I think when you start doing that intentionally, the results of that start speaking to the larger community,” Bolling said. “Families and communities know that they can send someone here and they’re going to get results."
“We work intentionally with ninth graders, we’re expanding to 10th graders, to help them start thinking about college and life readiness," Bolling said. "These are students that are predominantly low-income in terms of families. These are schools that historically don’t send a lot of students to college overall. We’re working with them to say ‘hey you can go to college, but you can’t wait until you’re in 11th or 12th grade to make that decision.'"
Having these kinds of programs in place creates a relationship with these communities -- and the payoff for Towson has been evident.
“It’s this pipeline of not just recruiting them, it’s not just retaining them or graduating them, but making sure that they’re getting to wherever they want to be and I think when you start doing that intentionally, the results of that start speaking to the larger community,” Bolling said. “Families and communities know that they can send someone here and they’re going to get results."
These programs are put in place to minimize the culture shock that many of the minority students are expected to experience. They offer a sort of safe haven for these students to go when they feel homesick, out of place or lost.
“The Black Student Union at Towson University gave me a place to call my home," White said. “I would’ve been so lost, I feel, if Towson BSU wasn’t an outlet for me to not just express my blackness but also grow in it, as both expression and knowledge. Also, having a SAGE mentor at Towson that came from a similar background as you was invaluable. These two organizations and programs were intertwined in my freshman year experience and that was quite beneficial for me."
White Towson has seen a substantial growth in black student enrollment, the same cannot be said for other minority groups. For instance, Hispanic students still only represent 8 percent of Towson students and Asian students are 6 percent. While these groups account for the among the largest percent increase, the actual enrollment numbers remain comparatively low.
As the share of minorities increased, the share of white students decreased -- from 78 percent in fall 2001 to 57 percent in fall 2017. Over this time, Towson’s total undergraduate population increased. In the 2001-02 school year, there were a total of 13,959 undergraduate students, while this school year there were 19,596 students, a 40 percent increase.
“The Black Student Union at Towson University gave me a place to call my home," White said. “I would’ve been so lost, I feel, if Towson BSU wasn’t an outlet for me to not just express my blackness but also grow in it, as both expression and knowledge. Also, having a SAGE mentor at Towson that came from a similar background as you was invaluable. These two organizations and programs were intertwined in my freshman year experience and that was quite beneficial for me."
White Towson has seen a substantial growth in black student enrollment, the same cannot be said for other minority groups. For instance, Hispanic students still only represent 8 percent of Towson students and Asian students are 6 percent. While these groups account for the among the largest percent increase, the actual enrollment numbers remain comparatively low.
As the share of minorities increased, the share of white students decreased -- from 78 percent in fall 2001 to 57 percent in fall 2017. Over this time, Towson’s total undergraduate population increased. In the 2001-02 school year, there were a total of 13,959 undergraduate students, while this school year there were 19,596 students, a 40 percent increase.
Like many public institutions in America, Towson has a very consistent split between women and men. From 2001 to now, the data set showed a trend of about 40 percent men and approximately 60 percent women each school year.
“On this campus in particular, that demographic isn’t surprising because we were started as a teacher’s college," Bolling said. "In history, teachers are found as predominantly, as a profession, women,” Bolling said. “As the university continued to grow, we already had women coming to Towson as their first choice because of the College of Education. As our demographics have shifted in terms of majors, we still have only added a lot of majors that still tend toward women.”
Compared to the University of Maryland-College Park, the largest institution in the University System of Maryland, Towson is more diverse in some areas -- including the share of black students. However, College Park has more Asian and Hispanic students.
Compared to the University of Maryland-College Park, the largest institution in the University System of Maryland, Towson is more diverse in some areas -- including the share of black students. However, College Park has more Asian and Hispanic students.
Affordable iN-STATE TUITION LURES Many MARYLAND STUDENTS INTO STAYING local for college
By Nick Shelly
In Maryland, two out of every 10 public university students are from out of state. Alexis Scudder is among that 20 percent. Scudder is a Pennsylvania resident and a freshman at Towson University.
“I knew about Towson because I have family members who live near the school,” Scudder said. “My high school also used to compete here in marching band competitions.”
Towson was Scudder's top-choice school. “The campus was beautiful and I really liked the proximity to Baltimore," she said.
Scudder bucked the national trend: About 80 percent of first-time students who enroll at public U.S. universities are from in state. The main reason being that tuition can often be double for out-of-state students.
“I knew about Towson because I have family members who live near the school,” Scudder said. “My high school also used to compete here in marching band competitions.”
Towson was Scudder's top-choice school. “The campus was beautiful and I really liked the proximity to Baltimore," she said.
Scudder bucked the national trend: About 80 percent of first-time students who enroll at public U.S. universities are from in state. The main reason being that tuition can often be double for out-of-state students.
Scudder never really considered going to an in-state school. The main reason being that her second choice, Temple University, cost about the same as Towson’s out-of-state tuition after she was offered scholarships at Towson.
Gwen Hawk, a graduating high school senior and a resident of Maryland, chose Towson, the only university she strongly considered attending.
“I’ve known about it my whole life and several of my closest friends go there,” said Hawk.
Hawk didn’t want to go into debt for college, and Towson seemed very affordable compared to the other colleges that she had considered.
An analysis of enrollment data found that Towson gets 79 percent of its students from in-state, 8 percent from New Jersey, 4 percent from New York, 4 percent from Pennsylvania and the remaining 5 percent from other states. For those out-of-state students, the choice to come to Towson likely means paying a lot more: Though public universities in New Jersey and Pennsylvania’s in-state tuition costs an average of about 25 percent more than Maryland’s in-state tuition, going away still is more expensive than staying home.
The University System of Maryland requires that its institutions have no fewer than 70 percent in-state students, said Jennifer Ziegenfus, associate director of recruitment at Towson University. “None of the schools have met that 30 percent but if they ever did, they would need to make adjustments to guarantee at least 70 percent are in-state. TU does not currently have a goal of in-state versus out-of-state but we are certainly open to a larger population of out-of-state since we have room to grow in this area. Out-of-state students offer a diverse perspective from a lot of angles."
Ziegenfus said that despite the fact that out-of-state students bring in more money and diversity to the college campus, the university markets to both in-state and out-of-state student prospects equally.
Ziegenfus said that despite the fact that out-of-state students bring in more money and diversity to the college campus, the university markets to both in-state and out-of-state student prospects equally.
Thirty-four percent of Maryland public universities' tuition revenue comes from out-of-state students while only 20 percent of its students are from out-of-state. This is not a surprise given that out-of-state tuition in Maryland is 2.22 times higher than in-state tuition.
“There are no specific initiatives from the president other than to meet the overall enrollment goals of the university,” Ziegenfus said. “We do not have a specific out-of-state versus in-state goal.”
Most public colleges, however, do look to create a diverse campus and would like to gather students from all around the country to do so.
It might be assumed that there would be more students in the universities where the tuition price for out-of-state was lower, but that's not always the case.
“There are no specific initiatives from the president other than to meet the overall enrollment goals of the university,” Ziegenfus said. “We do not have a specific out-of-state versus in-state goal.”
Most public colleges, however, do look to create a diverse campus and would like to gather students from all around the country to do so.
It might be assumed that there would be more students in the universities where the tuition price for out-of-state was lower, but that's not always the case.
In some states, as the price of out-of-state tuition goes up so does the number of students.
In Maryland, in-state tuition is on average about $1,200 less than the instate tuition of the surrounding states, and yet it has an average of 2 percent less in-state students than those surrounding states.
“Towson was my top school since it had my major and was close to home,” Hawk said. “It seemed like the logical choice.”
for towson students, college costs rise steadily
By Diamond Ward
Andrea Herb, a sophomore mass communication major from Downingtown, Pa., pays about $27,000 annually in tuition, fees, room and board at Towson University. She pays roughly $5,000 per semester for housing alone.
“I came to Towson because it was the closest university with a well- known journalism program,” she said. “I believe that I am getting my money’s worth here at Towson since I am receiving enough financial aid to make the overall cost more bearable.”
Those costs -- tuition, fees, room, board and more -- have been increasing annually at Towson like many colleges across the country.
Towson works each year to get its budget approved by the University System of Maryland (USM) Board of Regents.
Cathy Mattingly, Director of Towson University’s Budget Office, said undergraduate in-state tuition has increased by 2 percent per year for the past several years. Towson’s undergraduate in-state tuition is lower than College Park, University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Salisbury, and University of Baltimore and higher than Coppin State, University of Maryland-Eastern Shore, Bowie, and Frostburg State.
Increased mandatory costs such as additional health benefits and minimum wage increase are among the reasons why tuition and fees increase each year.
Mike Lurie, a spokesman for the University System of Maryland Board of Regents, said, “After discussion on the University System of Maryland campus on projected revenue and the annual cost increases (faculty, staff salaries, fringe benefits, facilities, utilities, maintenance contracts, etc.), the campus submits a proposal for tuition and fees increases to the Chancellor and USM Board of Regents to approve. Tuition and fees are approved by the Board of Regents annually for the upcoming academic year.”
“The state provides some of the revenue needed to offset educational/academic costs and tuition revenue and required efficiencies provide the balance,” Lurie added. “Auxiliary mandatory fees are also increased to cover additional costs. Auxiliary activities do not receive any State funds and are reliant on fees to support the program.”
There are other fees that an institution may charge, such as parking, lab fees, student teaching fees, but they differ by each institution.
Cathy Mattingly, Director of Towson University’s Budget Office, said undergraduate in-state tuition has increased by 2 percent per year for the past several years. Towson’s undergraduate in-state tuition is lower than College Park, University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Salisbury, and University of Baltimore and higher than Coppin State, University of Maryland-Eastern Shore, Bowie, and Frostburg State.
Increased mandatory costs such as additional health benefits and minimum wage increase are among the reasons why tuition and fees increase each year.
Mike Lurie, a spokesman for the University System of Maryland Board of Regents, said, “After discussion on the University System of Maryland campus on projected revenue and the annual cost increases (faculty, staff salaries, fringe benefits, facilities, utilities, maintenance contracts, etc.), the campus submits a proposal for tuition and fees increases to the Chancellor and USM Board of Regents to approve. Tuition and fees are approved by the Board of Regents annually for the upcoming academic year.”
“The state provides some of the revenue needed to offset educational/academic costs and tuition revenue and required efficiencies provide the balance,” Lurie added. “Auxiliary mandatory fees are also increased to cover additional costs. Auxiliary activities do not receive any State funds and are reliant on fees to support the program.”
There are other fees that an institution may charge, such as parking, lab fees, student teaching fees, but they differ by each institution.
“To determine the cost for housing, those are self-support areas and they propose the rate increases based on projected contract and mandatory expense increases,” Mattingly said.
Each campus submits a proposal for room and board increases to the USM Board of Regents to approve. “Room and board charges are approved annually by the Board of Regents for the upcoming academic year,” Lurie said.
“There is no set maximum a university can charge, but there are several factors that come into play when determining the appropriate charge and gaining approval,” said Lurie. “The USM with support from the governor and legislature work to minimize resident undergraduate tuition rate increases and affordability is an overreaching goal. Other factors include increased mandatory costs of the institution and/ or the specific academic program costs (medicine, law, etc.).”
Each campus submits a proposal for room and board increases to the USM Board of Regents to approve. “Room and board charges are approved annually by the Board of Regents for the upcoming academic year,” Lurie said.
“There is no set maximum a university can charge, but there are several factors that come into play when determining the appropriate charge and gaining approval,” said Lurie. “The USM with support from the governor and legislature work to minimize resident undergraduate tuition rate increases and affordability is an overreaching goal. Other factors include increased mandatory costs of the institution and/ or the specific academic program costs (medicine, law, etc.).”
Each college/university has mandatory fees that vary. Some of the mandatory fees that the majority of the schools in the USM chose to have are technology fees, auxiliary service fees, athletic and recreation fees, and student activity fees.
In 2017, there were 133,242 undergraduate students enrolled in the 11 schools in the University System of Maryland. Towson was ranked number three for the number of students having 19,596. University of Maryland, University College had 45,604, University of Maryland, College Park had 29,868.
“Costs increase annually, which require tuition and fees to increase,” said Lurie. “There are increased costs related to enrollment increases too, for example, additional full-time and part-time faculty costs, academic counselors, etc....Tuition revenue in the USM is used to support, those would include such things as instruction, libraries, information technology, academic counseling, financial aid, facilities, security, and other administrative costs."
In 2017, there were 133,242 undergraduate students enrolled in the 11 schools in the University System of Maryland. Towson was ranked number three for the number of students having 19,596. University of Maryland, University College had 45,604, University of Maryland, College Park had 29,868.
“Costs increase annually, which require tuition and fees to increase,” said Lurie. “There are increased costs related to enrollment increases too, for example, additional full-time and part-time faculty costs, academic counselors, etc....Tuition revenue in the USM is used to support, those would include such things as instruction, libraries, information technology, academic counseling, financial aid, facilities, security, and other administrative costs."
Even with fees increasing every year due to the cost of attendance increasing, Towson is still one of the cheaper schools to attend.
towson's Transfer student enrollment has grown steadily over the last Decade
By Eliza Yachimowicz
Sarah Sutherland, 20, has had quite a whirlwind year. She first transferred from the University of Maryland, College Park to Anne Arundel Community College for the fall 2017 semester. Then, Sutherland found her place at Towson University. She is one of 1,237 students who transferred to Towson for the 2018 spring semester.
“[Towson] is an overall good school," Sutherland said. "Liberal arts-wise, it has pretty much every range you can think of. It’s like every aspect: sports, clubs, student life, housing -- it all works so well together.”
Each year, Towson has seen a steady increase in the number of students transferring from other institutions around the country as well as Maryland community colleges. An analysis of institutional data found that since fall 2007, Towson has welcomed 34,211 transfer students.
Due to the fall semester being the typical time for many students to start school, there are usually significantly more transfers then than in the spring. However, both semesters have seen growth over the past decade. Transfer enrollment rates are up 50.4 percent since fall 2007, while spring transfer enrollment has increased 49.6 percent since spring 2008.
Many students transfer from Maryland community colleges, which contribute to more than half of Towson’s overall transfer population. Students who have transferred from community colleges for the fall semester have accounted for 58.1 percent of the overall fall transfer population since 2007. That is a 49.9 percent increase over the past 10 years. Students who have transferred in the spring have accounted for 50.7 percent of the overall spring transfer population since 2008. That is a 24 percent growth over the last 10 years.
So what motivates some of these students to choose Maryland community colleges as the first step in their higher education path?
“The community colleges in Maryland have a program where two years with a 3.0 [grade point average] can automatically get you into some of these schools. So people are going to choose Maryland, Towson, and UMBC,” said Yakob Tirfe, 21, a Montgomery College transfer.
Jennifer Ziegenfus, the associate director for recruitment in the Towson Admissions Office, also mentioned these programs that Towson has established with Maryland's community colleges. “We have a lot of transfer partnerships called 2 + 2’s where the student is advised on each course to take at the community college and is also prepared for the courses they will be taking at TU,” Ziegenfus said. “These partnerships continue to grow and allow students the ability to plan out their four years of college before stepping onto either college campus.”
So what motivates some of these students to choose Maryland community colleges as the first step in their higher education path?
“The community colleges in Maryland have a program where two years with a 3.0 [grade point average] can automatically get you into some of these schools. So people are going to choose Maryland, Towson, and UMBC,” said Yakob Tirfe, 21, a Montgomery College transfer.
Jennifer Ziegenfus, the associate director for recruitment in the Towson Admissions Office, also mentioned these programs that Towson has established with Maryland's community colleges. “We have a lot of transfer partnerships called 2 + 2’s where the student is advised on each course to take at the community college and is also prepared for the courses they will be taking at TU,” Ziegenfus said. “These partnerships continue to grow and allow students the ability to plan out their four years of college before stepping onto either college campus.”
Location, cost and familiarity are a few of the factors these Maryland community college students would consider when applying to Towson.
“As a whole, we are seeing more students choosing to begin at their local community college and then transferring after one year or after completing an associate’s degree," Ziegenfus said. "It’s an attractive option because this keeps the cost low for the student and they can receive advising at the community college on the classes that will transfer to institutions within the University System of Maryland."
But Towson also has some competition within the state of Maryland -- including other public institutions such as University of Maryland, College Park, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and Salisbury University. According to Ziegenfus, Towson has some advantages over its peers.
“Geography, cost and name recognition certainly play a factor," she said. "Many students have lived in Maryland a long time and are familiar with the school or know someone who has attended TU in the past. TU’s reputation is growing, both within the state and the Mid-Atlantic region. For that reason it’s no longer just a destination in Baltimore County, it’s a place to grow, live and learn.”
“As a whole, we are seeing more students choosing to begin at their local community college and then transferring after one year or after completing an associate’s degree," Ziegenfus said. "It’s an attractive option because this keeps the cost low for the student and they can receive advising at the community college on the classes that will transfer to institutions within the University System of Maryland."
But Towson also has some competition within the state of Maryland -- including other public institutions such as University of Maryland, College Park, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and Salisbury University. According to Ziegenfus, Towson has some advantages over its peers.
“Geography, cost and name recognition certainly play a factor," she said. "Many students have lived in Maryland a long time and are familiar with the school or know someone who has attended TU in the past. TU’s reputation is growing, both within the state and the Mid-Atlantic region. For that reason it’s no longer just a destination in Baltimore County, it’s a place to grow, live and learn.”
Transfer students have been particularly interested in learning math and science. Since fall 2007, these fields have seen a 131.6 percent increase in transfer student enrollment. This could be due in part to the American education system encouraging STEM-related activities in school and extracurriculars. Ziegenfus also mentioned that Towson has several strong STEM partnerships with some of Maryland’s community colleges.
“STEM isn’t just a nerdy thing now," Sutherland said. “Kids are actually interested in it and there are so many fields that are opening with [STEM]. You could do so much, and kids are really jumping on that.”
Since fall 2007, women accounted for 57.2 percent of the total transfer population. However, science and math remain underrepresented by the female transfer population. Since fall 2007, female transfer students entering into these STEM fields has increased by 110 percent. However, male transfer students has increased by 151 percent in this area. Spring does not fair any better in terms of the ratio.
"I want to say [it is] personality, obviously it depends on who you are, maybe more girls like the Liberal Arts," said Sutherland. "But then again, it is also the gender roles playing into that, you know women are always kind of seen in the art aspect and men in business and science. So you definitely see the contrast there."
"It could be lack of interest," said Tirfe. "But it could also be discouragement, just not feeling like they could form up to standards. Or maybe [they're] intimidated working in a male-dominated field. People underestimate [women], and maybe they take that to heart."
"In general, the gender gap still exists in STEM fields across the country, not exclusive to TU," said Ziegenfus.
"It could be lack of interest," said Tirfe. "But it could also be discouragement, just not feeling like they could form up to standards. Or maybe [they're] intimidated working in a male-dominated field. People underestimate [women], and maybe they take that to heart."
"In general, the gender gap still exists in STEM fields across the country, not exclusive to TU," said Ziegenfus.
a major shift: Towson students increasingly choose majors with high earning potential
By Ardajah Jones
Jayme Byrd thought she had it all figured out. Her plan was to come to Towson University and pursue a career working with professional athletes. After she completed her first semester of pre-athletic training, a harsh reality set in.
After looking at the requirements of the major and researching the career she found that getting a successful job in athletic training is not easy and the pay is not great unless you have years of experience under your belt.
“I was really passionate about athletic training when I first got to college because I did it in high school as an after-school activity,” Byrd said. “I loved working with the athletes because I got real hands-on experience in the field.”
The pressure to earn a decent living is on the minds of many first-year students. Trends across the county and at Towson show that many select majors that have high earning potential such as STEM majors and business administration. An analysis of five years of data on Towson first-year student majors found that students are decreasingly going into fields such as arts and education even though Towson has state-of-the-art arts buildings and was founded as a teacher's college. “Students often choose majors based on societal trends; business is popular because there are jobs in business,” said Vicki Cohen, interim director of the academic advising center at Towson University. “Students don’t come to college to learn as much, they come in hopes of getting a job.” From 2012 to 2017, College of Education enrollment decreased by 21 percent, with the most significant drop in in pre-elementary education and special education. The College of Health Professions is the most popular college (4,263 students) and the College of Liberal Arts comes in second (3,792 students). The College of Health Professions has grown by about 30 percent between 2012 and 2017. The Business and Economics college has increased to about 19 percent in that same time frame. In 2012, 1,175 students chose pre-business administration as their first major. Since then, the number of students has increased to 1,329 students in 2017. Pre-athletic training saw a spike in numbers between the years 2014 and 2015 with both years having 91 students. The total has since dropped to 59 students who chose this as their first major. “I never knew athletic training required so much science,” Byrd said. “I’ve never been too good at science so when I saw the course list I was like it’s time to think of another major.” Some of the issues Cohen said students come to her with is picking a major that fits them. “One thing we do is treat each student and their situation in a unique way," Cohen said. “Each student has different strengths and interests, so we try not to generalize." Cohen specifically works with freshmen, transfers and students who have an undeclared major, which Cohen calls “open majors” because it has a better connotation. Popularity in majors has a lot to do with societal trends at that time, said Cohen. “When CSI first came out we had a huge influx in criminal justice and forensic chemistry majors," Cohen said. "Students will see a popular TV show and say, ‘oh that looks interesting’ and want to take up a major in it without necessarily knowing exactly what goes into it." According to the National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary institutions produced 1.9 million bachelor's degrees in the 2015–16 school year. Of these degrees, six fields of study ranked highest in percentage: 19 percent or 372,000 degrees were in business, 12 percent, or 229,000 degrees were in health professions and related programs, 8 percent, or 161,000 degrees were in social sciences and history, 6 percent or 117,000 degrees were in psychology, 6 percent or 114,000 degrees were in biological and biomedical sciences, and 6 percent or 107,000 degrees were in engineering. Aside from engineering, these are the some of the most popular first major choices at Towson. A career in education, for many, is not as respected in comparison to lawyers, doctors or a successful business owner. A common sentiment among students is that educators do not make enough money. “There are just far more opportunities with a career in business,” Byrd said. Cohen said students typically change their major because they don’t know all the options available to them. If it were up to her, she said she would have everyone start off as an open major, take a few classes and then pick a major. In the years to come, Cohen said she does not predict a decrease in the number of STEM majors and hopes education will bump up because we need good teachers. The numbers lack in certain fine arts majors such as dance, pre-acting and music. “I don’t think it’s for lack of interest -- I think its fear of (un)employment,” Cohen said. |