The challenges of a growing Baltimore university

By Travis Armbruster
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer

Towson University hosted its annual TU4U event over the weekend that gave admitted students the opportunity to check out the campus, culture, and academic life offered at Maryland’s fastest growing university.

This year’s freshman class had the most applicants in university history with 12,766 students, according to the TU Admissions Office. Nearly 3,000 of those applicants were enrolled in the 2018 Fall semester and by the looks of TU4U’s turnout this weekend, the class of 2023 might be just as big, if not bigger than the class of 2022.

“Everywhere I go, I know someone,” said Sara Durphy, a student ambassador. “It’s such a close-knit community and it’s easy to get to know new people as well. I feel at home here.”

As the student population continues to grow, university officials face a unique dilemma: allow Towson to become a big institution or a giant institution. This dilemma is juggled with the goal of maintaining the school’s 17:1 student-faculty ratio.

“Towson is becoming a popular school,” said Enrollment Manager Lauren Bottcher. “It’s popular in part because students don’t feel intimidated by the school’s size. Towson doesn’t have a very big campus, but over 22,000 students are currently enrolled here. That’s a lot of people.”

In 2015, Towson unveiled a nine-year plan that capped enrollment at 25,000 students by 2024 to prevent the “giant institution” title, according to The Baltimore Sun. Officials insisted that the student-faculty ratio allows students to create close relationships with their teachers and there is not much real estate left for the campus to continue expansion.

The commitment to capping enrollment is expected to cause growing pains in the future, officials said. As more students apply to Towson, more students will likely experience heartbreaking letters of denial, thus making the school more competitive.

Towson gets a great boost from US News’ Best College Rankings. Currently, Towson has a 77 percent acceptance rate, which is well over the 44 percent acceptance rate at the University of Maryland, College Park.

“Our campus is beautiful,” said Sophia Rampolla, also a student ambassador. “There is a lot of construction that goes on around here, meaning there’s always new buildings popping up. Last year, TU built a new gym with brand new equipment and an American Ninja Warrior obstacle course. I can even watch Netflix on the treadmills here!”

The university is currently in the process of constructing a new science complex set to open in the 2020 Fall semester. Towson also is expanding the University Union, which will offer Dunkin’ Donuts and a 300-seat movie theatre by the 2021 Fall semester.

“This place sounds like the perfect match for me,” said perspective student Danny Van Natta. “I want to find lifelong friends and get a great teaching job after graduation. Go Tigers!”