Method: N/A
Analysis/Results: N/A
Conclusions:
Between 2010 and 2012, total enrollment in four-year public and private non-profit universities increased by more than 3 percent but enrollment in education degree programs declined significantly. Koenig (2014) cited several reasons for this decline including the (a) emergence of for-profit universities, (b) recent economic recession, (c) changing political climate, (d) emergence of alternative routes to teacher certification, and (e) seemingly negative public perception of the teaching profession. Though no formal published data exist, enrollment in U.S. PETE programs has declined as well, as indicated by the elimination of several in recent years. The future overall health and growth potential of U.S. PETE programs will likely be affected by a number of contextual changes within universities, including research-intensive, mid-level, and smaller universities. These include general trends such as the corporatization of universities, increased dependence on non-tenure track faculty and staff, requirements for faculty to secure external grant funding, demand for universities to show demonstrable impact on the pubic, and the manner in which marketing and recruitment of students is conducted. Based on these trends, possible recruitment strategies will be presented. In addition, symposium attendees will engage in: (a) seeking possible strategies and solutions for reversing the current enrollment trend, and (b) setting a research agenda for SHAPE America for regularly monitoring the status of PETE programs.