"We want to make sure they also know that UM is an excellent place to recommend to a student for higher education," Cole said.

Although UM has endured some administrative disorder in recent years, faculty have continued to produce research that draws international attention and many students excel in their fields. Bodnar recently noted, for example, business students have a pass rate on the CPA exam that's higher than any public university in the West.

In summer 2016, UM brought on its first vice president for enrollment and, last fall, the campus bumped up freshmen numbers by a hair, some 24 students, although overall enrollment fell. Last semester, though, Bodnar did not renew the contract for Tom Crady, the enrollment vice president, and announced a restructure that combined oversight of enrollment and communications.

This year, the flagship anticipates a drop of 69 freshmen, although the count is preliminary. But UM had lost on average 104 freshman a year from 2011 to 2017, so the expected decline this fall is not as pronounced as it could have been.

UM had projected an overall enrollment drop and Cole said this week the total decrease could have been steeper. The preliminary count puts the decline this fall at 634, with final numbers to be released later in the semester.

"Through heroic efforts here on campus, that number is much less than what we thought it was going to be," Cole said. "We still do have a deficit. We know we have work to do, and that's why I'm here."

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