In front of business and higher education leaders on an October morning, Tarleton State University President James Hurley issued a warning: Pay attention to the universities outside Texas.
“They’re coming after the top 5 and 10% students,” Hurley said. “When we lose a student to an out-of-state institution, it’s much harder for us to attract them back to our state, in particular back to our region.”
Universities across much of the country are preparing for fewer students as falling births produce smaller high school classes. But that trend varies by region — and Texas and Florida face a steadier outlook than much of the country as two of only a few states where projected high school graduate numbers are increasing…