The admissions process may seem like a remotely distant one for students currently enrolled at Penn State, but it is a serious issue for the university.

Yesterday's University Faculty Senate meeting underlined the importance of admission recruitment and enrollment in an informational report.

"The key here is that the whole university community needs to be engaged in the recruitment process," said John Romano, vice provost and dean for enrollment management.

According to the report, fall's enrollment decreased in comparison to past years. The report cited three forces affecting the admissions process: demographics, the increasing cost of attendance and competition.

Even though there is a stable, modestly increasing enrollment in higher education, some students are opting for community colleges instead, Romano said. With Penn State being the public university with the highest in-state tuition in the Big Ten, some students may even decide they are unable to afford college, he added.

In his address to the Senate, Penn State President Graham Spanier said the administration is working hard to keep tuition increases moderate.

Even though minority enrollment has increased by 42 percent since 1995, graduate, associate degree, adult learner and provisional enrollment has decreased.

"Higher education, especially in Pennsylvania, has entered a buyers' market," Romano said.

Students are looking for a "tuition discount," waiting for the best offer a university can make in terms of university-sponsored scholarships or grants, he said.

But there are things the university can do to increase enrollment recruitment and admissions such as recognizing the importance of grants and scholarships, campus visits, personalizing the admissions and requirement process and involving all campus constituents.

About 50,000 students apply every year -- "that's half the number we can fit into Beaver Stadium and we have to acquaint them to the university," Romano said.

Faculty Senate Chair Kim Steiner said the nature of the report was informational and there won't be any legislation resulting from it.

"It's good information for all faculty members to have and [information about] where we're likely going," he said.