University of Missouri system considers capping enrollment - Tim Barker, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

The problem facing the school — and the rest of the UM system — is that teaching resources are not keeping pace with the growth of the student population. Leaders worry the imbalance will eventually degrade the quality of the education provided. And they acknowledged last month that it could force them to alter an admissions policy that, in general, accepts every applicant who meets entrance requirements. "You can't have unlimited enrollment growth at the same time that you have chronic reductions in state support. That's just a business model that can't be sustained forever," said Warren Erdman, chairman of the Board of Curators. It's a problem that's not limited to Missouri and one that's not likely to go away anytime soon. So it's no surprise, industry observers say, that caps have been enacted, or are being considered, in a wide range of states, including California, North Carolina, Kentucky, Georgia, Florida and Nevada.