Long time lurker, second time poster, MSU alum for full disclosure.
Aside from the predictable contradiction from PR, U of M obviously has a serious recruiting problem (among potentially others pointed out: unionized faculty "doing time" and not adjusting to reality, tenure, degrees with questionable value, etc.). It's well known among parents of college age kids in MT who are pissed if they're UM alum, sadly giddy if MSU alum.
The no-longer-new U of M President should have fixed that issue asap if only for the children of alumni. U of M obviously has passionate alumni. Several are good friends of mine from high school who can't stand that their kids chose MSU over U of M, these kids for the most part couldn't care less where their parents went, and don't want to attend a school with a perception that it's failing. For kids about to graduate from high school, perception is reality. My guess with respect to recruitment and welcoming students is that Bodnar's hands are tied by classified/union staff that have no incentive to change the culture and perception. That's a total guess with zero data to back it up, but what else could it be? Bodnar's qualifications seem solid, but he's been at U of M for long enough and his performance should at least be questioned. If his performance matches other liberal arts universities, my opinion is he gets a pass, pat on the back and maybe a free U of M cardigan for holding it together while adjustments are made: honestly not an easy task. If not, Regents should start performance-based measures if he wants to stay. Another leadership change will obviously look awful and create even more enrollment decline though - and frankly might not have any positive impact on enrollment in the long run.
Directly related: I always look forward to the highly prepared press releases from U of M's PR group after enrollment comes out, then Lee Newspapers licking it up with "flagship" mentioned as many times as possible. MSU's aren't quite as bad, but that's most likely my bias. Keep wondering what good news shtick will be in the next press release. We should start a new thread with material for UM PR (Public Relations, not Player Rep). I'll start, you're welcome "U of M is excited about the dramatic increase in freshmen enrollment of students of Slavic descent. Our Slavic descended student population has increased 32% since 1983! President Bodnar received a plaque from the North West US Slavic Descendant's Baking and Costume Club recognizing this achievement! All 12 UM students who pay attention to their Slavic descent are thinking of having a quarterly meeting...."