Dillard University's rows of live oaks trees is a signature of the campus, and graduates walk between them at every graduation (Kenneth Hawkins/NYT Institute)

Construction on Dillard's campus is constant as the university builds facilities both to improve the visual appeal of the campus and to increase the number of enrolled students. (Kenneth Hawkins/NYT Institute)

Four years after levees broke less than a mile from Dillard University’s campus, submerging it under six feet of water and causing nearly $350 million in damages, university officials said they are still trying to put all the pieces back together.

Revenue has dried up, student enrollment has plummeted and the university faces the possibility that it might lose its accreditation over concerns about  its financial recordkeeping.

While much of the physical damage has been repaired, the university has struggled to lift its enrollment to pre-Katrina numbers. And while the number of applications submitted has spiked from a year ago, the university said it has seen continued declines in student enrollment.

David Taylor, Dillard’s provost and vice president of academic affairs, cited various reasons for the limited enrollment. He said there is less financial aid available, limited housing and a perception that the Gentilly neighborhood, where the university is located, has yet to recover from the hurricane.

In fall 2003, some 2,092 students were enrolled at the school. But last year enrollment had slipped to 851, a decline of about 59 percent, university officials said.

Dillard University is excitedly awaiting the opening of the new science building in the fall. The new building is a way to enhance education and increase enrollment. (Kenneth Hawkins/NYT Institute)

Student retention is also dropping.

“Students will be advised on a regular basis in a process that is substantive to track academic progress,” Toya Barnes-Teamer, Ph.D., vice president for student success, said of efforts to combat student attrition.  The administration said it will focus on ensuring that students maintain appropriate grade-point averages, enroll in the required courses for graduation, and receive counseling.

Following the damages left by the hurricane and flooding, the university basically had to rebuild from scratch, Taylor said.

“All of our records and files were destroyed,” Taylor said. “There was a collective amnesia on campus and we had to put the procedures and policies back together.”

With less resources, the university had to lay off staff members and eliminate programs. The university’s revenues have been sliced in half, and it relies on gifts, grants and tuition to pay salaries, university officials said.

The number of students receiving substantial financial aid has decreased.

University officials said that a majority of students registered for the spring 2009 semester are paying the full tuition, and that the university provided no student with more than 15 percent of their  yearly costs. In previous years, students could receive aid upward of 30 percent.

In order to bring in revenue and make up for the losses in enrollment, the university is enhancing its evening and summer school programs and exploring distance learning and graduate programs.

Part of the recruitment effort includes rebuilding the campus. Every building on the campus, with the exception of two residence halls, has been restored, university officials said. A $168 million loan from the government has allowed the university to move forward with future renovations.

While flooding ravaged the campus, it also afforded the school an opportunity to rebuild and “fuse the historical buildings with 21^st-century facilities,” Taylor said. The renovations and new construction include a science and professional schools building and a new student union, recreation, health and wellness center.

The 55,000-square-foot  center  will house a movie theater, bowling alley, fitness center and a conference center. Officials said the facilities will be open to the public.

Amid the myriad struggles to rebuild its campus, Dillard is fighting to maintain its accreditation after the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools placed it on probation last year.

Dillard was cited in June 2008 because it failed to submit requested financial audits.

“The institution was required to submit an interim report because the commission was concerned with their finances,” said Tom Bernberg, the commission’s chief of staff. “The accreditation status is impacted by the university’s noncompliance with the standards.”

Dillard said it has taken steps to become compliant, including restructuring its business and finance department, and implementing systems and internal controls to rectify the deficiency in the management.

Taylor has said that the university has submitted its audits and the necessary documents to the commission, and is now awaiting the on-site visit from their team. A visit is scheduled for June. And depending on what the team finds, the university could be taken off probation, remain on probation or lose its accreditation.