“We
planned for
and
welcome the increase in enrollment. So
long as we meet
the needs of the students who enroll, I think we can continue
to achieve our enrollment goals.”
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--
George Dennison
UM president
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|
Another
semester, another
record enrollment for UM
The University
of Montana once again shattered all spring semester enrollment records
with a 2.9 percent increase in the number of students attending the
Missoula campus for the second half of the 2003-04 academic year.
A total of 12,998 students are enrolled in classes, an increase of
372 over the 2003 spring semester headcount of 12,626.
In addition, full-time equivalents (FTE) rose 1.6 percent for a total
of 11,072 this year, compared with last spring’s 10,897. An
FTE represents 15 undergraduate or 12 graduate semester credits.
The spring record-breaker comes on the tail of an all-time high enrollment
of 13,352 students during fall semester 2003. Spring semester headcount
traditionally is lower than in the fall.
Registrar Phil Bain said the increases this semester are scattered
throughout all areas of campus, with the largest jump at the doctoral
level.
For UM President George Dennison, that is good news.
“We planned for and welcome the increase in enrollment,”
Dennison said. “I find it especially satisfying that we achieved
the institutional goal of attracting and retaining more doctoral students.
So long as we meet the needs of the students who enroll, I think we
can continue to achieve our enrollment goals.”
The number of Montana residents attending UM increased by 366 this
semester over last year, and the number of students from other states
participating in the Western Undergraduate Exchange program increased
by 145. While the overall enrollment picture is encouraging, Dennison
expressed concern about a decrease of 139 in the number of nonresident
students.
“Nonresident enrollments have declined over the last few years,
and we had projected a continuance of this trend because of the numbers
for fall semester 2003,” Dennison said. “Our analysis
suggests that the state of the economy exerted a considerable impact
during this period. As the economic picture brightens, we have initiated
new recruitment efforts for next year that rest solidly on the analyses
we have done of potential student markets.”
In addition, Dennison said, “We will implement fully the plan
to maintain and enhance the quality and responsiveness of our programs.”
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