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By the numbers

•ISU has a total student head count of 11,494, a more than 9 percent increase from the fall 2009 enrollment of 10,534. That’s an increase of 960 students.
• The number of new transfer students, 790, and new graduate students, 499, also rose.
• New students joined 7,498 existing students who returned this fall, a 3 percent increase from 2009.
• Graduate student enrollment stands at 2,121 and is also a record.

Related Photos

  • The Indiana State University class of 2014 is the largest group of incoming freshman in its history.

    2014.jpg

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September 1, 2010

ISU sees 33 percent increase in new, first-time freshmen

Veep for enrollment: It’s largest entering freshman class in university history

Sue Loughlin The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — Indiana State University’s enrollment has increased by nearly 1,000 students this fall, ISU officials reported Wednesday.

Much of that is the result of a 33 percent increase in new, first-time freshmen. As of Wednesday, ISU had enrolled 2,707 new freshmen, an increase of 672 over last fall. “That’s pretty dramatic,” said John Beacon, vice president for enrollment management, marketing and communications.

It’s the largest entering freshman class in university history, he said.

The university has a total student head count of 11,494, a more than 9 percent increase from the fall 2009 enrollment of 10,534. That’s an increase of 960 students.

Growth occurred at many levels.

The number of new transfer students, 790, and new graduate students, 499, also rose.

New students joined 7,498 existing students who returned to Indiana State this fall, a 3 percent increase from 2009. Graduate student enrollment stands at 2,121 and is a new record.

“We think it’s a sign we’re doing good things,” said ISU President Dan Bradley. “It’s the result of a multiyear effort led by our recruiting staff, but it also involved an awful lot of people all over campus.”

Geographic highlights for ISU this fall include Marion County, which sent 404 new students to Terre Haute, up from 243 last year, and Illinois, with 271 new students enrolled this fall, up from 120 last year. Growth in Illinois is likely due to more aggressive recruiting in the development of secondary markets such as the Chicago metropolitan area, Beacon said.

Beacon sent out an e-mail to colleagues on campus thanking them for their efforts to help recruit and retain students. “None of this would have been possible were it not for the tireless and creative efforts of so many of you across campus,” he wrote.

He also believes “there is a pride on this campus that has got momentum going.”

While the university community is celebrating this year’s enrollment gains, work is already under way to recruit next year’s freshmen, the class of 2015.

Beacon expects the competition for students to be even more intense. “We have made our mark across the state,” he wrote. While ISU in the past “may have been underestimated by the competition, I don’t think they will make that mistake again. I am convinced we will need to work even harder and smarter than we have this year.”

ISU wants enrollment growth, but not at the same rate. “We can’t sustain this kind of growth next year,” Beacon said.

He is concerned about ensuring the university delivers what it has pledged to its new students. “First and foremost, we have an obligation to every student we bring into this university to provide the quality education they expect to receive,” he said.

ISU will be watching new applications closely, particularly at the conclusion of “College Go! Week,” from Sept. 20-24, when ISU will waive its normal application fee for high school seniors. “College Go! Week” is a statewide initiative in which other colleges also participate.

If this year’s growth trend appears to continue for fall 2011, ISU may have to take steps to manage and control that growth, Beacon said.

Bradley suggested ISU could handle the same size freshman class next year, “but would we want a bigger freshman class next year? Probably not.”

Campus housing is full and ISU had to take several measures to accommodate the growth. Single rooms were converted to doubles, and to provide more rooms for freshmen on campus, Residential Life arranged alternative housing for some upperclassmen at Candlewood Suites Extended Stay Hotel.

The goal was to make sure every freshman (non-commuter) had a room on campus, Beacon said.

Additional adjunct faculty have been hired to ensure students have the classes they need.

Bradley said ISU realized in June during student orientations that the large enrollment gains were going to materialize this fall, “so we had enough time to prepare for it.”

The additional students are undoubtedly good for many Terre Haute businesses. Troy Wilkinson, barista at The Coffee Grounds, 423 Wabash Ave., said he’s seeing a lot of new faces. “The more students coming, the more they’ll be buying stuff,” he said.

Next door, Smoke N’ Peace — a hookah bar — is seeing a lot of student business, said manager Ben Christjansen. It also sells clothing, incense and old records.

“It’s a place where people can meet and a way for students to break the ice,” he said.

Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@tribstar.com.

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