ATU-Ozark enrollment up, UAFS down

Spring enrollment at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith is down 2.5% and enrollment at Arkansas Tech University-Ozark Campus is up more than 17%.

UAFS officials reported Tuesday (Jan. 31) that 6,722 students enrolled for the 2012 spring semester, with a full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment of 5,326. The FTE figure is the school’s second largest spring enrollment, according to UAFS. Spring 2011 FTE enrollment was 5,464, and headcount enrollment was 7,058.

UAFS officials say that despite the enrollment decline, retention, student class load and graduation rates have shown improvement. The number of credits taken by junior- and senior-level students is up almost 7%, with an increase of 3% among continuing students returning to the UAFS campus.

“These increases continue to demonstrate the importance of the University’s retention efforts, with advising and academic early alert programs playing an important role in this overall retention effort,” said Dr. Ray Wallace, provost and senior vice chancellor.

Wallace said the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences had their largest enrollment ever.

Wallace also noted the rise in graduation rates.

“Last year’s annual count of bachelor’s degrees awarded increased from 419 graduates to 531, a 27 percent increase,” said Wallace. “Already this year, the University has experienced an increase of 24 percent over last year at this time and should expect the annual upward trend to continue.”
 
The University also noted a 29% increase in its international student population and also increases in the numbers of out-of-state students and Western Arkansas Technical Center (WATC) students.

Penny Pendleton, dean of enrollment management, said the Admission and School Relations Office is recruiting high school, transfer and adult students. Pendleton said students that have applied and have been admitted are up 15% for the fall 2012 term.

ATU-OZARK
Spring enrollment at ATU-Ozark is 1,651, up 17.4% from 2011, which saw an enrollment of 1,406, and 36% since 2010, which had 1,210 students. All three figures have been spring-enrollment records for the campus.

“Arkansas Tech University-Ozark campus continues to fulfill its mission of providing quality education to the people of the River Valley. It is my belief that this commitment to access continues to allow this campus to grow each year,” said Richard Harris, chief student officer.

The fall 2011 semester also was a record enrollment for Arkansas Tech-Ozark – up almost 500% since 2003, when it joined the Arkansas Tech University family.

Arkansas Tech-Ozark has expanded program offerings with the addition of the Arkansas Tech Career Center in Russellville and its Health Information Technology and Viticulture programs, as well as the newly-approved Registered Nurse program.