ATU-Ozark enrollment tops 2,000

For the eighth consecutive year, Arkansas Tech University-Ozark Campus set an enrollment record. And, for the first time in its history, Arkansas Tech-Ozark has a fall enrollment of more than 2,000 students.

With a preliminary enrollment of 2,033 students this semester, Arkansas Tech-Ozark has increased its enrollment by 562 percent since 2003, when it joined the Arkansas Tech University family.

Enrollment for both campuses totaled 10,972 with the main campus in Russellville enrolling 8,939 students this fall, giving it an unprecedented streak of 14 consecutive years of record enrollments.

Fall 2012 enrollment figures became official at the end of Thursday, the 11th day of classes for the semester. Arkansas Tech-Ozark had a fall 2011 enrollment of 1,802, which gives the campus a 12% increase this year – up nearly 25% since fall 2010.
 
“Our campus has surpassed the 2,000 mark, yet we retain all the hallmarks of a smaller institution: low faculty-to-student ratios, affordable tuition and strong job-placement rates,” said ATU-Ozark Chancellor Jo Alice Blondin. “Regardless of our growth, student success will always be our focus.”

Over the past year, ATU-Ozark has expanded its program offerings, now providing associate’s degrees in registered nursing, human services, occupational therapy and general studies, as well as additional options for its business technology (supply chain management) and industrial control systems (energy studies) programs.
 
Richard Harris, chief student officer, said, “Our staff and faculty work day in and day out to ensure our students receive the quality learning environment they deserve – and the region has to come to expect from the Ozark Campus – and I think our continued growth is a reflection of that.”