NSU Boasts Largest Freshmen Enrollment in Its History

The largest freshman class in the history of Northeastern State University highlights the flourishing enrollment picture at the state's fourth-largest University. As classes began on campuses in Tahlequah, Muskogee, and Broken Arrow on August 20, NSU was enjoying a substantial increase in enrollment.

In Tahlequah, more than 6,800 students were enrolled in classes on the main campus with an additional 2,000 students expected to attended classes in the Tulsa area, either at the new Broken Arrow campus or in NSU classes on the OSU-Tulsa campus. Also, with the recent addition of the Mike Synar Center to the Muskogee campus, all three NSU campuses are experiencing tremendous growth. These numbers indicate healthy increases from a year ago, meaning NSU's overall enrollment will approach 8,700, the highest total since 1996 and a dramatic improvement from the 15-year low in 1999 of 8,121.

"We made some important and dramatic changes in our enrollment and retention programs in an effort to position the University as a place that not only attracts great students, but also offers an atmosphere where they can succeed," said Dr. Larry Williams, NSU President. "Over the past three years our enrollment management team has brought in two all-time record freshmen classes and also increased our retention rate by more than 10 percent."

The 2001 fall freshman class, over 1,100 strong, also includes the highest number of 30 plus ACT students in the history of the University.

"The changes we have made have been significant from a student's perspective," said Bill Nowlin, Dean of Enrollment Management. "Not only are the processes for enrollment and financial aid more student friendly, but the faculty and staff of the University have also become very focused on the total freshman experience. We realize how important it is for our new students to feel welcome and comfortable if they are going to succeed in the classrooms."

As a result of the enrollment trend, dormitories on the Tahlequah campus are nearly bursting with students. "We have over 1,500 students living on campus," said Ken Caughman, Housing Director at NSU. "We haven't seen this many students since 1987. This summer, we had to renovate some of our single rooms back to double rooms to handle the demand." Caughman added that while the majority of students staying on campus are new, the number of returning students is also at a record level.

NSU's Broken Arrow campus has seen enrollment soar past expectations with more than 1,200 students scheduled to take classes in the first of three buildings to be completed on the new campus. "With only one building complete and the new highway still a month or two away, we set our goal for the BA campus at 1,000 students," said Williams. "The excitement and enthusiasm of the Broken Arrow students and the entire community has really been astounding."

With 40 percent of NSU's Tulsa-based programs still located on the OSU-Tulsa campus as a part of the year-long transition to the Broken Arrow campus, NSU's enrollment on the North Tulsa campus has remained strong with more than 840 students, which accounts for over 35 percent of the OSU-Tulsa student population. "It is clear that Tulsa and the surrounding communities need the kind of focused, high-quality, affordable higher-education that Northeastern is able to provide," added Williams. "When that is added to the strong partnerships that we have with Tulsa Community College and Tulsa Technology Center, students of all ages have a very unique opportunity to find the appropriate degree program that meets their needs."

Williams explained that enrollment figures are preliminary at this point and predicted that they would continue to rise as enrollment at all of NSU's campuses will remain open until Friday, August 24.

Published: 2001-09-01 00:00:00