Northeastern State University Enrollment at All-Time High

TAHLEQUAH Enrollment records are falling in mass at Northeastern State University. Just five years shy of celebrating its centennial anniversary, NSU's 2004 enrollment of 9,850 students set a new all-time high for total enrollment and includes new records in three additional enrollment categories.

"We continue to deliver the most effective and affordable education in Oklahoma and each year, more and more students are finding out about what we have to offer," said NSU President Dr. Larry Williams. "Our three campuses allow us to meet the needs of a very diverse student body and each semester, we continue to adjust and add new programs that will assist our students in their efforts to accomplish their life and career goals."

The new enrollment record at Oklahoma's premier regional university equates to a 2.3 percent increase over last year and caps an incredible five-year expansion that has seen the student body increase by nearly 18 percent.

All-Time Freshmen High. Northeastern welcomed the largest freshman class in school history with 1,302 first-time students choosing to begin their college careers at the Tahlequah campus. This is fourth consecutive fall semester that NSU has experienced record freshman numbers.

"We are delighted that NSU has become a first-choice institution for a growing number of traditional-age students," said Bill Nowlin, NSU dean of Enrollment Management. "As we have attracted more students, we have also added several new programs such as our First-Year Experience, President's Leadership Class, and Learning Centered Communities, that have allowed us to also increase the number of students who have immediate success at the college level and make the choice to stay and complete their degrees."

Campus Increases. As preparations continue for NSU Broken Arrow's Phase II groundbreaking on October 7, 2004, more than 2,730 students are making good use of the current facilities. NSUBA leads all campus increases with a nearly 10 percent increase over one year ago. Phase I of Broken Arrow campus was opened in August of 2001 and was designed to accommodate up to 3,500 students. The $26 million campus expansion, made possible by Tulsa County's Vision 2025 program, will double the size of the campus by adding nearly 300,000 square feet of space and room for an additional 5,000 students.

In Tahlequah, Northeastern's main campus is also enjoying increased popularity with more than 7,580 students taking classes. This total is an all-time high and calculates to a more than two percent increase over last fall.

Over the past five years, NSU has experienced unprecedented growth as enrollment has climbed from 8,107 to this year's total of 9,850. This growth has come during a time of decreasing state allocations and increasing tuition costs. State allocations to the fourth-largest university in Oklahoma have been reduced by more than $4 million over the past three years while tuition has increased by nearly 29 percent. The tuition increase has offset nearly $1.5 million of the budget reduction; however, school officials have been forced to make up the difference through campuswide restructuring efforts.

Record Credit Hour Production. In addition to the increase in the total number of students, students at Northeastern are also carrying heavier course loads as evidenced by record-breaking credit hour production figures. This year, more than 114,436 hours will be logged in the fall semester.

"Over the last two years, Northeastern has made significant strides in organization restructuring," said Williams. "These changes have allowed us to meet the needs of a steadily growing student population despite state-wide budget reductions. Our fundamental responsibility remains to our students and to our responsibility to provide a dynamic, relevant, and affordable education. It is through their success and achievement that we earn our reputation as Oklahoma's premier regional university."