Freshman enrollment exceeds 4,000

By ANYA ZENTMEYER

Updated: September 9, 2012, 7:04 PM

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Grand Valley State University hit another benchmark last week with this year’s freshman class – a total of 4,005 freshman enrolled for fall of 2012, a 1.2 percent increase compared to last year’s total of 3,927.

The total fall headcount, however, remained relatively steady since last fall, with only a marginal eight-person drop from 24,662 total students in 2011 to this fall’s total of 24,654 students.

“I can put it this way – we hit all of our strategic goals for enrollment and some we passed,” said GVSU President Thomas J. Haas. “ One of those was passing 4,000 first-time freshman at 4,005. “

While undergraduate enrollment totaled at 21,317 for this fall – up 81 people from last years’ total – graduate student enrollment dipped down by 89 total students, going from 3,426 graduate students in fall of 2011 to 3,337 total graduate students enrolled for the fall 2012 semester.

Minority representation and enrollment numbers for this fall saw a .9 percent increase from last year, with 3,581 unduplicated minorities enrolled, making up 14.5 percent of the total student body this fall.

“And the last part that I’m absolutely thrilled with is the increase year over year from 13.6 percent to 14.5 percent in our minority representation in the student population both at the graduate and the undergraduate level,” Haas said. “So I am very, very pleased with the work and effort of so many people put in through the summer and before the summer…”

The increased enrollment has caused minor ripple effects in the university’s on-campus housing, pushing some freshman from traditional freshman dorms into on-campus apartment complexes like South Apartments, Laker Village and the Ravines.

Despite a few places where enrollment dipped, Haas said he’s happy with enrollment numbers and the people who helped to turn them out.

“One group that I would like to point out is our students who helped out with orientation,” Haas said. “I think they proved to be outstanding role models for the incoming freshman and I think that helped dramatically.”

Haas issued a report on Sept. 4 detailing the university’s goals for the upcoming year, among which included ensuring academic programs are accessible for today’s students, improving facilities and opening new learning environments, becoming aggressive in student recruitment and retention and broadening the donor base and capitalizing on the new “Laker for a Lifetime” campaign.

“The ground is shifting significantly in the national conversation about higher education and its value in today’s society,” Haas wrote in his report. “In spite of the many financial and cultural pressures we are experiencing, Grand Valley will continue to be smart and nimble enough to serve our students and ensure a stable future in which we will survive.”

To view Haas’ full accountability and dashboard reports, visit www.gvsu.edu/accountability.

To view the university’s 2010-2015 Strategic Plan, visit www.gvsu.edu/strategicplanning/.

editorial@lanthorn.com

Published September 9, 2012 News, PageOne