University Reports Enrollment Increase, Freshman, Transfers Show Biggest Jump
KINGSVILLE (October 7, 2009) — The classrooms and residence halls at Texas A&M University-Kingsville are fuller this year as officials report an increase in enrollment and students living on campus.
Fall enrollment currently stands at 5,904 students compared to 5,698 for fall 2008. According to Manuel Lujan, vice president of enrollment management, the highest jump came in incoming freshmen and transfers from other colleges and universities. This semester’s freshman class is 15 percent bigger than last year’s, bringing freshman numbers to more than 1,100. Transfer students are up 12 percent from 2008.
Lujan said the enrollment increase is based on three factors—the economy, our new recruitment approach and changes taking place on campus.
“The economy impacted us,” he said. “When the economy is bad, it is not uncommon for individuals to turn to higher education to pick up new or additional job skills.”
“A powerful factor is simply our new recruitment approach that was implemented a few years ago that is producing more applications and enrollments for freshmen and transfers in particular. Changes in recruitment have resulted in increases in freshmen and transfers for the past two years,” he said.
The third factor, Lujan said, are the improvements being made on campus. “The new housing and the new recreation center have impacted our numbers. In addition to the academic reputation of a school, students also want to attend a school that is growing and succeeding. The new construction is a visible sign that the university is changing and moving in the right direction.”
One of the additions to which Lujan refers is the University Village, the new suite-style residence hall that opened on campus this semester. The new hall adds 600 beds to the 1,400 traditional residence hall beds that were already on campus.
About 400 are already occupied with another 200 ready for students in early November, said Tom Martin, director of university housing and residence life. Of the 1,670 students currently living in the university’s residence halls, he said, 975 are new students while 695 are returning students.
To accommodate more students living on campus, Sodexo, the on-campus food service contractor reopened the Turner-Bishop dining hall. This is in addition to the main dining hall, the Tejas Room, located in the Memorial Student Union Building. A new dining hall that will seat around 370 students will be built adjacent to University Village and should be ready next fall.
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