Stephen F. Austin State University

NACOGDOCHES-More first-time and freshmen students are attending Stephen F. Austin State University this summer than a year ago, according to fourth-class day figures released today.

For summer 1, SFA enrolled 119 first-time students, a 22.7 percent increase from 97 first-time students in summer 1 2005. First-time students are defined as undergraduates entering college for the first time after high school graduation.

This semester 429 freshmen are enrolled, a 4.1 percent increase from 412 in summer 1 2005.

  While it is too early to know what our enrollment will be for fall, the increases in first-time students are in line with the interest in SFA that we are seeing for fall, said Monique Cossich, executive director of enrollment management. We had record numbers of prospective students and parents attending Showcase Saturday this spring, and the numbers attending orientation this summer are up considerably as well.

Diversity also continues to increase with the number of American Indians, Asian/Pacific Islanders, Hispanics and international students all up this semester over a year ago.

The number of international students taking classes at SFA this summer is 65, up 10.2 percent from 59 in summer 1 2005.  Dr. Daniel Norton, director of international programs, attributed that increase to more international recruiting travel last fall and this spring.

This is leading to a growing recognition of the high quality and excellent value of the undergraduate and graduate programs here at SFA, Norton said.

International study programs offered to SFA students also were primarily responsible for a 10.1 percent increase in undergraduate enrollment in the College of Fine Arts, said  Dr. Richard Berry, dean. Fine Arts enrolled 218 undergraduates in summer 1 compared to 198 a year ago. The college offered art courses in drawing and photography in Italy and a theater course in Irish studies in Dublin, he said.

We' re not only pleased with the increase in number of undergraduates taking courses in Fine Arts this semester, Berry said, but we' re also pleased that students, on average, are taking more hours.

The College of Forestry and Agriculture registered increases in both undergraduate and graduate students. In summer 1, 156 undergraduates are enrolled, up 9.1 percent from 143 in summer 1 2005. Graduate students in the college increased to 44, up 4.8 percent from 42 the same semester in 2005.

Dr. Scott Beasley, dean of forestry and agriculture, attributed the increase in undergraduates to a normal fluctuation in summer enrollment. Last summer, the college had 18 students enrolled in a forestry field station course and anticipated the larger number of 34 this summer.

All of forestry' s graduate programs, including the online Master of Science in resource interpretation in conjunction with the National Park Service, are attracting more students, Beasley said.

We' re spending more time trying to get grants to be able to pay more graduate students a stipend, he said. That' s how research ties in nicely with enrollment management.

The College of Applied Arts and Sciences also saw the number of graduate students increase to 52 in summer 1, up 15.6 percent from 45 the year prior. Dr. James Standley, dean, credited the increase to targeted recruiting by the Master of Social Work program and off-campus courses offered in Beaumont for students' convenience.

The university' s overall enrollment for summer 1 was 4,624, down 4.5 percent from 4,844 students in summer 1 2005. The number of undergraduates was 3,606, down 3.3 percent from 3,729 the year prior.

The number of students seeking a doctoral degree was 53, a 15.2 percent increase from summer 1 last year. However, decreases in students classified as either post-undergraduates and post-graduates led to 1,018 graduate students enrolled for summer 1, an 8.7 percent decrease from 1,115 a year ago.

Jobs are up; the economy' s good: All that plays into graduate enrollment, said Dr. David Jeffrey, associate vice president for graduate studies and research. Often we lose graduate students to jobs.