For the first time in many years, the spring semester enrollment at the University of Memphis has increased, according to early data released by David Rudd, U of M president.
A quick summary report from Rudd showed a 1.6 percent gain in total enrollment. The University normally experiences about a 3 percent reduction during the spring semester, according to an email sent from Rudd to the campus community.
“Given our increase in graduation numbers, coupled with several years of smaller freshmen enrollment, these numbers are encouraging,” Rudd said in the email.
For some, this number may seem like just a small increase, but vice provost of enrollment services Steve McKellips said, for those that look at enrollment numbers all the time, it is a big deal.
“It would be really easy to say ‘boy, that seems like a small number,’” McKellips said. “But I would say, in the spirit of enrollment, a 1 percent gain in one year is very significant.”
The spring 2016 semester saw a 53 percent increase in new freshmen, according to Rudd. Spring 2015 saw 114 new freshmen, and spring 2016 saw 175. Spring 2015 had 567 new transfers while Spring 2016 saw 700 – a 23 percent increase, according to Rudd’s email.
“This is the largest number of freshmen and the largest number of transfers that we’ve had in the last five springs,” McKellips said. “We’re really excited about it.”
These results are the efforts of many U of M employees pulling more than just their own weight, McKellips said.
“There’s a whole cavalry of people who have worked really, really hard,” he said. “From academic and faculty advisors to processing, travel and recruitment staff, as well as administrative and financial aid - there’s a lot of players that are involved in making that happen.”
Such work includes processing applications and credit evaluations during regular fall recruitment.
“Our recruitment team travels throughout the year to community colleges and to high schools,” McKellips said. “Most freshman enrollment comes in the fall so we’re working with people who couldn’t choose to come in the fall for whatever reason.”
McKellips was optimistic about the numbers President Rudd shared Wednesday and in the future of the University.
“We were down in the fall in comparison to last year,” McKellips said. “To turn around and be up in the spring, we are certainly hopeful that’s a turn back to the right direction.”
