SEMO enrollment exceeds 10,000 for first time

A larger freshman class, more students enrolled in the four regional higher education centers and online courses contribute to the increase.

Southeast Missouri State University's enrollment topped 10,000 this fall, the highest number of students in the 132-year history of the school.

But school officials aren't celebrating loudly.

Dr. Dennis Holt, vice president of administration and enrollment management, said the focus isn't on numbers.

"Growth for growth's sake is not a goal," he said.

That's a change from 1996 when a previous administration at Southeast set a goal of reaching an enrollment of 10,300.

That changed in 2001 with a goal to better serve students and provide greater access to higher education in the region, school officials said.

"There's no goal to be a huge institution," said Holt. "So many of our students don't want to be lost in a large institution."

Art Wallhausen, associate to the president, said the university wants to keep small class sizes and provide personal attention to students.

School officials said that can't happen at a university with an enrollment of 20,000 students.

"We don't have enough space to double the size of the university," Holt said Thursday. "We have to remain an institution of manageable size."

School officials like the current enrollment level. "This is a healthy size for the university," Holt said.

School officials said they expect enrollment to level off in coming years. The number of high school graduates in Missouri is expected to decline in three or four years. That will mean the pool of potential college students will drop, Holt said.

Final numbers for the fall semester show a record enrollment of 10,292 graduate and undergraduate students, up from 9,618 a year ago.

Southeast has 8,968 undergraduate students, up 6 percent from last fall.

Holt credits the increase to a larger freshman class, more students enrolled in the four regional higher education centers and an increase in students taking online courses.

Southeast has 1,679 beginning freshmen, up nearly 12 percent from a year ago.

Students taking freshmen classes at four regional education centers account for 60 percent of the growth in the freshmen enrollment, Holt said.

Combined enrollment at the education centers in Sikeston, Malden, Kennett and Perryville totals 1,235 students, officials said.

Holt said online courses also are drawing more students. Southeast's curriculum includes 143 online courses this fall.

The university has more than 300 students taking solely online courses.

"The virtual campus is becoming a very important entity," Holt said.

Southeast has 1,324 graduate students, up 14.3 percent.

School officials said area school teachers, looking to better their careers with advanced degrees, account for many of the graduate students.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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