SEMO FALL ENROLLMENT OF 8,869 HIGHEST SINCE '85

Southeast Missouri State University experienced its largest fall enrollment in 14 years.

After four weeks of classes, Southeast's enrollment stands at 8,869 students. The university hasn't had that many students enrolled in classes since 1985 when enrollment stood at 9,058.

School officials said enrollment is up 4.4 percent from a year ago. Students have enrolled in classes totaling 98,260 credit hours, a 1.9 percent hike in credit-hour enrollment.

Graduate school enrollment stands at 1,389 students, up 32.9 percent from last fall and 56.4 percent from fall 1997.

Southeast has 7,480 undergraduate students, up fewer than 1 percent from a year ago.

The university has 1,509 beginning freshmen, a jump of 11 percent from a year ago. Southeast also has 750 returning freshmen, up 6 percent.

Sophomore enrollment stands at 1,402, up 1 percent.

Southeast has 1,394 juniors, 8 percent fewer than a year ago. The number of seniors dropped 2 percent to 1,821.

"It is outstanding news," said Dr. Ken Dobbins, Southeast's president.

The enrollment picture has changed dramatically in the past five years. In fall 1994, total enrollment stood at 7,925. Today, Southeast has nearly 1,000 more students.

"That is a big switch," said Dobbins.

The president credits Southeast's enrollment boost partly to the university's development of outreach centers. "We had record enrollments at Kennett, Malden and Sikeston," said Dobbins.

The higher-education centers in those three cities offer courses provided by both Southeast and Three Rivers Community College at Poplar Bluff.

Dobbins said several hundred students are enrolled in Southeast classes at those three centers combined.

"We are now providing more opportunities for higher education in Southeast Missouri," he said.

Besides the higher-education centers, Southeast also is offering courses via interactive television and the Internet.

The enrollment boost has been sparked by a hike in the number of beginning freshmen and graduate students.

"We have added more graduate programs obviously, and our reputation is out there," Dobbins said.

The boost in the number of beginning freshmen makes the future look bright, he said. "That means we are building the base for our enrollment at the undergraduate level," the president said.

Dobbins said the university's academic programs are a good draw. Physical improvements to the campus also have helped attract students, said Dobbins.

Regent Doyle Privett of Kennett said he had doubts a few years ago that the university's enrollment goal of 10,000 students could be reached. Today, he believes that goal is possible.

But Dobbins isn't ready to commit to that goal. The university plans to update its strategic plan. The 10,000-student goal may change.

"I think as we go through the strategic planning process we will come up with a figure we feel we can attain in the next four to five years," Dobbins said.