SOUTHEAST ENROLLMENT SHOWS DROP

Southeast Missouri State University has 72 fewer students enrolled spring semester than it did the first day last spring.

School officials, however, expect to see higher enrollment figures by the fourth week of classes as occurred last spring semester.

The combined headcount for graduate and undergraduate students stood at 7,605 on the first day of classes Tuesday compared to 7,677 a year ago.

Undergraduate enrollment was 6,822, up 107 students from a year ago. The increase resulted from a higher sophomore enrollment, school officials said Wednesday.

Graduate student enrollment declined. Southeast had 871 graduate students enrolled, down 84 from last year's 955.

School officials expect late enrollments will boost the number of graduate students.

"My guess is it will be OK," said Art Wallhausen, assistant to the president. Wallhausen said spring enrollment has been climbing.

Final spring enrollment last year was 8,524, up nearly 400 from spring 1999. That occurred even though the university had 79 fewer students enrolled in classes on the first day of the semester compared to the 1999 spring semester.

Dr. Pauline Fox, vice president for administration and enrollment management, said graduate student enrollment increased by 40 percent from the first day of classes to the census taken after the fourth week of the spring 2000 semester.

Fox said she doesn't put much stock in first-day enrollment.

"That doesn't surprise me or concern me at this point," she said. "First-day enrollment is always very erratic."

Southeast had 1,465 sophomores enrolled in classes Tuesday, up from 1,316 a year ago.

The university suffered slight enrollment declines in beginning and returning freshmen, juniors and seniors.

Southeast had 119 beginning freshmen, down five from a year ago; 1,567 returning freshmen, down 56; 1,374 juniors, down 10; and 1,819 seniors, down 54 from last spring.