By WMBD-TV
NORMAL – Illinois State is set to begin the fall semester on August 21. The university is expecting an enrollment of 20,800 students.
At a Board of Trustees meeting on Friday, Interim President Aondover Tarhule said currently, the university has seen an increase of 3% in first-time students who have paid their deposit. There is a 5% increase in students who have paid a deposit and attended a preview.
“We’re super excited because that 3% percent represents a growth from last year’s class which was our largest in the last 35 years. So we’re excited about that freshman class,” said Jana Albrecht, Associate VP for Enrollment Management.
During his remarks at the meeting, Tarhule said nearly 39% of the incoming class comes from a racially diverse group. Albrecht said the university invested time into visiting high schools in racially diverse areas. She said they also formed partnerships with community groups for recruitment that included campus visits for high school students.
“So they get to come and have the experience. They get to walk the quad, they get to talk to our current students. I think that’s really been a positive experience and the reason we have grown in that area,” said Albrecht.
However, with the US Supreme Court’s decision on affirmative action and college admissions, Albrecht said there is some concern that future prospective students may feel unwanted.
“I think it’s important that all institutions are out there telling students that, ‘We want you here and this is a great place to be and here’s what we’re doing in different areas on campus,’” said Albrecht. “I think we definitely have to get the word out that this in no way means that you shouldn’t be going to college or that college isn’t the right place for you.”
Also at Friday’s meeting, Tarhule said that the retention rate is at approximately 80%.
“We’re a super friendly campus. Students can get involved in the classroom and with faculty. And they get involved on campus in other things outside of the classroom that are really important to them,” said Albrecht.
The transfer student population is about the same as last year. Albrecht said typically the incoming transfer student population ranges from 1,600 to 1,800 students.
“We’d love to grow that transfer population too. So, we’re looking at some ways we can do that in the future,” she said.
Tarhule announced that a ribbon cutting for ISU’s Mennonite College of Nursing Springfield location will be on August 18. The new location is opening in partnership with Memorial Health. Approximately 100 nursing students will be able to utilize the facility to complete their last two years of curriculum.
In June, there was a ribbon cutting for the nursing school’s simulation lab, which is expected to open in Fall 2024. The $18 million project is expected to increase enrollment by 400 students. Acting Provost and VP of Academic Affairs Ani Yazedjian said the lab is being built to help with the nursing demand in Illinois.
“We do have a simulation lab but it’s not big enough to accommodate the growth. So what we’re doing and the groundbreaking that happened recently was to build on to the existing simulation lab to expand the footprint, to allow us to accommodate those 400 additional students that are going to be here within the next four years,” she said.
The board also approved a resolution for a new M.S. in Physics degree. According to the resolution the program is expected to “enroll up to 10 students each year, with a total enrollment of 20 students at steady state.”
