A quickening enrollment growth at Southern Utah University has pushed the number of students attending this fall to a record 5,026.
This quarter is the first time that SUU has enrolled more than 5,000 students.The 1994 total "head count" figure represents an increase of 9.5 percent over the fall quarter 1993 enrollment of 4,592 and an increase of 434 students. The growth from fall quarter 1992 to fall 1993 was at a slower 3.6 percent rate.
"We apparently must be doing something right to continue to attract increasing numbers of students," Gerald R. Sherratt, SUU president, said. "While we are pleased with our growth, that same growth does put additional pressure on our faculty, staff and facilities.
With the exception of sophomores, there are more students in every class category this year than during fall quarter of 1993. The sophomore class is down by three students (696 this year, 699 last fall). First time freshmen are up by 59, advanced freshmen by 306, juniors by 45, seniors by 14, and graduate students by 13.
A huge enrollment increase of 44 percent was registered by non-resident students. Last fall quarter a total of 363 students from outside of Utah were enrolled; this year there are 522 total non-residents, 259 women and 263 men.
SUU also recorded a significant increase in "FTE" (full-time equivalent) students. FTE students are determined by dividing the total number of credits for which all students register by 15. The fall 1994 FTE enrollment is up 5.3 percent from fall of 1993.
Similar head count enrollment increases were recorded for the summer quarter, but FTE enrollment was down by 6.4 percent (95 students). The 1994 head count was 3,523, up by 112 students from the 1993 figure of 3,411.