Ferris’s Fall Enrollment Tops 11,000 Systemwide
For
the first time since Fall 1993, total enrollment at Ferris State
has passed the 11,000 mark.
Numbers for the Fall 2002 semester put Ferris’
statewide enrollment at 11,074 students, up 144 from the Fall
2001 total of 10,930. University officials attribute the numbers
to an increase in continuing students that led to a four-percentage-point
rise in retention.
“For the past few years we’ve really been
emphasizing retention as critical to our enrollment picture,”
said Vice President for Student Affairs Dan Burcham. “We
are gradually raising admissions standards at the University—that
means we are recruiting from a smaller, more competitive pool
of prospective students, but also that the students we’re
getting tend to be more successful in college and stay in school.”
According to Burcham, overall retention climbed from
61 percent in Fall 2001 to 65 percent for Fall 2002 semester.
Retention among students pursuing bachelor’s degrees at
Ferris rose by five percentage points, from 59 percent to 64 percent.
Enrollment at the Big Rapids campus was stable at 8,908, up seven
students from Fall 2001. The University’s other traditional
undergraduate population at Kendall College of Art and Design
jumped 12 percent, from 764 students in Fall 2001 to 855 this
year. Other off-campus numbers were strong—attributable,
in part, to an uncertain economy in which adults are likely to
seek further education or training options.
Ferris President William Sederburg was pleased with
the numbers, as well.
“My thanks goes to the entire Ferris community,
whose efforts to attract and retain quality students are critical
to the success we see today,” said Sederburg. “Our
enrollment continues to rise, and retention is up seven percentage
points over the past two years. It shows that students and parents
continue to value what we provide—a well-rounded education
and the skills that make our graduates immediately employable.”
