The University of Jamestown on Monday announced an enrollment of 1,134 students for the 2016-17 school year - a 10 percent increase over the previous year and the largest student population in over a decade.
“The great part of our overall growth is that it’s enrollment growth, which takes into account recruitment of new students and the retaining of current students,” said Mike Heitkamp, UJ vice president of enrollment. “It’s an exciting time to be a Jimmie.”
Heitkamp said the main driver of growth is from new program initiatives that were added over the past year. The investment in undergraduate and graduate academics, facilities and athletic programs was part of the conversation with prospective students and families who were considering UJ, he said.
“The initiatives also provide a retention impact as well,” he said.
UJ President Dr. Robert Badal said in a press release that the tapestry of the student body has also expanded. A part of UJ’s strategic plan is to increase the emphasis on bringing students of diversity to campus and has resulted in 91 students, or more than 8 percent of the student body.
ADVERTISEMENT
“We have a wonderfully diverse student body representing 36 states and 22 countries,” Badal said.
There are more than 150 graduate students enrolled in UJ’s four post-graduate programs, including eight new students in the inaugural class of the Master of Science in Clinical Counseling program on the Jamestown campus, according to the announcement.
Tena Lawrence, UJ vice president of marketing and communications, said the new mechanical engineering program and the new UJ hockey team are the primary academic and athletic programs that have brought people to campus who may otherwise have sought an education elsewhere.
The new programs are important to grow the university population, she said, as UJ monitors class size to maintain a 13 to 1 student-to-faculty ratio, she said.
Some programs, including nursing, limit their class sizes as do most graduate programs, she said.
Because a number of students, mainly incoming freshmen, have not declared a major, it is difficult to point to any one of the programs to attribute to UJ’s current growth, she said.
(701) 952-8455
