UPB Breaks Enrollment Records
For the third year in a row, the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford has broken enrollment records, recruiting its largest freshman class and closing in on its long-term goal of 1,500 full-time equivalent students.
“The momentum has been building on our campus for a number of years, and I’m absolutely thrilled that our hardworking faculty and staff can see the results of our efforts,” said Pitt-Bradford president Dr. Livingston Alexander.
“The growth of our student population is wonderful for our campus and the University of Pittsburgh as a whole, but we’re also mindful of the important economic benefits to the region that come with a growing student population.”
This fall saw 1,511 students enrolled, up 6.9 percent over last year. Of those, 1,323 are full-time students. That head count is 20 percent higher than it was just two years ago. Not only is enrollment growing, but also the enrollment of full-time students has grown while the number of part-time students has gotten smaller.
Colleges that serve both full- and part-time students often employ a formula to calculate the equivalent of full-time students attending the school. Pitt-Bradford’s number of full-time-equivalent students reached 1,398, up 17.7 percent over last year and is rapidly closing in on the university’s long term goal of 1,500 full-time-equivalent students.
The Class of 2012 also broke records with 377 freshmen on campus this fall. The previous mark was set in 2006.
Twenty percent of the freshman class members come from New York, Arizona, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and South Korea. Eighty percent of the class is from Pennsylvania.
“Our incoming classes are becoming more diversified,” said James Baldwin, assistant dean of academic affairs and registrar. Eight percent of freshman are black, 3.5 percent are Asian and 2.5 percent are Hispanic or Native American.
The Class of 2012 scored an average of 15 points higher on the Scholastic Aptitude Test than the previous year’s freshmen and represented students from 280 different high schools. Twenty percent of the class members had a high school grade point average of 3.5 or higher.
Only 1 percent of the freshman class is enrolled part-time, and representation among the sexes is nearly equal with 51 percent women and 49 percent men. Nationwide, Baldwin said, the trend is toward a greater percentage of women undergraduate students.
Freshman-to-sophomore retention rates also reached their highest levels ever at 72 percent, up slightly from 71 percent the year before.
Alex Nazemetz, director of admissions, said that that is due in part to an effort by the admissions department to recruit the students most likely to stay and succeed at Pitt-Bradford. Nazemetz said that in the nine years he’s been the director of admissions, he’s seen the pool of applicants broaden and interest in the university increase.
“Pitt-Bradford is making a name for itself across the state,” Nazemetz said, adding that the additions of the renovated Frame-Westerberg Commons and Sport and Fitness Center and the addition of new housing “have made it like a whole new school.”
New programs as well as new buildings are drawing students. Some of the most popular majors have been added in the last decade, including accounting, athletic training, criminal justice and sports medicine.
The increase in students has put some strain on resources such as classroom space and faculty availability to teach, said Dr. Steven Hardin, vice president and dean of academics. Hardin said that Pitt-Bradford is requesting an increase in faculty positions from the Pitt system, but in the meantime, some faculty members are teaching more courses now than normally expected in order to meet the increased demand.
“The faculty have really stepped up and met the needs of the students,” he said. “We’re all really happy that enrollment has increased, and we are working hard to maintain the quality of a Pitt-Bradford education.”
“The momentum has been building on our campus for a number of years, and I’m absolutely thrilled that our hardworking faculty and staff can see the results of our efforts,” said Pitt-Bradford president Dr. Livingston Alexander.
“The growth of our student population is wonderful for our campus and the University of Pittsburgh as a whole, but we’re also mindful of the important economic benefits to the region that come with a growing student population.”
This fall saw 1,511 students enrolled, up 6.9 percent over last year. Of those, 1,323 are full-time students. That head count is 20 percent higher than it was just two years ago. Not only is enrollment growing, but also the enrollment of full-time students has grown while the number of part-time students has gotten smaller.
Colleges that serve both full- and part-time students often employ a formula to calculate the equivalent of full-time students attending the school. Pitt-Bradford’s number of full-time-equivalent students reached 1,398, up 17.7 percent over last year and is rapidly closing in on the university’s long term goal of 1,500 full-time-equivalent students.
The Class of 2012 also broke records with 377 freshmen on campus this fall. The previous mark was set in 2006.
Twenty percent of the freshman class members come from New York, Arizona, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and South Korea. Eighty percent of the class is from Pennsylvania.
“Our incoming classes are becoming more diversified,” said James Baldwin, assistant dean of academic affairs and registrar. Eight percent of freshman are black, 3.5 percent are Asian and 2.5 percent are Hispanic or Native American.
The Class of 2012 scored an average of 15 points higher on the Scholastic Aptitude Test than the previous year’s freshmen and represented students from 280 different high schools. Twenty percent of the class members had a high school grade point average of 3.5 or higher.
Only 1 percent of the freshman class is enrolled part-time, and representation among the sexes is nearly equal with 51 percent women and 49 percent men. Nationwide, Baldwin said, the trend is toward a greater percentage of women undergraduate students.
Freshman-to-sophomore retention rates also reached their highest levels ever at 72 percent, up slightly from 71 percent the year before.
Alex Nazemetz, director of admissions, said that that is due in part to an effort by the admissions department to recruit the students most likely to stay and succeed at Pitt-Bradford. Nazemetz said that in the nine years he’s been the director of admissions, he’s seen the pool of applicants broaden and interest in the university increase.
“Pitt-Bradford is making a name for itself across the state,” Nazemetz said, adding that the additions of the renovated Frame-Westerberg Commons and Sport and Fitness Center and the addition of new housing “have made it like a whole new school.”
New programs as well as new buildings are drawing students. Some of the most popular majors have been added in the last decade, including accounting, athletic training, criminal justice and sports medicine.
The increase in students has put some strain on resources such as classroom space and faculty availability to teach, said Dr. Steven Hardin, vice president and dean of academics. Hardin said that Pitt-Bradford is requesting an increase in faculty positions from the Pitt system, but in the meantime, some faculty members are teaching more courses now than normally expected in order to meet the increased demand.
“The faculty have really stepped up and met the needs of the students,” he said. “We’re all really happy that enrollment has increased, and we are working hard to maintain the quality of a Pitt-Bradford education.”
.jpg)
Comments