Mississippi State University student enrollment for the 2011 fall semester reached a record high this academic year with a total of 20,424 students enrolled, a 3.97 percent increase from 2010, according to the University Relations News Bureau. This is the first time MSU has reached and surpassed an enrollment of 20,000. MSU is not the only state school that has experienced a rise in enrollment. According to Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, almost every Mississippi higher learning institute has met increased numbers this fall.
This achievement for MSU has members of the administration feeling encouraged about MSU’s potential. Dan Coleman, the associate director of recruitment for MSU, said the school is able to continue to grow because of the hard work of its recruiters who travel the region seeking potential new students.
“We have an amazing group of recruiters; they go out and tell students the story about how they can come to MSU and succeed,” Coleman said. “We take MSU on the road. We hold events in Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama … We take MSU to the parents. We talk to them about what we can offer their son or daughter.”
Those who have been with the university for the past several years have noticed the changes that come with the growing population. Owen McGuire of Macon, attended MSU as both an undergraduate and a graduate student. Now as a full-time employee of MSU, McGuire reflects back on the growth he has seen MSU make from each perspective.
“What amazes me about the growth of the university is that it still manages to retain a family atmosphere. (Even with) 20,000 plus students, it’s amazing how often you run into your friends,” McGuire said.
That neighborly atmosphere is what Coleman said keeps attracting students to MSU each year.
“You can be yourself at MSU,” Coleman said.
With a larger group of students, challenges are to be expected. The most obvious of these problems is housing. With upperclassmen already being forced off campus and MSU expecting continuing influxes of freshmen, many are concerned with the practical worry of whether everyone can fit. With the addition of two new dormitories by next fall, the administration feels confident in its ability to hold its students. President Keenum has also expressed plans to add more faculty as well as more learning space to provide for the growing population.
While a larger population presents obvious tasks, it also provides ample opportunities for students. A larger campus means more diversity among students. Each college within MSU has experienced growth. The College of Arts & Sciences remains the largest, with 5,241 students. It is followed by the James Worth Bagley College of Education, the College of Engineering and the College of Business.
This year also marks an increase in African American student enrollment, showing an 8.7 percent increase from last year.
This milestone achievement in enrollment has the administration feeling hopeful, a sentiment the administration hopes is shared among the student population. According to University Relations, President Keenum has already set an enrollment goal of 22,000 by 2015. Coleman said under the leadership of Keenum, students can expect great things from MSU.
“I think the university will continue to grow in a smart way. We will continue to get the best and the brightest students,” Coleman said.