Spectrum - Volume 21 Issue 04 September 17, 1998 - Summer enrollment figures up

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Summer enrollment figures up

By Catherine Doss

Spectrum Volume 21 Issue 04 - September 17, 1998

Total on-campus student enrollment was up 4 percent this summer over last year due to the university's Maymester pilot and its offering of a number of on-line summer courses.
"We're certainly encouraged by the student response to both the Maymester program and our on-line course opportunities," said David Ford, vice provost for academic affairs. "The Maymester was offered as a pilot, but it was well-received and should be continued. We're presently evaluating the number of Maymester courses to be offered next year. The number of on-line course offerings continues to grow."
Total on-campus full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollments for first and second summer sessions were 2,953.9 this summer compared to 2,846 last summer. Undergraduate enrollment was up 7 percent overall, while graduate-student enrollment was down 12 percent. Maymester had 37 FTE's, and on-line summer courses had a total of 105.1 FTE's.
The greatest increases in summer enrollments overall were in the College of Human Resources and Education with a 19-percent increase in FTE's and the College of Architecture and Urban Studies with a 17-percent increase. The College of Arts and Sciences, which had the greatest number of course offerings for Maymester, also had the greatest number of enrollments. The College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering enrolled the largest number of on-line students.
"Our on-line course offerings are an exciting venture," Ford said. "Students can take Virginia Tech courses from virtually anywhere in the world. This method of offering Virginia Tech courses tremendously expands our learning community."
Undergraduate summer-school enrollments at the university's off-campus sites were down 12.5 percent, while graduate enrollments at off-campus sites were up 23.8 percent.