Enrollment numbers up at PSU, FSCC

Pittsburg State University has set a new spring enrollment record, and numbers are up so far this year at Fort Scott Community College as well.

As of last Friday, spring enrollment at FSCC is 1,885 students enrolled in 18,941 credit hours of instruction, both numbers that are up a few percentage points from last spring, FSCC Registrar Bill Meyer said. While these figures are not the official final numbers that are reported to the Kansas Board of Regents on the 20th day of classes each semester, they are very similar, Meyer said. The official numbers will be sent to the state in about a week, he said.

Enrollment at FSCC this spring is an increase of 17 students from last spring, and an increase of 138 students from the 2005 spring semester. Typically, fewer students take more credit hours in order to increase their workload as they work toward graduation in May. Many students attend the two-year college before moving on to a four-year college or university, Meyer has said.

PSU has set an enrollment record of 6,422 students, the highest spring enrollment count in the university's history, according to PSU Associate Vice President for Academic Programs Lee Christensen. The increase in on-campus enrollment at PSU was the largest of any state university in Kansas, a PSU statement said. KBOR reported data for all of the state's universities last Friday, the statement said.

"Pittsburg State has set a record in each of the past three spring semesters," Christensen said. "The university's steady growth is certainly a positive sign for both PSU and the community."

On-campus enrollment at PSU this spring is 5,989, an increase of 155 students from last year. Across the KBOR system -- which includes PSU, the University of Kansas, Kansas State University, Wichita State University, Fort Hays State University and Emporia State University -- on-campus enrollment declined by 434 students, the PSU statement said. However, KBOR documents show that overall enrollment among those six universities has jumped by 166 students, a small increase from the spring 2006 semester.

A total of 82,788 students are enrolled in those six universities, the KBOR statement said.

This semester's enrollment at PSU is up 87 students from spring 2006. Undergraduate enrollment (5,320 students) is up by 122 students from last year. PSU also recorded strong gains in credit hour production, an important element of operations at PSU and FSCC. PSU students are enrolled in 84,460 hours of instruction this semester, a slight increase from the previous year. High credit-hour production typically reflects an unusually high percentage of full-time students on campus, Christensen said.

"That's important from the community perspective," he said, "because it means students are in the community supporting the businesses and institutions upon which the community depends."

FSCC has shown consistent small jumps in enrollment each semester over the last two years. There were 1,895 students enrolled in 18,003 hours of instruction at FSCC during the 2004-05 school year. The next fall, the overall head count at FSCC was lower, about 1,617 students, but the credit hours that year, about 17,600, were basically the same as the previous year.

Increased student enrollment is another reason why the issue of funding a deferred building maintenance program for universities across the state should be addressed by state lawmakers this year, KBOR officials said. State universities continue to experience increased enrollments, while many campus facilities, which are out-dated and in need of repair, frequently do not meet student needs, KBOR President and CEO Reginald Robinson said in a statement.

KBOR is the governing board of the state's six universities and a coordinating board of 19 community colleges, 10 technical institutions, and one municipal university.