When we reached our five-year enrollment goal last fall, we decided to maintain that level in 2011 if at all possible. Yet, the fall 2011 enrollment exceeded the record set in 2010 in several important ways.
The total first-year enrollment is 4,565, eight students more than in 2010, so we were able to maintain the growth experienced last year. Enrollment stability also allows us to continue with the student success initiatives we wrote about last year at this time. What will 2012 bring? One thing is for sure; we have experienced a 28 percent increase in campus visitors over the summer, and Hawkeye Visit Days for the fall are filling fast, so we expect a very strong applicant pool for the Class of 2016!
One hallmark of the Class of 2015 is its diversity: 45.2 percent are from Iowa, 44.2 percent are from other states and 10.6 percent are international. Minorities from the U.S. make up a record 14.2 percent of the class! The academic credentials of our student body continue to increase, which also is reflected in our 86 percent first- to second-year retention rate.
One of the most exciting developments on campus was the delivery of our new immersion program for first-year students, On Iowa! Recommended by the First-Year Experience Task Force two years ago, On Iowa! was the culmination of a campus-wide effort to provide the ultimate transition experience for the Class of 2015. The goals of the program were to introduce students to Iowa traditions, expose them to the expectations of The IOWA Challenge to excel, stretch, engage, choose and serve, and create a sense of community within the class. All indications are that On Iowa! was successful beyond all expectations. Check out the “I” formed by the class on the poster you can download and print!
We welcomed a new executive vice president and provost, P. Barry Butler, this summer. Dr. Butler is no stranger to Iowa having been a faculty member and dean of the College of Engineering. His leadership is already being felt in enrollment management departments as well as in the colleges within the university.
Our outstanding staff will be calling on your schools and interacting with your students and families soon. As always, when you contact our office, you’ll speak with one of us. Let us know how we can help you and your students and families in the college search and selection process. The “right fit” is important to us all, and we are delighted that so many great students have found their place as Hawkeyes!
Michael Barron
Assistant Provost for Enrollment Management
and Executive Director of Admissions