Preliminary Figures for UH Spring 2002 Semester Show Increase in Enrollment

University of Hawaiʻi
Contact:
Shawn Nakamoto, (808) 956-9095
Director of PR
Kristen Cabral, (808) 956-5039
Public Information Officer
Posted: Feb 12, 2002

HONOLULU - Preliminary figures show that enrollment is up for all campuses within the University of Hawai'i system for the Spring 2002 semester compared to the Spring 2001 semester, with a total of 44,627 students enrolled. That is an increase of 6.6 percent from the Spring 2001 semester for a total of 2,783 more students. The UH System increase reflects the first increase in total UH Spring enrollment since 1995.

The three baccalaureate campuses all showed increases from Spring 2001 with UH Manoa enrolling 16,972 students (4.9 percent increase), UH Hilo enrolling 2,787 students (5.3 percent increase), and UH West Oahu enrolling 763 (11.9 percent increase).

"Often times during a tough economy, individuals seek additional training and education as a means of expanding their career options," said Deane Neubauer, interim chancellor for UH Manoa. "However, under the new leadership of Evan Dobelle, UH Manoa has been working hard to establish itself as a more open and participatory campus. This was evident from the recent Campus Care Days and the successful opening planning day session that attracted more than 1,400 attendees. I think people are finding Manoa to be a more attractive venue for learning and these increased enrollment figures prove that our efforts are making a difference."

"We are pleased to see a notable increase in enrollment, especially in our junior and senior classes this spring semester," said UH Hilo Chancellor Rose Tseng. "We see this growth reflected in several key programs. Our new astronomy program is quickly attracting more students, as is our well-established marine science program, which is now housed in a brand new facility. We are also seeing growth in the biology program, perhaps due to the new conservation track and our English and Communication departments have also experienced growth this semester."

According to Tseng, the increases are attributed to UH Hilo's dedicated faculty, as well as the recruiting efforts of its marketing and admissions personnel.

Bill Pearman, chancellor at UH West Oahu said, "The Spring 2002 enrollment figures are the highest in the history of UH-West Oahu. Our outreach efforts to the Neighbor Islands and an emphasis on distance learning likely contributed to this increase."

At the UH community colleges, 24,105 students are enrolled, with an increase from last year's figures of 7.9 percent, or 1,763 students. Kaua'i Community College has the greatest percentage gain in students of all campuses system wide with an 11.3 percent increase in enrollment from the spring 2001 semester. After UH Manoa, Kapiolani, Leeward and Honolulu Community Colleges show the greatest numerical gain in students with 666, 330, and 234 more students respectively, as compared to the Spring 2001 semester. It is expected that another 39,000 students will be enrolling in non-credit programs throughout the UH system, so enrollment could total more than 83,600.

According to Joyce Tsunoda, senior vice president and chancellor for Community Colleges, "I am very pleased with the numbers and would like to recognize the efforts of the faculty, staff and administrators of each community college. Their collaborative efforts in enrollment management and added services have improved access for students. We've had great success with our distance delivered Associates in Arts degree program and this is evident in our increased enrollment numbers this spring. Our efforts will continue in this area as we maintain our focus on helping students learn."