Freshmen, retention boost Southeast first-day enrollment

Southeast Missouri State University began classes Monday with the highest student-retention rate in recent school history and a 10.6 percent increase in beginning freshman enrollment, school officials said.

Total enrollment stood at 11,536, a 1.1 percent increase from a year ago. Preliminary figures indicate 74.3 percent of new students last fall returned for the fall 2016 semester, officials said.

Total beginning freshman enrollment stands at 1,875, up 180 from a year ago.

New first-time enrollment of students from the St. Louis area jumped by 22 percent, said Debbie Below, vice president for enrollment management and student success. Southeast experienced an 11 percent increase in new students from Cape Girardeau County.

"When the freshman class grows, it helps our head count grow," said Below, who also serves as the school's dean of students. "We are pretty full."

Below said Southeast has focused on recruiting more freshmen.

"Two years ago, we were getting concerned about our market share," she said.

She credited a new branding and marketing strategy with helping boost enrollment by drawing attention to "all that Southeast has to offer."

This year's beginning freshman class includes a record number of Illinois students, school officials said. Southeast had 331 new first-time students enrolled for the first day of classes, nearly a 50 percent increase from four years ago.

This fall's freshman class also is more diverse. Enrollment of new, first-time students included 254 black students, up 24 percent, and 44 Hispanic students, up 33 percent.

Also contributing to Southeast's enrollment growth is the Cape College Center, housed at the Cape Girardeau Career & Technology Center.

Enrollment at the center stands at 176, up 11.4 percent from a year ago.

The total enrollment includes students taking classes at Southeast's regional campuses in Malden, Kennett and Sikeston, Below said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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