CEU’s enrollment shows no significant change

CEU’s third week enrollment figures, still preliminary, show no significant change from last year. Although the total headcount from both the Price and San Juan campuses shows an increase of 45 students over last year, the FTE (Full-Time Equivalent) number is down 119 students. This indicates that more students are taking fewer class hours. Additionally, mining re-training has no enrollment this year because those hours have been shifted to UCAT.
After the first three weeks, 2,692 students (headcount) were enrolled in classes at CEU’s Price and San Juan campuses. That figure included 2,075 students from the Price campus and 656 from the San Juan campus in Blanding. (The numbers don’t add because a small number of students take classes at both locations.)
FTE students (those enrolled in 15 or more credit hours) accounted for 1,510 on the Price campus and 392 on the San Juan campus. One hundred and two of those students were from outside of Utah.
Both the headcount and FTE at San Juan have increased this year over last in equal portions to the decreases in the Price campus numbers. This is due to a re-direction in the distance learning program.
Since the Utah System of Higher education adopted the two-semester system over the three-quarter system in 1998, CEU’s enrollment has never recouped its numbers. The college’s headcount in 1997 was 3,564; in 1998 it was 2,617; 1999, 2,688; 2000, 2,704; 2001, 2,746 and 2002, 2647. FTE numbers were less drastic with 2,140 students enrolled in classes in 1997; 1827 in 1998; 1957 in 1999; 1941 in 2000; 2,082 in 2001, and 2021 in 2002.
According to Cliff Coppersmith, vice president of academics, CEU’s flat enrollment should not be viewed as a negative. Over time the college will continue to grow. Flat enrollment is typical across the state with the state’s two-year colleges as more students are staying home (added to Utah Valley State College and Salt Lake Community College enrollments) because of the current economy.
On the plus side, Coppersmith noted, occupancy in the Price dorms is up 25 percent, and San Juan went up 20 percent. Enrollment will receive major attention in coming months and years, including recruiting, program development, program strengthening and increasing financial incentives for students to come to CEU. Emphasis will be to bring more students to campus, improve their experience, and create destination programs. Other program promotions include expanding popular majors as nursing, criminal justice and education.