More students enroll at UH

By Beverly Creamer
Advertiser Education Writer

Fall enrollment surged across the University of Hawai'i system for the third year in a row, with an average 4.7 percent increase, sending student numbers to their highest level since the mid-1990s.

That's good news for schools that had been suffering under $10 million in recent spending restrictions ordered by Gov. Linda Lingle because of an erosion in state revenue. With word Monday of a strengthening economy from the Council on Revenues, Lingle yesterday reinstated spending approved by the state Legislature, giving the higher education system a substantially brighter fiscal forecast.

Fall enrollment also is up at Chaminade University of Honolulu — by 3.2 percent — and at Hawai'i Pacific University, which shows a 1.3 percent rise in degree-seeking students although final enrollment numbers won't be available until mid-October. HPU is still enrolling on military bases for the Oct. 6 start of classes.

UH-Manoa's enrollment has risen by more than 10 percent over the past two years alone, said Manoa chancellor Peter Englert, bringing to 19,742 the number of students attending the state's flagship campus.

This fall's increase was 5.5 percent, or 1,033 additional students.

UH-Hilo, meanwhile, has grown 30 percent over the past six years, with chancellor Rose Tseng calling it an all-time high for the campus in every category — local, Mainland and international students.

UH President Evan Dobelle applauded efforts on every campus to build overall enrollment, which has leaped to a total of 50,765 students in the system as a whole, or about 4,600 more students than the year before his July 2001 arrival.

"We've made a consistent universitywide effort to focus on increasing enrollment," he said. "Each campus has thought strategically, implemented new approaches and focused on results."

An additional 29,000 students are expected to enroll in noncredit programs throughout the system — 9,000 more than a year ago — which will bring total enrollment to more than 79,000.

Linda Johnsrud, UH interim associate vice president for Planning and Policy, said many factors contribute to enrollment growth, including the state and national economies, energetic campus recruiting efforts, and a five-year phased-in tuition increase through 2005-2006 of about 3 percent per fiscal year that gives students predictable annual costs.

In the past decade alone in Hawai'i, said Johnsrud, participation in college by students from low-income families has gone from a low of 9 percent in 1992 to 31 percent today, substantially above the 24 percent national average.

Seven of the 10 UH campuses saw growth in the fall semester, with the highest percentage gain at UH-Hilo with an 8.8 percent increase, or 271 new students over fall 2002.

Windward Community College had the second-highest growth with a surge of 6.9 percent over a year ago, or 122 new students. That puts enrollment up 30 percent over the past three years. WCC Chancellor Angela Meixell credited the increases to a "faculty-led initiative" that has looked at the best ways to serve the community.

"If a class isn't full, we re-evaluate every aspect of it, from the time it's being offered to the subject matter," said Meixell.

Reach Beverly Creamer at bcreamer@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8013.