UCCS enrollment sets a record

Record numbers of college freshmen are streaming into University of Colorado campuses for the 2008 year, and the fastest-growing university in the state remains the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

The record-setting freshman class at UCCS is 14 percent bigger than last year, and nearly twice as big as the 1997 class. The total student population is up nearly 4 percent from last year to 7,960.

"We hit a home run," said Randall Langston, UCCS director of admissions services. "Our academics have increased, our population has increased, our minority numbers have increased. It's a nice time around here."

Student enrollment on the University of Colorado's three campuses is a record 53,755, as CU at Boulder also has a record-setting freshman class.

Record numbers of college applications in the CU system stem from the size of the echo boomer generation and statewide growth, but also economic factors, say admissions experts. When the economy tanks, more people seek education and retraining to protect themselves in the job market, especially at affordable public universities and community colleges.

Pikes Peak Community College - the state's second-largest community college - is following that trend.

Student enrollment is 11,707 for the fall semester at the state-supported, two-year college, said spokesman George Sanchez. That's a 2.3 percent increase over the fall of 2007, or 265 students.

The increase is partly due to PPCC's newest site, the Falcon campus, which opened in August, and the growing popularity of online classes.

At UCCS the numbers reveal the ongoing evolution of the institution. UCCS is now on the brink of breaking the 8,000 student threshold.

"We're really becoming a university of choice," said UCCS Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak. "We will grow at a responsible pace over the next several years to 10,000 to 12,000 students, with more faculty and more programs. We want to be part of the transformation of this region."

That's music to the ears of Colorado Springs economic boosters.

"UCCS growing to reach its potential cannot happen soon enough," said Dave White, vice president of marketing at the Colorado Springs Economic Development Corporation.

"In my mind it is the greatest economic development asset we have in this community.

"If you look at those communities around the country that are having the greatest success, it's those that have a strong research institution. Those universities bring in young, creative minds that are working on new, innovative applications."

White said top schools such as the Air Force Academy and Colorado College are also significant, but the development of a local research university is much more important to the regional economy because it can educate the local work force and spur homegrown tech businesses.

"Just imagine if we had a company pop up here like a Facebook or a Google, what that would mean for our community," White said.

UCCS' link to the Colorado Springs economy goes back to its roots. Its founding in 1965 came partly because David Packard, of Hewlett-Packard, wanted a university in town to serve his employees.

Its recent growth spurt began in 1997, when the college of nursing moved in along with on-campus housing. The former commuter college now has 900 students living on a campus that is bursting at its seams.

A new science and engineering building is halfway done, construction fencing went up Thursday for a new university event center, and after that the old science building gets a face-lift.

"As we get to critical mass the region will see more innovation, more technology transfer," Shockley-Zalabak said. "I think we're now positioned for a larger impact."

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UCCS BY THE NUMBERS

• 7,960: Total enrollment for fall '08, a record
• 4 percent: The increase in total enrollment from fall '07
• 1,157: Number of students in the freshman class, also a record
• 14.2 percent: The increase in the number of freshmen from fall '07
• 6,494: Number of undergraduates
• 1,466: Number of graduate students
• 1,450: Number of students representing ethnic minorities
• 7,352: Number of students from Colorado
• 608: Number of students from outside Colorado
• This year, UCCS has students representing all 50 states and 59 Colorado counties.