Freshmen break enrollment records
Brittany L. Shaw
Issue date: 9/18/08 Section: News
Freshman enrollment numbers, ACT scores and GPAs are the highest in ten years, according to Chancellor Roger Brown's State of the University Address.
Chuck Cantrell, assistant vice chancellor of university relations said "It is a record high, at least in the last ten years."
Although Brown said in his address enrollment has increased 3.5 percent, Dr. Richard Gruetzemacher, director of planning evaluation, said "If we look over three years, from 2005 to 2008, we've got ...an increase of 43.3 percent [in freshmen enrollment]."
"The numbers speak for themselves," Gruetzemacher said.
"We're trying to coordinate our recruiting efforts a little bit better," Cantrell said.
"We have targeted some specific areas...we feel like we have a very competitive scholarship program…we feel like if we can get them to come to campus we have a really good shot at getting them to enroll."
Cantrell said he thinks the increase in freshmen enrollment, ACT scores and GPAs are a result of the HOPE scholarship.
"The lottery scholarship is now kicking in," he said. "The first group of high school students with the promise of the lottery scholarship is now graduating. They've known they have to keep their grades up and they have to do well."
Gruetzemacher said he thinks the HOPE scholarship has helped to increase enrollment.
"We are trying to increase the attendance and one factor I think that has helped has been the hope scholarship. We try to recruit more good students to UTC every year...and apparently more and more students have made UTC a first choice," he said
Samantha Wesson, a Chattanooga freshmen, said UTC was her first choice. "I'm just 17 and didn't want to move away from home," she said.
Wesson said the HOPE scholarship was an incentive to maintain high grades during high school and middle college.
"A lot of people can't afford to come to college so I knew I had to keep my grades up," she said.
Chuck Cantrell, assistant vice chancellor of university relations said "It is a record high, at least in the last ten years."
Although Brown said in his address enrollment has increased 3.5 percent, Dr. Richard Gruetzemacher, director of planning evaluation, said "If we look over three years, from 2005 to 2008, we've got ...an increase of 43.3 percent [in freshmen enrollment]."
"The numbers speak for themselves," Gruetzemacher said.
"We're trying to coordinate our recruiting efforts a little bit better," Cantrell said.
"We have targeted some specific areas...we feel like we have a very competitive scholarship program…we feel like if we can get them to come to campus we have a really good shot at getting them to enroll."
Cantrell said he thinks the increase in freshmen enrollment, ACT scores and GPAs are a result of the HOPE scholarship.
"The lottery scholarship is now kicking in," he said. "The first group of high school students with the promise of the lottery scholarship is now graduating. They've known they have to keep their grades up and they have to do well."
Gruetzemacher said he thinks the HOPE scholarship has helped to increase enrollment.
"We are trying to increase the attendance and one factor I think that has helped has been the hope scholarship. We try to recruit more good students to UTC every year...and apparently more and more students have made UTC a first choice," he said
Samantha Wesson, a Chattanooga freshmen, said UTC was her first choice. "I'm just 17 and didn't want to move away from home," she said.
Wesson said the HOPE scholarship was an incentive to maintain high grades during high school and middle college.
"A lot of people can't afford to come to college so I knew I had to keep my grades up," she said.
