Eastern Enrollment Figures Show Steady Increase
(Press Release 9-17-04)
Hank Mooney, Office of Public Information

Keeping with the state wide trend, the total number of students and the number of total hours students are taking at Eastern Oklahoma State College show an increase this fall Eastern regents were told during their meeting Friday on the Wilburton campus.

While the number of students enrolled only on the Wilburton campus is basically remaining stable with 932 students this fall as compared to 931 or a .1 percent enrollment increase, McAlester enrollment figures are showing a 4.6 percent enrollment increase with 383 students enrolling compared to 366 for fall of 2003.

The total number of Eastern students enrolled this fall, including classes at the Idabel higher education center, amounted to 2,090 or a 2.1 percent headcount increase for the college.

Credit hours taught by the faculty have increased 3 percent along with FTE (full time equivalent). Interestingly, the number of students taking classes both on the McAlester campus and Wilburton campus has increased 29.3 percent above fall 2003 figures.

National trends indicate that more females are attending college than male. Eastern figures for this fall have followed the trend with the number of female students increasing by 5.2 percent over last fall and male students decreasing by 3.67 percent.

Eastern President Dr. Richard Bernard also explained the importance to Eastern of the state higher education bond issue that will be before legislators when they enter the 2005 legislative session in January.

Only two major capital construction projects for Oklahoma’s college campuses (1968 and 1992) have been undertaken in the last 100 years Vice Chancellor of Legislative Relation and Communications, Sid Hudson, told the Communicators Council at the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education conference room Wednesday.

Hudson said the Governor (Brad Henry) has indicated he will make the $500 million capital bond issue a priority.

Bernard told Eastern regents “Eastern’s share of the bond issue would amount to $7.9 million.”

“That will allow Eastern to make repairs and replace building roofs, improve general accessibility including elevator installation and other needed repair and improvement projects.”

He said construction of a facility to combine in one location all student life and learning services to include admissions, advisement, enrollment, financial aid, student payments, student meeting rooms, dining rooms, computer facilities and other student services could greatly assist not only the Eastern student but also various community functions that now use the current student union.

Bernard indicated that near $5 million from the bond issue would be used to replace the current student union facilities which remain difficult for the handicapped and elderly to negotiate.

“This facility will replace a building with numerous retrofit problems and combine all student life and learning services in one location, he said.”

If funded, the higher education bond issue revenue will generate an estimated 4000 additional construction jobs across the state in college communities. The construction projects could result in an economic impact of more than $737 million statewide.

Bernard also told the regents although some state funding has increased, “we are still not back to 2002 funding levels.”