The class that joined the UConn family Saturday is larger, has a higher academic profile, and is more diverse than last year's freshman class - a class that also was larger and more diverse than its predecessor, the entering class in 1997, officials said last week. Click here for the U.S. News rankings Growth is becoming an annual event in Storrs, and at the regional campuses, as word spreads across the nation regarding UConn's transformation - physically, thanks to UConn 2000, and academically, as efforts to enhance the undergraduate experience mature. Having a national championship basketball season doesn't hurt either, says M. Dolan Evanovich, associate provost for enrollment management. Then, when people investigate further, they realize we offer a high quality education that represents an outstanding value. The regional campuses are anticipating a freshman class about 5 percent larger than last year's class.
Officials hope to continue the overall trend into the new century.
The strategic plan calls for 5 percent increases annually, until the total undergraduate population crests at about 25,000, with a continued push on quality as well. To accommodate the growth, and to provide space for students displaced by plans to renovate several residence halls each year, officials are making plans to build apartment-style residence halls off Alumni and Stadium roads, near the Hilltop residence halls. The plans call for construction of one or two units, initially, that can accommodate 400-500 students. If that effort is positive, several more may be built, says Larry Schiling, University architect. Last year's freshman cohort was 17 percent larger than the previous year's class.