With 622 more freshmen on the Mountain Campus this fall than last, NAU has the highest overall student count in its history

Officials with Northern Arizona University have reported the highest enrollment in the institution's 107-year history, thanks to a jump of nearly 19 percent jump in the freshman class.

The leap reverses a nearly decade-long trend of falling enrollment among full-time students on the Mountain Campus, thanks in part to an end to double-digit rises in tuition and an agressive recruiting campaign with a new logo and theme.

Mountain Campus students rose to 13,443 students, an increase of about 755 students over last fall's student body. Of that increase, 622 came among freshmen.

The hike makes up about half of the 1,500 students the Flagstaff campus has lost in the last decade.

The biggest increase for NAU is in distance learning, which gained an additional 767 students from last fall. A total of 7,119 students are reported to be enrolled in the distance learning program this semester.

Overall enrollment has climbed 7.8 percent, according to NAU, from a total student population of 19,069 in 2005 to 20,562 in 2006.

"It is great news for the institution - another step forward for Northern Arizona University. Students from Arizona, the Southwest and across the country are recognizing the quality that Northern Arizona University delivers, whether it is the best residential on-campus experience or providing access at a distance to students where they live and work," said NAU President John Haeger. "Our enrollment growth reflects the quality of our programs, the commitment of our faculty and staff and the momentum of the university. This is truly good news to celebrate."

One of the largest increases on the Flagstaff campus is in the freshman class, which saw overcrowding at the beginning of the fall semester and led to temporary housing arrangements for many of the students.

Out of state students, according to the release, have increased by 17 percent to 3,209 students while in-state student enrollment has increased 6 percent to 16,807 students. Online-only student enrollment has also grown by 462 students, marking a record leap according to the university.

The largest college within the university, reported for the fall 2006 semester, is in education, which currently enrolls 5,652 students compared to 5,369 in the 2005 fall semester. Only 1,246 are Mountain Campus students, while the remaining 4,406 comprise online-only and distance learning students.

Ethnic growth was also reported in the report, showing an "across the board" increase, including an 11 percent jump in Hispanic students and a 31 percent jump in African-American students.

"We've said all along that everyone at NAU contributes to the university's success on a daily basis, and the hard work from all parts of campus is paying off," said President Haeger in the release. Haeger credited the university's new marketing strategies and various programs, faculty and improved advising, and additional course offerings as helping to bolster interest in the university.

Carla Andrews-O'Hara, special assistant to the president and director of marketing, said the NAU marketing team is thrilled with the enrollment increase. Though she added that the recent changes to the university (including the new logo among other marketing shifts) were not the only reason for NAU's increase in numbers. O'Hara said campus-wide participation, from faculty to students and the community, helped set the enrollment record as well.

According to NAU, enrollment statistics are determined by counting the number of students enrolled in any university program, which includes online courses taken by non-resident students.

Patrick Whitehurst can be reached at whitehurst1@peoplepc.com

2005 2006 Change

Flagstaff campus 12688 13443 +5.9%

Distance learning 6352 7119 +12.0%

Total 19,069 20562 +7.8%

Mountain Campus only

Freshman 3341 3962 +18.6

Out of state 2742 3209 +17.0