University of Central Oklahoma
THURSDAY September 5, 1996
The Student Voice Since 1903
Enrollment figures mark downward trend By Cynthia Chung
Staff Writer
ewer students are packing the classrooms at UCO this fall; 853 fewer students, to be exact. As of Monday, Aug. 26, fall 1996 figures stand at 14,481, a 5.5 percent decline as compared to fall 1995 figures of 15,334. The latest numbers appear to be part of a downward trend. For the same period last year, enrollment fell by 4.4 percent. Jerry Legere, registrar of admissions and records, attributes the enrollment decreases to a robust economy. "People who find work usually don't return to school," he said. In an interview with The Vista last year, Legere cited ongoing construction as a possible put-off
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for new students, but he said he doubts that is the case this year. Graduate and transfer students account for the sharpest drop in enrollment. The number of graduate students fell from 3,286 last year to 2,934 this year, a slide Legere attributes to fulfillment of mandates stipulated by House Bill 1017. The passing of the education bill in 1990, which requires that "teachers get so much credit hours in continuing education to maintain competency levels," was responsible for the influx in graduate students in earlier years. First-time transfer students also fell by 10.45 percent. Traditionally, UCO attracts transfer students from the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University and
FALL ENROLLMENT TRENDS 4000 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 -
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Freshmen 1,:j Graduate
Juniors
Seniors
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Sophomores
Graph by Office of Institutional Research and Planning.
the community colleges. Several factors may have brought about the decrease, but Legere points out that it's a statewide trend, not one exclusive to UCO. On the up side, this fall found a record number of first-time freshmen-1,468—registered at UCO. Likewise, the international student population climbed from 1,534 to 1,570. The top five international countries are Taiwan, (349) and Malaysia, (301) followed by Japan, (98) Thailand (94) and Pakistan (85). Legere credits international students and the director of the International Student Office, Dr. Ronald Paddack, for the growth. Paddack was modest about his recruitment efforts, although he has helped establish alumni chapters in Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. He said he sees opportunity for recruitment in every invitation extended to him for speeches or presentations. Last November, he traveled to Taiwan, Hong Kong, China and Korea. This year has seen him traipsing to Bulgaria, Hungary, the Czech Republic and England. On all his trips, Paddack lined his suitcases with UCO materials, which he also distributed to Study Abroad Centers, English language schools and U.S. Information Service outlets.
Dr. Sam Magrill practices a piece of music that he will perform at his concert tonight. The performance,
Celebrating a Quarter of a Century of Compositions: Music of Samuel Magrill, will be performed at Mitchel! Hail Theater 8 p.m. (Staff photo by Laurette Graham)
Concert chronicles piano man's career TCO teacher and composer Sam Magrill is a busy man, but not too busy to set his life to music. "Actually, I don't have a lot of time to listen to music, so most of the music I listen to is in the classes that I teach," he said. Magrill explained why some of the selections in tonight's 8 o'clock concert at Mitchell Hall featuring 25 years of his compositions may sound familiar to some students. "It's a reflection of the teaching that I've been doing," he said. "So many pieces that I analyze and present to students, over a period of time, I synthesized them and was able to turn into a composition. "I used chord progressions in the beginning of Goblin Market that were derived from the beginning of advanced harmony class." V See MAGRILL, Page 4
INSIDE TODAY INDEX Editorial 2 Sports 8,9,10 Entertainment 11 Around Town 14 Around Campus 15 Classifieds 16
HOMECOMING The Laff Olympics tests school spirit as Homecoming Week approaches.
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JAPAN Celebrate Japanese art and culture at a week-long Friendship Festival.
SPORTS UCO quarterback Stanley Pena and the Broncho open the season Saturday at home.
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