Augusta State breaks enrollment record

Augusta State University has passed the 7,000-student mark, a record enrollment figure that university officials did not expect to reach until next fall.

The student body has grown by 5.5 percent compared with last fall's enrollment of 6,698, said Carol Giardina, the associate director of admissions. In June, applications were up by more than 8 percent, and students accepted to the university also jumped close to 25 percent over last year, Ms. Giardina said.

"We expected to be up between 2 to 3 percent when we saw the number of applications and students accepted," Ms. Giardina said. "We're very excited to see that our hard work has paid off."

The economy has played a role in the growth, with many students opting to enroll in college to sharpen their skills in a tough job market, Ms. Giardina said.

Local high school graduates have also enrolled at Augusta State rather than paying more for out-of-state tuition, she said.

The university's efforts to recruit more students outside the Augusta area also has made an impact, Ms. Giardina said. The university does not yet have data on the number of out-of-area students enrolled this fall.

Augusta State's facilities can handle the growth, and adjustments have been made to increase class sizes, change teaching times and add Saturday classes, said Kathy Hamrick, the special coordinator for academic and master planning.

The university also began running a shuttle bus, the Jaguar Express, between the Walton Way campus, University Village and Christenberry Fieldhouse to help offset some of the parking demand at the main campus.

"We're tight, but we know it will only get tighter," Ms. Hamrick said. "We have the space to utilize, but we're in the process of doing more with our infrastructure."

Within the next couple of years, renovations to older buildings on campus will make room for office space and additional classrooms, she said. Last month, the Board of Regents approved $1.8 million for planning on a 90,000-square-foot facility that would house nursing and education students, but that project will not be completed for another five years.

For now, faculty members are adjusting to teaching larger classes, and the college is increasing the number of classes when needed, Ms. Hamrick said.

Melissa Powell-Williams, a sociology professor, said most of her classes have grown by five to 10 students. Generally, students are not affected by the growing enrollment, Dr. Powell-Williams said.

"We do have classes that are full, which can be a problem for some of our senior-level students," she said. "The only thing we can do is add more classes or increase them. Those are our choices right now."

Reach Stephanie Toone at (706) 823-3215 or stephanie.toone@augustachronicle.com.