ON A BEAUTIFUL LATE-SUMMER EVENING students and townfolk turned-out in good number Monday for the annual Central Methodist Student Fair on the courthouse lawn. Various businesses, CMU groups, churches, and other organizations welcomed students and displayed wares and services. Above, students relax on the south side of the courthouse steps, while two men (below) try their hand at jousting (More opening of school photos on Pages 3 and 6.). Classwork at CMU began Tuesday. (Additional photos may be found in the Aug. 27 Fayette Advertiser.)

One hundred-fifty-four-year-old Central Methodist University set an all-time institutional record with the start of the fall semester Tuesday.

Opening enrollment in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) on the main campus in Fayette will exceed 1,000 students, the highest number of students at Central since its founding in 1854. This represents a nearly 10 percent increase over enrollment last fall (940), which itself was a 40-year record dating to 1968 when the fall enrollment was 977 students.


The official campus census will be taken the third week of classes. Currently, the number unofficially stands at about 1,030.

“We are absolutely delighted to welcome this large contingent of students at the main campus,” said President Marianne Inman. “This clearly shows that people throughout Missouri and elsewhere recognize the quality and value that a CMU education represents.”

Fall enrollment in the university’s statewide program, under the College of Graduate and Extended Studies (CGES), also is expected to reach record numbers this fall.

“Enrollment at every Extended Studies site is up and the number of sites is up as well,” said Rita Gulstad, vice president and dean. “We’ve doubled enrollment projections for our new master of science in nursing program and we have expanded class offerings at our Columbia campus to include afternoon as well as evening classes, where we are now offering two and four-year and graduate-level degree programs.”

CMU operates six regional campuses, as well as a number of extended studies sites and a dual credit program with nearly 100 high schools throughout Missouri. In all, the College of Graduate and Extended Studies serves more than 2,700 students.

Total CMU enrollment statewide – including the main campus – this fall will be more than 3,800.

“These record enrollments are the result of the first-rate work that our admissions staff and all the campus community have been doing to attract, serve and retain students on the main campus and at our regional campuses,” Inman said. “They also reflect our expanded marketing efforts and an emphasis on personalized attention to the academic and social needs of all of our students—in short, excellent customer service.”

Kenneth Oliver, CMU vice president for campus life and dean of students, noted that the large increase in students this fall on the main campus includes 400 new students (298 freshman-level) and 633 returning students. Campus housing in residence halls is also at a new high, with 650 students being housed. Oliver’s oversight responsibilities include the Admission Office, which is directed by Larry Anderson, and the recently added Office of Student Retention.
“I think our admissions staff has done a stellar job of recruiting students for the main campus,” said Oliver. “And Joy Flanders, our full-time retention coordinator, has been especially helpful in that critical area––raising the retention rate of students.” He noted that, as part of the latter effort, the opening spring semester enrollment this January marked a significant increase over January 2007 and represented the highest number of students to be on campus for the traditional second semester in the past 40 years.
“A spring enrollment that was 93 percent of the fall enrollment of 940 was simply outstanding,” Oliver said. “When we interview returning students, they tell us that it is the efforts of everyone on campus that have influenced them to continue their education at Central––the personal attention and assistance they get from faculty members, as well as from the administrative staff.”

Inman said a number of other factors also have driven the major increase in CMU enrollment. These include significant campus improvements such as the Information Commons in Smiley Library, Cupples Hall. A space that formerly was occupied by rows of book shelves (the books were moved to other areas of the library) was opened up and a series of computer-anchored work stations featuring 40 computers that enable students and faculty to access electronic databases worldwide for research purposes. The Information Commons also offers meeting rooms, study spaces and the Aletha Lewis Reading Room.

Other major improvements include completion of the upgrading of CMU’s major athletic facilities, including an artificial turf football field (Davis Field) that also doubles as a soccer field and band performance space, a new softball field, interior and exterior rehabilitation of Puckett Field House, an eight-lane track and new track and field event facilities installed around the football field, and a new entrance way to Davis Field along with a new concession stand and public restrooms. Ground-breaking for a new building to house a weight-training room, meeting rooms and athletic coaching offices is expected to take place this fall.

These upgrades have been funded by the $5 million Eagle Athletics Campaign which was completed successfully this spring and included a $415,000 challenge grant from the Mabee Foundation in Tulsa, Okla.

A significant improvement this year includes installation of a campus-wide emergency warning system employing both audio and visual systems to alert the campus community to impending dangers such as an approaching tornado, a fire, or other dangerous situations on campus.

Other changes include a campus energy conservation project, which involved the installation of energy usage meters that can be read electronically by computer so that energy use can be monitored and adjusted during peak-use periods to help reduce overall campus energy usage. This is part of an on-going effort campus-wide to achieve energy efficiency; it is coupled with a campus-wide program for recycling paper and cardboard.

These improvements follow on the heels of numerous campus upgrades that have been underway for several years, including remodeling of residence halls, installing central air conditioning in Swinney Conservatory and new windows in Brannock Hall, and, most significantly, the new Student and Community Center opened in 2005. Many additional campus improvements are planned for the future.

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