MU summer enrollment hits a record high

Good news rolled in for the University of Missouri with a report Tuesday that its summer session opened this week with enrollment at an all-time high.

The university said 13,697 students enrolled for summer classes, up 2.2 percent from last year’s total of 13,396.

The record summer enrollment follows a report in March that the university expected freshmen enrollment to drop for fall 2016. The university expects about 1,500 fewer freshmen on the Columbia campus in the fall.

MU officials have attributed that drop to increased competition from other colleges and universities, a decrease in the number of high school graduates in the region and, to some degree, the fallout from November’s protests, led by a predominantly black student group demanding inclusion, equity and an end to systemic oppression on the Columbia campus.

The racially charged protest, which generated national attention, led to a student hunger strike, the football team’s threatened boycott of a game and the resignation of the University of Missouri System president and the chancellor of the Columbia campus.

On Tuesday, Kim Humphrey, interim vice provost for enrollment management, said in a news release that the university was “very pleased to see that students continue to recognize the educational opportunities available to them at Mizzou.”

“Our summer enrollment continues to grow at a healthy rate,” Humphrey said. “Our mission to educate the future leaders of the state and nation continues.”

This summer’s total enrollment included an increase in undergraduate enrollment and students participating in online classes.

This story was originally published June 7, 2016 at 11:54 AM with the headline "MU summer enrollment hits a record high."