Eastern has enrolled a record 2,751 freshmen this fall, 593 more than last year and the largest increase in the university’s history, according to an official report released by the university Wednesday.

Official numbers show an increase of 632 students for a total enrollment of 11,163 compared to the 10,531 enrolled in the fall of 2001.

Interim President Lou Hencken announced last April he wanted to increase freshman enrollment by 250 students, a mark far surpassed.

“This shows Eastern is a popular school,” Hencken said. “We are sort of the envy of a number of schools in Illinois.”

To accommodate the extra students Eastern hired several annually contracted faculty to teach extra course sections, said Blair Lord, vice president for academic affairs. As of Tuesday, he was unsure how many faculty were hired.

Hencken said he was unsure how much extra revenue the university will receive from the enrollment increase, but he told The Daily Eastern News earlier this year the additional revenue would “more than cover the cost of additional faculty.”

On Wednesday, Hencken said without the enrollment increase “the budget would be in much worse shape than it is already.”

Eastern was asked to return $1.7 million worth of insurance and $624,000 in appropriations as part of a state callback from Gov. George Ryan last year. The callback left Eastern’s budget $600,000 less than the fiscal year 2002, Hencken said.

Hencken has not yet set the exact amount of this year’s budget.

Eastern is also paying an extra $350,000 more for building insurance, $72,000 to rent the former IGA on 18th Street and $102,000 for Internet connection, which had previously been free for Illinois universities.

Additional revenue from the added freshmen will help cover those costs, Hencken said.

“The university could not continue to drop in enrollment and expect to receive advancements in the budget,” he said.

Eastern’s overall enrollment has jumped up 6 percent from 10,531 last year to 11,163 this year, helping to increase Eastern’s minority enrollment.

Minority students now make up nearly 10 percent of Eastern’s total enrollment with minorities students now totaling 1,099, an addition of 88.

Graduate student enrollment is also on the rise. Graduate enrollment has increased nearly 16 percent this fall to 1,635.

More transfer students also came to Eastern this year. Last year, 938 students transferred to Eastern, compared to the 997 transfers this fall.

Hencken said Eastern’s ideal enrollment would be around 11,500 students, but he does not plan on increasing enrollment next year.

“I think we want to manage enrollment and even out the classes,” he said.

Eastern’s enrollments breaks down to 2,751 freshmen, 1,743 sophomores, 2,164 juniors, 2,870 seniors and 1,635 graduates.

Of those figures, 4,630 are men, and 6,533 are women.

Campus growing

2002 – 11,163 students enrolled

2001 – 10,531 students enrolled

2000 – 10,637 students enrolled