Office of Public Relations

Pomona, NJ 08240

 

Stockton Enrollment Numbers Increase by Carefully Executed Design

 

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Contact: Tim Kelly

Kim McCabe

Stockton Public Relations

(609) 652-4950

 

Galloway Township, NJ The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey achieved its fall 2006 enrollment projection in accordance with an enrollment management plan set in motion by its Board of Trustees nearly two years ago. The College welcomed 808 new freshman students and 1,123 transfer and readmitted students this fall semester. As a result, the administration has achieved a record total college enrollment of 7,213up approximately 2.5% since last year. Approximately 85% percent of the undergraduates are maintaining full-time credit loads. There are 486 graduate students enrolled in Stocktons advanced degree programs, up from 464 at the same time in 2005. These increases parallel the expansion of campus facilities and the growth of its program offerings.

 

Stockton is well on its way in implementing a number of upgrades that will enable the College to meet its enrollment growth in a responsible manner, explained President Herman J. Saatkamp, Jr. Achievements such as the recent completion of the F-Wing Overbuild project and the addition of the Colleges first doctoral program provide the necessary framework to facilitate controlled growth.

 

The F-Wing Overbuild project was completed this summer, adding classrooms, faculty offices and a lecture hall among other needed facilities. Expanded academic programs include the new Doctorate of Physical Therapy, bringing the Colleges total number of advanced degrees to nine.

 

More student housing, classroom buildings and parking garages are planned for the near future, as well as upgrades to landscaping, signage and roads, Saatkamp added. These improvements all help ensure that the College can meet its enrollment targets and better serve the higher educational needs of our students and our region.

 

Stockton College also reported that its six-year graduation rate increased by 2% to 64%. The six-year rate, chosen as a benchmark by federal reporting agencies, tracks the number of freshmen who complete degree programs within established limits. Stocktons consistently high graduation rate places it fourth among the top public liberal arts colleges in the nation, and second among the state public sector colleges and universities in New Jersey. Third-semester retention rates for first-time full-time freshmen remained strong at 84%.

 

Stockton College, nestled in 1,600 acres of New Jerseys Pinelands, is the largest college campus in the state. It is a short drive to popular beach resorts. Stockton offers many of the educational benefits found in private colleges, which cost much more, as well as the cultural benefits of a public university. It has the added benefit of one of the lowest tuition costs in the state.

 

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