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ASt.Mary’sStudentPublicationsince1925 • Vol.98 Issue1 • September15,2010 • STMURATTLERNEWS.COM
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ENROLLMENT heightens OUT OF STATE (65) Arizona California Florida Illinois Maryland
39.1% male
60.9% female
By Austin W. Newton News Editor If it seems like there are more students at the university, it is because there is. With more than 700 new freshman and transfer students this semester, the university experienced a 3 percent increase in undergraduate enrollment, compared to the 2009 fall semester. The graduate school enrollment also grew by 19 percent, compared to same data. Overall, the total student population grew by 5 percent, according to the Dean of Students, Timothy Bessler. Word-of-mouth is a key factor in bringing in new faces to the campus, according to Bessler. “The things that are said by word-ofmouth from a current student to a prospective student is invaluable.” Prospective students often note on how
INSIDE
authentically satisfied students seem, according to Bessler. “When the prospective students see our current students, they talk to them,” he said. “They see how vibrant and diverse our campus community is through our current students.” Freshmen international students Myriam Vigil from Honduras and Ninfa Escobar from Nicaragua heard about St. Mary’s University from over a thousand miles away. “I have family and friends who had other family members who had gone to St. Mary’s,” Vigil said, “They all loved it.” “I had a friend that said very good things about St. Mary’s,” Escobar said. “They were the ones that told me ‘Hey, you need to come here, you’re going to love it.’” Vigil and Escobar are only two of the newest members of university’s international student population of 200, according to Jenny Brydon, International Student and
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San Antonio 220 Valley 65 El Paso 65 Houston 57 Central Texas 37 Corpus Christi 24 West Texas 6 Other 11 Scholar Services director. “We have the largest [international student] population we have ever had,” said Brydon. “The largest populations of international students come from Saudi Arabia and India. We have more graduate international students than undergraduate students.” Both Brydon and Bessler said that integration between international and American students can enrich a student’s experience. “Our international students are incredibly cool. I hope students make the effort to make our international population feel welcome at St. Mary’s,” Brydon said. “Knowing an international student will enrich your life.” Director of Admissions Chadd Bridwell handles much of the new student recruitment. This year he has recruited 24 new international students. Apart from recruiting students from other countries, Bridwell said his mission is to
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INTERNATIONAL (24) Mexico China El Salvador Honduras Peru Saudi Nicaragua
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Other countries include: Bolivia, Canada, Costa Rica, India, Italy, Zimbabwe, Nepal, Nigeria, Slovenia and Uzbekistan. According to the Admission’s Office, as of Aug. 19. enhance diversity by bringing in students from areas around San Antonio, such as El Paso and the Rio Grande Valley. “We have most of our recruitment from the Valley and El Paso because, statistically speaking, these students are more willing to travel,” said Bridwell. Twenty-one percent of the class of 2014 is from these areas, while 37 percent is from San Antonio and 11 percent is from out-of-state. The class of 2014 is also unique because of their new living arrangements. Eighty-four percent of freshmen are living on campus for the current academic school year, while the school is at a 104 percent residence occupancy, according to Residence Life. “The class of 2014 is going to bond, especially with tripling rooms,” Bridwell. “They are going to be a neat class.”
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