One for the Books: University announces largest enrollment in 163-year history

^{Students gather for Carson-Newman’s Fall Convocation in Holt Fieldhouse. This year’s student body helped set an enrollment record going into the fall semester.}

(Sept. 10, 2014) – Carson-Newman University begins the fall semester with its largest enrollment in its 163-year history. The University notes a total enrollment of 2,362.

The milestone number is up nearly 16 percent over last year’s total of 2,045. Carson-Newman’s previous high-water mark was in 1998 when it enrolled 2,336 students.

“We are delighted to welcome this year’s history-making group of students,” said Dr. J. Randall O’Brien, who has served as the University’s 22nd president since 2008. “What a great time to be a part of Carson-Newman. When one steps back and examines our exceptional faculty, devoted staff, the leadership of our board of trustees and a new generation of students, it’s easy to see that the brightest days are ahead for our University.”

The University has seen an increase in several areas over last year including freshmen, undergraduates, and the most significant increase: 605 graduate students, a substantial 82 percent increase over last year.

Historic enrollment follows a summer of growth and renovation

Wednesday’s news comes on the heels of several significant announcements by the University this summer including a record number of summer graduate students. The record of 329 summer graduate students represented a 53 percent increase and can be credited in part to an MBA program hitting its stride and the addition of the University’s first doctoral program in education, as well as an Educational Specialist degree. Last month Carson-Newman also announced a new partnership that would allow it to offer its MBA program at Pellissippi State’s Strawberry Plains campus.

Throughout the summer, the University completed more than 35 renovation projects including major renovations to Carson-Newman’s library, as well as the addition of Chick-fil-A on campus.

Last month Carson-Newman was cited by Washington Monthly as America’s No. 7 Baccalaureate College. The University was recently again named a “Best in the Southeast” by The Princeton Review in its 2015 listings, and noted as a “Great School at a Great Price” as well as an “Up-and-Comer” by U.S. News & World Report’s 2015 College Rankings.