UMM enrollment highest in a decade

Enrollment at the University of Minnesota, Morris is at the highest total in more than 10 years, with 1,822 degree-seeking students on campus, continuing a four-year growth trend.

When combined with nondegree-seeking students - PSEO students, people taking only one class for enrichment and online students - the total enrollment sits at 1,934. This number is still preliminary until the Board of Regents meets in October.

"We're very excited about the growth," said Bryan Hermann, UMM director of admissions. "I think that we've seen a lot of hard work and a lot of the things that we've done over the last 5 years, we're starting to see some of those messages get through to students and their families about the value of Morris."

Part of the message to students is part of UMM's rebranding effort, emphasizing the idea of the liberal arts as a "renewable, sustainable education."

"As we talk to parents and students, we say, 'We can train a student for a job that exists today, but what happens 10, 15, 20 years from now? We want to give them a foundation that's going to help them as they have to change and adapt,'" Hermann said.

This year's applications to attend UMM reached an all-time high. Hermann said students who were admitted are relatively typical of the "usual" UMM student.

"A lot of the students who come here are very, very strong students - high ability both in the classroom and their extracurricular activities," said Hermann.

This fall, UMM was recognized by U.S. News and World Report as a Top 10 public national liberal arts institution, Forbes magazine as a Best Buy College and a Best in the Midwest, Winds of Change magazine as a Top 200 college in the nation in support of American Indian and Alaskan Native students and was included in the 2012 Fiske Guide to Colleges.