UC Enrollment Breaks Another Record

The University of Cincinnati is expecting to break records again as classes begin on Aug. 26. Projected figures suggest an all-time record enrollment of 43,000, up 2.5 percent from autumn 2012. UC’s

second-highest enrollment

was set in 2011 at 42,421.

UC’s record freshman class is expected to number 6,450, up 6.6 percent from 2012. Freshmen on the Uptown Campus are expected to number a record 4,450, up 7.7 percent from 2012. More than 30 percent of the freshman class is represented by first-generation college students. The academic profile of the freshman class is holding steady with a 25.1 ACT score.

UC’s Institutional Research also reports that UC is making strides in building diversity on campus, with 17.3 percent of the freshman class representing students of color (15 percent on the Uptown Campus). Out-of-state students are expected to number 8,536, up 7.4 percent from 2012.

Despite the growing crowds, there will be a spot in class for every student. Kristi Nelson, UC senior vice provost for academic planning, says distance learners are among the growing numbers of students, plus, the university is maximizing the class schedule to adjust to the larger crowd on campus.

UC is also breaking enrollment records for its international undergraduates. UC reported just over 300 international undergraduates in 2006 when recruitment efforts first started expanding under International Admissions. This fall, the university is expecting more than 1,000 international undergraduates (1,732 graduate students) as part of the 2019 Academic Master Plan’s efforts to build a global campus. Efforts are now under way this fall to increase support services for the growing international student population.

UC aims to become a leader in establishing strategic global partnerships in seven regions:  China, Europe, India, Latin America, the Middle East, Asia (countries other than China and India) and sub-Saharan Africa. As a result, a new, global agreement is establishing a Joint Co-op Institute between UC and China’s Chongqing University. 

The agreement

calls for UC to provide experience and expertise in establishing a mandatory co-op program at Chongqing as part of two engineering majors while also establishing UC’s curriculum and offering UC faculty instruction in those two majors – mechanical engineering and electrical engineering – at Chongqing. UC is the world founder of cooperative education.

UC leads national trends in distance learning

again this fall, as the university becomes one of the first schools in the nation to offer credit for a massive open online course (MOOC). The credit can be applied toward a graduate degree in the Carl H. Lindner College of Business or the College of Engineering and Applied Science. Another college, the College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), begins online courses with selections including Music of the Beatles and History of Rock and Roll.

Other new academic offerings this fall include a major in Arabic, a minor in medicine and a certificate program in cybersecurity.

Looking ahead to new technology advances for fall semester:  Sophomores in the College of Nursing will begin using iPads instead of textbooks.

UC’s housing capacity

this fall is 4,676. UC Housing and Food Services this summer arranged to lease 142 beds at University Park Apartments and 82 beds at Campus Park to accommodate the demand for campus housing.

Fall semester also welcomes students into the $35 million renovations to

Morgens Hall

,

as students move into the residence hall that is now enclosed in 2,000 panels of glass, all designed to save energy. The building had been closed since 2008.

UC begins classes on the heels of an historic “Proudly Cincinnati” fundraising campaign that raised more than $1.09 billion.

Final numbers for enrollment are reported to the state in mid-September.

New Student Convocation will be held at 10 a.m., Friday, Aug. 23, in Fifth Third Arena.

Welcome Weekend events include

a foam party and fireworks display that begins at 10:30 p.m., Friday, Aug. 23, on Sigma Sigma Commons.

The celebration runs until 2 a.m.

Welcome Weekend Events

New This Fall

New Spaces/Construction Updates

Nippert Stadium Project

– Nippert Stadium will undergo an $80-85 million expansion and renovation project that is expected to begin this December and be completed in 2015. The installation of a state-of-the art artificial surface took place over the summer.

UC Blue Ash

– Students will see 22,000 square feet of new and renovated space that includes a new library, café, student commons and dean's suite. 

College of Allied Health Sciences

– A major overhaul on the first floor involves both physical and digital renovations.

Tech Trends/Services

100 Percent Wireless

– Both the Uptown East and Uptown West campuses now offer wireless service, allowing users to connect in every building and select green spaces on campus.

iPad Initiative

– Sophomores at the College of Nursing return to campus this fall with a new technology requirement: an Apple iPad mini.

Student E-Mail Upgrades

– Summer upgrades to Office 365 provide students with the latest web-based communication and collaboration tools available from Microsoft.

Apple Service Center

– The UC Bookstore is opening an Apple products repair center this fall. The center will provide service and repairs on all Apple warranty and non-warranty products. Drop-off and pickup locations in the center will be open during the bookstore’s normal business hours.

E-Books

  – University of Cincinnati Bookstores reports that up to 20 percent of its textbooks are now available for sale as e-books, a rising trend nationally. Instead of lugging around a massive college textbook, students can browse their e-book from their iPad or iPhone.

Support for Veterans

– UC Blue Ash reveals how the college is expanding services and outreach to veterans. 

Support for International Students

– UC International Admissions added a new

student support specialist

to assist UC’s dramatically growing international student population. The Carl H. Lindner College of Business added a

full-time academic advisor

to assist the college’s growing Chinese student population.

UC*Metro

– Students now have the option of paying for their Metro card through their student bill.

NightRide

– UC’s free, nighttime shuttle service for the Uptown Campus and Academic Health Center will now have two student translators on staff – fluent in Mandarin and Chinese – to support UC’s growing international student population. The Public Safety-coordinated program, in partnership with Student Government, is planning a staff of up to 15 student employees for fall, including trained student NightRide shuttle drivers. Students also can reach UC NightRide through

Twitter

and

Facebook.

New Programs

Expanded Distance Learning Options

– UC continues to follow state and national trends in transforming education by growing distance-learning options for students.

Bachelor’s in Arabic

– The major in Arabic studies requires 40 credits of coursework in Arabic language, culture, linguistics, literature and allied disciplines. Study abroad experiences will provide mastery of oral and written Arabic and familiarity with the culture, literature and history of the Arabic-speaking world. The degree program was developed as a result of student demand.

New Accelerated Engineering Degree (ACCEND)

– The five-year program begins this fall. Students can earn a bachelor’s degree in engineering and a master’s degree in education, plus teacher licensure.

IT/MBA Degree

– The five-year degree program combines hands-on experience, experiential senior projects and five semesters of co-operative education by alternating semesters of paid work and classroom instruction beginning sophomore year. Students earn their undergraduate degree in Information Technology from the College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services (CECH) and an MBA from the Carl H. Lindner College of Business.

Minor in Medical Sciences

– The UC College of Medicine is now offering undergraduate education in the basic medical sciences to prepare students to be competitive for professional schools.

New Certificate in Cybersecurity

– A new certificate in foundations of cybersecurity is designed to provide students with an understanding of the behavioral, political/strategic and technical aspects of cybersecurity.

EMS Leadership

– This fall, the UC College of Engineering and Applied Science's Fire Science Program becomes the first in the nation to launch the National Fire Academy’s model courses in EMS Administration.

Common Reading Program

– The University of Cincinnati kicks off a new, common reading program for incoming freshmen that reflects not only the university’s pursuit of scholarship, but also the university’s values.

Fall Reading Days

– UC holds two fall Reading Days Oct. 7-8. Regular classes are suspended during Reading Days, but co-curricular activities (co-op, internships, recitals and performances, travel study) will continue. The Reading Days are an opportunity for students to focus on reading and studying outside UC’s regular classroom schedule.

The Carl H. Lindner College of Business is set to launch

Women in Business

, a new student group that will be highly interactive with women business leaders in the community.

Success Stories

Strides in Study Abroad

– UC International reports that for the first time in the university’s history, the number of UC students studying abroad crossed over 1,000 during the 2011-12 academic year.  Those experiences included faculty-led trips, internships, semester-exchange programs, service-learning experiences and cooperative education. The most popularly visited country was Germany, followed by France. Goals outlined in the 2019 Academic Master Plan aim to increase the number of students studying abroad to 1,500, when the university marks its bicentennial year in 2019.

UC Forward

– UC Forward is a teaching and learning initiative that brings together students, faculty and an array of businesses and agencies – each from different perspectives – to contribute to the social and economic value of the local, regional and global communities. UC Forward will nearly double its grant-funded courses over the academic year to 25, compared with 13 courses offered over the 2012-13 academic year. The initiative now involves 83 faculty members representing all UC colleges as well as partnerships with local and global organizations.

Experiential Learning

– Over the past year, UC co-op students earned a collective $43 million in 4,606 co-op work placements. Cooperative education was founded at UC.

Popular Demand

– The clinical research program at UC Blue Ash College is doubling the number of classes this fall, due to student demand.

Athletes’ Achievements

– UC’s Department of Athletics reports six multi-year scores of 990 and higher on the 2011-12 NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate Institutional Report, which gauges an institution's academic performance through eligibility and retention.

Rent-A-Text: An Affordable Alternative

– University of Cincinnati Bookstores enters the fourth year of its Rent-A-Text Program, which provides savings up to 50 percent off the price of new textbooks. Linda Gindele, director of UC Bookstores, says the program saved students more than $1.1 million last year. More than 25,300 books were rented, which was 22 percent of the total number of textbooks sold during the last academic school year.

Hoxworth Blood Center,

University of Cincinnati, founded in December 1938, marks its 75th anniversary of serving the community.

New Accolades

For the seventh year in a row, the University of Cincinnati is praised as one of the nation's best institutions for undergraduate education, according to

The Princeton Review.

The latest

International Student Barometer Survey

continues to show that UC’s international students feel their college experience is a solid investment.

AlliedHealthWorld.com

named UC’s two campus recreation facilities to its national “top ten” list of outstanding university fitness centers.

The University of Cincinnati is classified as a research university (very high research activity) by the Carnegie Commission and is ranked as one of America’s top 25 public research universities by the National Science Foundation. The university is the Cincinnati region’s largest employer. UC’s living alumni number 260,421 (2012), with approximately half (131,185) residing in the greater Cincinnati area.