NEW ORLEANS — University of New Orleans students are back on campus for the fall semester.
With UNO still grappling with a $15-million budget cut because of lower enrollment, university officials have newfound optimism.
They announced that the number of new freshmen is up by 20 percent, and the number of new transfer students jumped by 60 percent compared to last fall.
Theo Grant transferred to UNO this semester from a junior college in Texas to play basketball and further his higher education.
“Just viewing the campus, just coming on a visit, just seeing the overall aspect of the school I feel like it was just the best fit for me as far as ball and academics,” Grant said
Madison Nguyen is a freshman art student from Marrero.
"When I went to orientation and met the professors, the professors were really nice and the clubs and stuff are really interesting,” Nguyen said. “That made me more confident in my decision.”
University officials hope to build on the recent successes as they double down on efforts to bolster student enrollment at UNO.
“Obviously, we were delighted to see those numbers when we went through our enrollment data and such,” said Randall Langston, UNO’S new Vice President of Enrollment Management.
Langston was hired to improve enrollment, which dropped from a high of about 17,000 in 2003 to about 6500 students today.
“As we connect with students both here in the New Orleans area, we’re reaching out to students in Mississippi, in Texas, Alabama areas as well,” Langston said.
Langston can also count on some of the new Privateers to help sell potential students on the university.
“I feel like there’s a great atmosphere, great teachers, beautiful lakefront you can come to just be a part of this school,” Grant said.
While overall enrollment is down slightly, 1.7 percent, UNO administrators are excited about the number of new students on campus.
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