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   from the issue of September 27, 2007

     
 
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Alan Cerveny, dean of Admissions, issued this Sept. 20 e-mail as a recruiting update and invitation to the Oct. 2 "Campus Visit Showcase."

Freshman class records new benchmarks for university

By now, most of you have heard we experienced a 10 percent increase in our new student enrollment this fall. Our freshman numbers are up 29 percent over the past three years. But our enrollment increase is only part of this year's success story. As Paul Harvey is famous for saying, "Now, the rest of the story."

For the seventh straight year, UNL has enrolled the most talented freshman class in school history based on standardized test scores and class ranks.

The average ACT score for this fall's freshman class increased from 24.9 to 25.0, our highest score ever. This ACT average is the highest in Nebraska and our neighboring states.

This year's freshman class is also the most diverse we've ever seen. We have enrolled more new students of color and out-of-state students this fall than ever before.

Aggressive recruiting and strong marketing campaigns alone cannot explain the level of success we are experiencing. It is clear that more and more prospective students and their parents are recognizing that something very special is going on at UNL. I am a proud alumnus, yet when I look at UNL through the eyes of my daughter who is a sophomore, I see a university that is superior in every way to the one I attended.

During a recent presentation to the deans and directors, Chancellor Perlman observed that the campus has become a much more welcoming and supportive environment for our students. I wholeheartedly agree. Hardly a day goes by without visitors commenting that they never expected to find a national research university with such friendly and enthusiastic faculty and staff.

As the Office of Admissions begins a new recruiting cycle, we need your support more than ever. Given our state's demographics, we can never afford to rest on our laurels. A serious drop in new student enrollment, such as the one we experienced only three years ago, will harm every department and office on campus. One way you can help is by supporting our campus visit program. Campus visits play a critical role in a student's choice of college. Students and their parents form lasting impressions based on their experiences on campus. From meeting with a prospective student to simply offering a friendly "hello" to visitors you pass on the sidewalk, you can make a difference.

We'd like to offer you the opportunity to experience the university through the eyes of a campus visitor. You are invited to a special faculty and staff "Campus Visits Showcase," on Oct. 2 from 10 a.m. to noon. The program will include a welcome session, student life session, and student-guided campus tour. If you are interested in attending this program, please e-mail our associate director for campus visits, Amber Hunter, at ahunter3@unl.edu.

Even though we currently have more than 50,000 active prospects in our database, I suspect there are some talented prospective students who are not yet on our radar screen. So another way you can help the university with student recruitment is by sharing the names of possible prospects (particularly your own children, grandchildren, family friends, or relatives) with the Office of Admissions. Please e-mail the student's name, year in school, high school name, and home mailing address to me at acerveny2@unl.edu.

Thank you again for your continuing support of our undergraduate recruiting program.


Alan L. Cerveny
Dean of Admissions


GO TO: ISSUE OF SEPTEMBER 27

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