USM Summer School Biggest in State

While we wait for final enrollment figures for Fall 2000 after the end of the add-drop period, we are celebrating the growth in our Summer Session enrollment. We can again boast of the largest enrollment in summer programs in the state. We are also leading the system on international summer programs.

We are anticipating that our over-all Fall enrollment will end up being about two percent ahead of last year, whiich totaled 10,645. Based on deposits received, the enrollment is slightly up in all categories, including freshman enrollment, marking the sixth consecutive year of enrollment increases.

The Summer Session headcount was 4764, a seven percent increase over last year. Credit hours (21,857) represent a six percent increase over last summer.

“During high employment periods, summer schools usually suffer while people work and defer education until fall,” John LaBrie, Summer /Winter Session director said, “but we experienced our strongest enrollment in 10 years.” LaBrie attributes the growth to close coordination with academic deptartments on the courses offered.

Thirty percent of the total growth of summer courses was at Lewiston Auburn College, which has experienced strong enrollment growth year-round as Dean Betty Robinson and the faculty continue to work closely with the community.

Summer Session enrollment in the College of Arts and Sciences showed a rebound from recent drops.

Two thirds of the headcount increase, LaBrie said, was among non-degree students,which he attributes to increased direct marketing by Summer Session to community homes. “This is the population we target to augment our traditional base of matriculated students,” LaBrie said. “This benefits USM generally since some of these new students will end up taking future courses, and will even enroll at USM.”

Another surprise was the huge (90 percent) increase in participation in international summer programs. During the summer of 1999, 85 students took USM courses outside of the country. The number of students who participated in international programs, perhaps partially motivated by the strong American dollar, this year jumped to 162. Among the courses offered overseas were Criminology in Sweden; a new program in Intensive French Language in La Rochelle, France; Spanish Language and Culture in Santiago de Compostela; Readers' Theatre Institute in London; Contemporary British and Dutch Societies; Archaeology Field School in the West Indies; the biggest program, Community Health Clinical in the Dominican Republic, with 39 participants, including nursing students, professionals and community people; and Northern Ireland: History, Culture and Conflict. The students and teacher Michael Connolly in the latter course visited the Northern Ireland consulate at George Mitchell’s invitation on the 4th of July and met John Hume, a Protestant party leader and a chief negotiator for peace.

Summer Session also included youth programs, primarily music camps, and special institutes and programs such as the Stonecoast Writers' Conference, the Childhood Psychopathology Institute, Theatre in New York City, and Baseball and American Society: A Journey.

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