If it seems like more and more students have descended upon Ames this fall, it is not an illusion. In fact, enrollment for both the university as well as the College of Engineering have reached new heights.

Total university enrollment reached 31,040 students, a new record, while the College of Engineering has accrued 7,508 students, also a record.

This increase in enrollment has come to no surprise to Gary Mirka, associate dean of undergraduate and graduate education for the College of Engineering. Mirka explained what has gone on behind the scenes in the College of Engineering has lead to the recent enrollment surge.

The first priority, Mirka said, is assuring students already in attendance at Iowa State are comfortable and successful.

“We found that the learning communities are ways of getting groups of students that have common interest to work together; they’re taking similar classes, in some cases living in the same dorm room,” Mirka said. “We’ve found that’s a very effective way in improving our retention.”

After taking care of current

students, a concerted effort is carried out to attract new students to Iowa State, he said.

“The number of students graduating from high schools in Iowa is relatively flat. So if we’re interested in growth, we’ll need to be looking at international students, as well as students from surrounding states,” Mirka said. “We’ve been particularly aggressive in trying to recruit underrepresented minority and women students.”

Signs of this desired diversification can been seen in the numbers: According to the College of Engineering website, both female and underrepresented minority, in addition to international, enrollments have all increased.

A potential problem that arises with an increase in students is accommodation capabilities.

The commitment to attract and accommodate students has been the key factor in this jump, not any lapses in admissions standards. Mirka said the Board of Regents has not changed their admissions standards for the College of Engineering.

Mufit Akinc, the interim dean for the College of Engineering, said that this year the college has the most undergraduate students of any college at Iowa State, edging out the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, which had the previous record. A College of Engineering having a higher number of students than the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is a rarity for any university.

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, however, does have the most number of students when accounting for the number of combined undergraduate and graduate students. The relationship between of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and College of Engineering is a friendly one, Mirka said, when considering how the two colleges work together to educate undergraduate students.

“The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has been an excellent partner in making sure there are enough seats available so these students can take the classes they need when they first arrive,” Mirka said. “That’s an improvement from many of our other competitors.”