Iowa State reached a spring-enrollment record this semester.”Our new-student count was very strong this fall because of new-student recruitment,” said Kathy Jones, registrar. “Also, the retention data from first-year students to their second year is strong.”Retention is a university-wide effort with colleges and departments working together to keep students in their programs here, said David Bousquet, assistant vice president for Admissions.”The increase in enrollment means different things to different people,” he said. “It speaks of the quality of Iowa State, showing it as an attractive place to be. It’s a great university to be at if the goal is to come to college to receive a good education and career.”The importance Iowa State places on undergraduates is what attracts many students to attend college here and stay, said Howard Shapiro, vice provost for Academic Admissions.”We work hard to be a place where students will be successful,” he said. “We have an aggressive graduation rate, and the more people we can attract, the better.”Shapiro said Iowa State has a student-support system geared to retain students.”We have increased the amount of Supplemental Instruction this semester, [we also] help professors learn the best teaching methods and stress the learning communities, among other things,” he said.Enrollment is always lower in the spring then the fall for a number of reasons, Bousquet said.”Some students graduate, and others are involved in programs such as co-ops, student exchange and student teaching,” he said.Shapiro said ISU administrators have established goals for recruiting more students. He also said students benefit from high enrollment.”We are able to do more research when there are more students here. Undergraduate programs are important to us,” Shapiro said. “Students are our lifeblood, they are what make us happen. Increased enrollment means we are doing what we are supposed to do.”