SLIPPERY ROCK — Slippery Rock University continues its upward climb in student enrollment, this year hitting the 8,230-student mark, up 1.5 percent over a year ago and showing substantial growth in minority student enrollment.

"We are extremely pleased to have set, and met, our 1- to 2-percent enrollment growth goal," said President Robert Smith.

The university opened the first phase of its $110-million residence hall replacement project this year, providing new, suite-style residence living to some 716 on-campus students. Another 350 students will move into the third building in the project later this fall, and construction on additional housing facilities in the project will begin in early 2007.

In addition, the university's new $14.5-million Advanced Technology and Science Hall opened providing modern classroom and laboratory space as well as a 350-seat, high-tech auditorium. New programs in such areas as criminology as well as additional accreditations for several academic programs have also drawn new interest in SRU academics.

The entering freshman class was marked at 1,429 students and shows another increase in SAT scores. The current year scores average 1,004, compared to 945 in 2000. The average high school grade-point average of entering freshmen stands at 3.24, compared to 2.99 in 2000.

Nearly one-third of our new students are in the top 25 percent of their high school class as compared to less than a quarter in 2000. These numbers speak to the issue of continuing work in increasing the student profile of entering students.

Specific numbers show undergraduate enrollment stands this year at 7,545, with graduate enrollment at 685. Total enrollment last year was 8,105 on the similar 15th day of classes, the official benchmark date set by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education of which SRU is a member university.

In other statistics, enrollment from the top five Pennsylvania counties, in order, show Allegheny, Butler, Lawrence, Mercer and Beaver leading the list, with the states of Ohio, New York, New Jersey and Maryland providing the most students from outside Pennsylvania.

There are 106 international students this semester, with 12 coming from Japan, 10 from Sri Lanka and eight from England. There are also five students from China.

SRU's continued work in recruiting minority students also shows rewards, with black student enrollment up 12.6 percent compared to a year ago to stand at 376, and Hispanic student enrollment up 18.2 percent to stand at 78.