With some area colleges cutting back these days, enrollment records are no small accomplishment in some parts of the state. At Southern Arkansas University’s quarterly meeting of its Board of Trustees, the institution’s student body numbers were front and among the highlights from the school’s top administrator.
“We saw great enrollment this year at SAU,” said Dr. Trey Berry, president of SAU.
Total undergraduate enrollment at 3,584 as well as the 1,997 students living on campus are both all-time highs for the 110-year-old Magnolia university. The retention rate among the freshman class is also the highest in 20 years. The total number of students at SAU -- 4,472 in fall 2019 -- is also slightly higher than 2018’s figures.
SAU’s broad reach was also on display. In his remarks to the Board of Trustees this week, Berry also showcased the diverse nature of the freshman student body.
“They’re really coming from everywhere,” Berry added.
The first-year students on campus range from 41 states, the same as 2018, and 35 countries across six continents. A little closer to home, out of the 75 counties in Arkansas, SAU enrolls residents from all but one.
“Someone needs to go to Morrilton in Conway County to get us that one student,” Berry jokingly said.
With such an ever-growing population, also comes new construction projects. The just-opened. Arkansas Hall is already “virtually full,” according to the president.
“Having all of those extra students on campus really changes the chemistry of the university,” he said.
and the finishing touches at the university’s new agricultural shop are now underway. The shop building is attached to the Agri center on the western side of N. Jackson Street.
“It’s an enlarged space with a lot of new equipment,” Berry said.
Wilson Hall, one of the primary classroom structures on campus, has also seen a facelift inside. All three floors have seen upgrades.
Other building projects slated for upcoming improvements include the Mulerider Band hall and the teacher education department. The band has exploded in recent years and teacher ed enrollment is up significantly over the past two years.
“These are two big growth areas for us,” Berry added.
The Mulerider Band is currently at 164 members. The “extremely impressive” squad, the president added, has a future goal set for 200 members.
Lawrence Bearden, a member of SAU’s Board of Trustees, noted that in 1948, the marching band consisted of four total members.
“They had two musicians that would march and two friends that marched,” he said.
One of the more anticipated new facility openings is the upcoming golf driving range on campus. The lot was built for the Mulerider Golf team, but it will also be open to the public. Berry did not reveal any more specifics in the hours of operation for the range, but stated that it is expected to be open officially “in the next few weeks.”
“The new machine disperses range balls,” he said. “It’s for our golf team, of course, but it’s also going to be open for the community.”
The addition of picnic area berms at SAU Softball’s Dawson Field and the construction of a new trap shooting range at the Ben T. Laney Farm on Columbia Rd. 13 are also in the pipeline to be opened soon.
The trap range was spurred on by a recent $220,000 donation by Farmers Bank and Trust.
“We’re very close,” Berry added. “We think maybe around Christmas [it will be ready].”
In other SAU Board News:
The board approved a new BBA in International Business at SAU and an Associate of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering at SAU Tech.