10/01/15 ks Tiger Weekly
HAYS, Kan. -- More students than ever before are enrolled at Fort Hays State University for the fall 2015 semester, and the Graduate School played a significant role in that growth.

The enrollment this fall of 14,210 is an increase of 385 students from last fall. New graduate enrollments made up 195 of that 385 increase, which is 51 percent of the new students enrolled.

The FHSU Graduate School has 2,379 students this fall, which is the largest enrollment ever and represents an 8.9-percent increase over last fall. The rolling average for growth in the Graduate School over the past 5 years has been 3.6 percent.

"We have done this 'old school' by passing paper files around campus between departments," said Dr. Tim Crowley, assistant provost for academic programs and dean of the Graduate School. He praised 12 undergraduate student workers for their role in the process.

"We have the programs people want, in the manner they want them delivered, at the lowest price point possible," Crowley said. "The irony of all this is that we have the smallest number of total graduate programs (20) than any of the six Kansas Board of Regents universities."

Fort Hays State delivers classes through three modalities: on-campus, in China and the Virtual College. On-campus headcount this fall is 4,763 students. Last fall it was 4,800 students. That represents a decrease of 37 students, which is less than 1 percent. The headcount of FHSU students at partner universities in China this fall is 3,124. Last fall it was 3,165 students, which is a decrease of 41 students. That continues a slight decline in enrollment in China, likely resulting at least in part from a downturn in the Chinese economy. Despite the slight declines in the other two delivery modalities, the Virtual College more than made up the difference. Headcount this fall in the Virtual College is 6,323 students. Last fall it was 5,860 students. That is an increase of 463 students, or 7.9 percent.