By COLIN M. STEWART
By COLIN M. STEWART
Tribune-Herald Staff Writer
Enrollment figures at the University of Hawaii are showing signs of a slowdown after the sharp increases brought on by 2008’s start to the Great Recession.
Despite the slowing growth, however, the UH System office reported Wednesday that this fall’s statewide enrollment had once again reached a record high. A total of 60,633 students enrolled in UH classes this year, up 21 percent since 2006, but only 0.2 percent, or 114 students, over last year’s statewide enrollment.
The Hawaii Community College campus in Hilo saw the largest decrease in enrollment in the state, down 6.3 percent from last year with a total of 3,686 students currently enrolled.
UH-Hilo, meanwhile, saw a slight 0.6 percent increase over last year of 23 students, with a total of 4,172 enrolled.
All told, UH saw a slight decrease of 0.7 percent in enrollment at its seven community college campuses, down to 34,118 students since 2011.
Hawaii Community College Chancellor Noreen Yamane did not respond to a call seeking comment as of presstime Wednesday. UH-Hilo Chancellor Donald Straney was also unavailable to respond to questions, but he did issue a prepared statement Wednesday afternoon in response to the enrollment figures.
“We’re pleased that growing numbers of students are enrolling at UH-Hilo, which we believe validates the quality of our programs, faculty and staff,” he said. “We look forward to working with these students to help them achieve their educational goals.”
Straney’s release also noted that that students of Native Hawaiian ancestry totaled 992, or 23.7 percent of the campus’ overall student body, and that fall’s figures show women comprising 59 percent of total enrollment.
“Nearly 7 out of every 10 students or 2,898 come from Hawaii and 30 percent or 1,274 are from out of state,” the release states.
According to a separate release issued earlier in the day by the University of Hawaii System, much of the growth that did occur in statewide enrollment was attributed to its West Oahu campus and some of the UH community colleges. Among those community college campuses that saw increases were Kauai with with 5.4 percent, Leeward with 1.2 percent, and Windward with 1.5 percent. The rest saw decreases ranging from Hawaii’s high of 6.3 percent to Honolulu’s low of 0.1 percent.
“We’re excited to see our enrollment continue to grow throughout the University of Hawaii System as it shows the value placed in the pursuit of higher education,” said UH Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs/Provost Linda Johnsrud. “Now that we have these students in the door, we are doing our best to make sure they stay in college and graduate on time. We continue to increase student aid and educate students about the steps they need to take and the resources available to them to ensure they succeed.”
With the opening of a new Kapolei campus this semester, UH-West Oahu welcomed 2,023 students in 2012, an increase of 324 students, or 19.1 percent, over last year.
“After nearly four decades, we’re extremely proud to celebrate this milestone with more than 2,000 students who have the privilege of being the first students at our new campus,” said UH-West Oahu Chancellor Gene Awakuni. “With this new campus, UH-West Oahu now has the ability to realize its full potential in addressing the needs of our community and providing educational programs for our students that will prepare them for quality careers.”
UH-Manoa’s enrollment remained relatively stable this year, with only seven more students signing up compared to 2011.
A review of enrollment over the last decade at UH-Hilo and HCC shows that both campus’ enrollment numbers saw steep increases around the time of the start to the global recession.
UH-Hilo’s enrollment grew by nearly 5 percent between 2007 and 2008, and 5.5 percent the following year. By 2010, that growth had slowed to 2.2 percent, followed by 1.6 percent in 2011. HCC saw even steeper increases. Annual enrollment jumped by 14 percent in both 2008 and 2009, 16 percent in 2010, but slowed to just over 2 percent in 2011.
Email Colin M. Stewart at cstewart@hawaiitribune-herald.com.