Cal State Long Beach breaks enrollment records

Cal State Long Beach is setting enrollment records this semester.

During the annual Convocation address Friday, CSULB President Jane Close Conoley announced that enrollment for the fall 2016 semester is expected to be around 37,600 students, comprised of undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs.

This number is the second highest in the university’s history, following the fall 2008 semester when enrollment was 37,916 students.

However, according to an email from CSULB Director of News and Digital Media Michael Uhlenkamp, the exact number of enrolled students for this fall semester will not be finalized until late September.

Despite this record-breaking number being tentative for the fall semester, the estimated high number is intensifying some common campus concerns, especially parking, public transportation and timely graduation.

The first days of classes have already seen a number of parking-related issues. With lots and structures being filled quickly, students have been forced to park in the overflow lot at the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church about a mile off campus on East Colorado street and Pacific Coast Highway.

Students have then had to take a campus shuttle from the church to locations around CSULB.

For students who decided against overflow parking, getting into an on-campus parking lot and circling for an open spot was a time consuming task.

“I actually was late for my class because the line was so long to turn into the parking lot,” said Anima Cormier, a senior sociology major. “Looking for parking also took forever and then there was a long line to get a parking permit.”

Additionally, Long Beach Transit busses avoided the intense traffic altogether, dropping students off at 7th street and Channel drive, where students then had to take a short walk to campus.

Aside from parking and transportation issues, the high number of enrolled students raises concerns with class availability and timely graduation.

According to Uhlenkamp, the number of full-time enrolled students this semester will be will be around 31,400 — another record breaking number.

To be considered a full-time student, a student must be enrolled in at least 12 units.

“This trend increase in [full-time enrolled students] is in line with the university’s efforts to help students graduate in a more timely manner,” Uhlenkamp said.

This effort to increase timely graduation coincides with a mandate from Governor Jerry Brown.

“We have a new challenge from the governor…by 2025 our four-year-graduation rate must go to 39 percent; it is currently at 15 percent and our average enrollment time is about five years,” Conoley said at Convocation.

For CSULB to meet the governor’s demand with such a large enrollment number, Uhlenkamp said the university is working to increase class and faculty availability to students.

“In addition to encouraging students to take a full-course load if possible, a priority at CSULB is to fund the class schedule,” he said. “So while there is an incremental increase in the number of students on campus this fall, if there is appropriate demand for a class it will be offered. Additionally the university has hired 66 new tenure-track faculty members and 62 of them will start this fall.”

At Convocation, Conoley assured those present that the mandate is achievable and will not threaten the quality of education students expect to receive.

“We can have a fully funded course schedule, we can increase summer schedules, we can do winter session,” she said, “We can do things to help those students who are on a four year pathway to succeed.”

Samantha Diaz and Yasmin Cortez contributed to this story