Profile of UD students and faculty presented to Faculty Senate

Rich talked of trends in undergraduate and graduate enrollment from 1996-2002 and then profiled the faculty by rank, gender, diversity and age. Overall student enrollment has been fairly stable from 1996 to 2002, Rich said, and the number remains around 21,000. “We have had an increase in the number of full-time undergraduates and graduate students,” he said, “but a smaller number of continuing education students.”

Rich told the senators that a record number of applications was received for this year’s class, a total of 20,362. As a result, he said, UD is becoming increasingly selective in undergraduate admissions. Offers were made to 47 percent of applicants as compared to 53 percent last year and more than 80 percent a decade ago. The quality of the new freshman class of 3,418 is exceptional, he said, increasing UD’s SAT average “19 points in a single year.” With an average SAT of 1178, the University surpassed the national average of 1020 by 158 points.

The two colleges with the largest increase in undergraduate students since 1996 have been Business and Economics, with an increase of 18.2 percent, and CHEP, with a 19.7 percent increase.

Delaware residents currently make up 40 percent of the student enrollment, essentially the same percentage as a decade ago, Rich said, adding that “Delawareans are truly first” at the University. Of the Delawareans who complete their applications, 70 percent are admitted to the Newark campus, with 15 percent more admitted to the Parallel Program locations. “We admit virtually all Delaware applicants who are predicted to succeed,” he said.

UD’s freshman retention rate has increased from 84.5 percent in 1993 to 88.9 percent in 2001. The University’s rate compares favorably with the 85 percent national retention rate of highly selective institutions, Rich said. “ Graduation rates within five years also have improved, rising from 67.4 in 1986 to 71.2 percent in 1997. The comparable rate nationally is 66.5 percent
Rich said funds for financial aid have increased from $25 million available in 1990 to a projected $90 million by the end of this year. In addition, graduate funding has more than doubled since 1991.

Trends in graduate education include a record increase in applications— from 5,208 in 2001 to 6,306 in 2002—allowing a selective acceptance rate of 29 percent. Rich said there also has been a rise in the number of full-time graduate students and a difference in the gender of those students. “In 1996, UD graduate students were predominantly male, but that has been changing since 2000,” Rich said. Today, he said, women outnumber men in UD graduate programs, 1,625 to 1,565.

Rich also reviewed changing faculty characteristics. With more than 50 percent of the faculty aged 50 or older, Rich told the senators to expect a dramatic transformation in the next 15 years as the faculty “undergoes the normal cycle of renewal.”

The number of faculty members has increased from 972 in 1991 to 1,123 in 2002, Rich said. Of this total, 65.6 percent are men, and 34.4 percent women.

The ethnic and gender composition of the faculty also has changed over the last decade, he said. The total number of minority faculty has increased from 103 in 1991 to 148 in 2002. During the same time period, female faculty numbers have increased from 298 to 386.

“Ten years ago, we had less than 10 endowed professorships,” Rich told the senators. “Today, there are 82 endowed positions.”