ENMU president happy about enrollment

Eastern New Mexico University President Steven G. Gamble told the university’s Board of Regents on Saturday he is confident that for the first time since 1988, ENMU’s enrollment of full-time freshmen this fall will exceed 600.

Gamble spoke at the regents’ regular meeting in Portales.

He added the university’s goal this year is to attract a freshmen class with an average American College Test (ACT) score of 19.1, compared to last year’s average of 18.8. According the ACT Web site, a composite score of 19 puts a test taker in the 41st percentile nationwide.

Gamble told the regents that overall the number of semester credit hours being taken by students at the university is not as high as he would like, and may reflect the number of part-time students attending ENMU.

Elsewhere, the board honored Vice President for Business Affairs Danny Earp on his retirement.

Earp, who has served as the business affairs vice president for seven years, will retire July 31.

It also reviewed the Gamble’s contract and endorsed his goals for calendar year 2002-2003. Those goals include:

-- Enhance the emphasis on student success and the personal touch throughout the campus community.

-- Enhance ENMU’s relationship with “external constituencies,” such as public schools and area, regional and state business leaders and elected officials, through better communication.

-- Solidify the relationship of ENMU’s Portales campus with its Roswell and Ruidoso campuses.

-- Facilitate the goals of the university’s vice presidents and coaches, which include increasing ENMU’s enrollment and improving student retention rates.

In other business, the board:

-- Approved a $4.8 million capital project request from ENMU-Ruidoso campus to remodel a building on that campus for use as a health sciences building.

-- Approved a list of capital projects from the Portales campus, including: $8 million for a science building; $4 million for deferred maintenance and infrastructure and modernization; $975,000 for an ENMU-Ruidoso instructional center; and $2 million for renovation of a music building in Portales.

Funding for the requests must be approved by the state Commission on Higher Education, Gamble said.