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New year, same story -- the 1999 freshman class is the best prepared in
Carolina history.
That was the word from Jerry Lucido, associate provost and director of
undergraduate admissions, who spoke at a July 22 Board of Trustees meeting.
"This is an extremely qualified class. This is an extremely capable class,"
Lucido said.
The 3,400 or so students entering the University this fall topped their 1998
counterparts in benchmark categories measuring quality. Last year's freshman
class had been considered Carolina's best.
According to projections, this year's crop averaged 1,246 on the Scholastic
Assessment Test, versus 1998's 1,230. And 554 1999 freshmen scored 1,400 or
higher, 99 more than last year. Fewer students fell at the low end of the
range, with just 159 -- down from 185 -- scoring less than 1,000.
"I think we've outpaced any national average in terms of the SAT," Lucido
said.
Preliminary data show that this year's freshmen turned in other stellar
numbers as well. Highlights:
* 11.5 percent ranked first or second in their high school class;
* 40 percent ranked 10th or better in their high school class;
* Some 660 students took seven or more advanced classes in high school; and
* 2,975 students took Advanced Placement exams.
Lucido said another sign of the class's strength is its high number of
National Merit Scholars: 101. The previous high since 1994 was 39 in 1998.
Lucido credited the jump to Carolina's new practice of using its own privately
raised dollars to fund National Merit Scholarships.
Before, Carolina had to compete with other colleges for students whose
scholarships were funded by corporations. But because the University now also
funds its own National Merit Scholarships, it can attract its own scholars.
It all adds up to a great class, Lucido said: "There's substance behind these
students."
Lucido cited several efforts within the undergraduate admissions office as
helping Carolina land top students. Along with funding National Merit Scholars,
the office has:
* Established recruitment territories;
* Strengthened campus visits;
* Upgraded publications;
* Improved counselor relations;
* Enhanced electronic media;
* Started phone-a-thons; and
* Streamlined workflow.
Projections indicate the ethnic makeup of the 1999 freshman class will remain
steady, Lucido said, with 80.4 percent white, 11.7 percent black, 5.7 percent
Asian, 1.5 percent Hispanic and 0.7 percent Native American. None of those
percentages varied more than 1 percent from statistics dating back to 1995.
Such numbers show that Carolina has maintained diversity while increasing
quality, Lucido said.
In other business, the Board of Trustees:
* Approved a building design for the Institute for the Arts and Humanities.
The 15,000 square-foot building will be on the south side of Battle, Vance and
Pettigrew halls across the lawn from Person Hall. Construction of the privately
funded project will begin by the end of 1999 and is expected to take one
year.
Meant to be a meeting place where the institute's faculty and public fellows
can give seminars, exchange ideas and pursue other intellectual interests, the
brick building will feature a house-like atmosphere with a kitchen, fireplace
and an octagonal "Fellows Room." A garden will be between the institute and
Pettigrew Hall.
The institute now occupies about 780 square feet in West House, next to Swain
and Abernethy halls.
* Took a look at preliminary designs for four new residence halls on south
campus.
The four-story halls will be built in the area of the four high-rise halls now
on south campus. Scheduled to open in Fall 2001, the new facilities will
provide beds for 1,000 students.
Freshmen will live in the halls, which will include design elements aimed at
fostering intellectual life and a sense of community, said Sue Kitchen, vice
chancellor for student affairs.
Those elements include academic space for First Year Seminars and residential
hall programming, common spaces, study areas and outdoor courtyards.
The need for the halls stems from projected enrollment growth for Carolina.
The campus is expected to need as many as 3,700 more beds by 2008.
Kitchen said the four new halls represent the first phase of residence hall
construction meant to handle enrollment growth. Future facilities will continue
the pattern of linking south campus to north campus, she said.
* Approved a design for a 1,000 square-foot addition to the School of
Nursing.
The addition will expand space in Carrington Hall now dedicated to biological
and behavioral assessments and sleep research. It will be sited beneath a
first-floor bridge on the south side of Carrington.
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