Beth Bliss, News Editor

 It may seem crowded to some, but Appalachian State University's final fall enrollment is only 1.7 percent higher than 1996 figures and 0.4 percent above expected numbers, said Director of Institutional Research & Planning Bobby Sharp.

 Measurements taken as of Sept. 12 show Appalachian's total headcount as 12,108 students. This number includes new students admitted in 1997, continuing students and students readmitted for the fall semester after a leave of absence, Sharp said.

 These figures show an increase over those of last year, but indicate a small overall growth rate, Sharp said.

 Enrollment in 1995 totaled 12,020. Figures declined last year with 11,909 total enrollment and rose again this semester with 12,108 students enrolled, Sharp said.

 Figures fluctuate yearly but eventually round out, said Sharp.

 "That's (1997) only about 90 above where we were two years ago," Sharp said. "(The university) is trying to grow between 50 and 100 students per year.

 "That's the growth plan for this decade, and possibly (also) for the next one," Sharp said. "We're trying to grow at a very, very small rate."

 In addition, the university's total full time equivalent (FTE) is 11,576, a difference of 2.1 percent over 1996 and 1.3 percent as compared to expected results, Sharp said.

 Sharp described FTE as a means of "converting people into equivalencies as though all were full time (students)."

 For example, since students are considered full-time if they carry a course load of 12 or more hours, a part-time student with three course hours would be deemed 4/12, or 0.25, FTE, Sharp said.

 The University of North Carolina allocates funds based on FTE numbers, said Sharp. Tuition-free students, such as university and/or state employees, are exempt from the FTE count, Sharp said.

 Enrollment figures are projected two years in advance using a statistical model, Sharp said.

 Projections are made this way because schools are funded biannually. Sharp said this time frame can make projections harder to do because certain figures, such as the number of students readmitted per year, don't follow a strong historical trend and cannot be easily predicted.

 The UNC system allows institutions a 2 percent window above or below projected figures. Final figures within this window may determine funds allocated to an institution within the system, he said.

 "We try to hit it. We use that as (our) bull's eye," Sharp said. "We might lose money if (figures) are too high or too low."

 The accuracy of these projections also weighs heavily on the Office of Admissions, said Director of Admissions T. Joseph Watts.

 Because the university's FTE for fall 1997 was slightly higher than projected, admissions officials may have to compensate for this by reducing admissions of new students for the 1998 spring semester, said Watts.

 Watts said his office works closely with Institutional Research & Planning to anticipate annual enrollment needs. "(Sharp) tells me how many students we need, and I try to hit that (number)," he said.

 Watts said admissions officials try to keep enrollment figures by adjusting enrollment as necessary.

 "If we're over in the fall we reduce our enrollment in the spring (and vice-versa)," he said.

 Although many students, faculty and alumni have voiced concerns that ASU is growing too rapidly for its own good, Watts said fall enrollment figures indicate a slower growth than that seen by the university community.

 Watts reemphasized that Appalachian has tried to maintain a stable growth rate of 50-100 students per year.

 "We could be a lot bigger than we are, but we've chosen to grow this way," he said. "We actually haven't grown that much."

 Growth has also been based on what the town of Boone can handle, Watts said.

 Any growth is a compromise to continuing trends in higher education, Watts said. 'We have a responsibility to educate more of our population," he said. "The fact that we're growing is (in response) to that."

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