Enrollment figures for the last semester of the century are in for the entire University System of Georgia, and Clayton College & State University has easily surpassed the system's average percent change from 1998 to 1999.

Most of the students at Morrow-based CCSU come from surrounding counties, including Fayette.

Taking figures from all of the system's 34 institutions, the average enrollment throughout the system grew by 1.9 percent from the fall 1998 (200,102) to the fall 1999 (203,806) semester. Clayton State's enrollment figures for those same semesters were 4,274 (1998) and 4,449 (1999), or a 4.1 percent growth rate.

The University System of Georgia divides its institutions into five categories... universities (like Georgia Tech), regional universities (such as Valdosta State), state universities (like Clayton State), state colleges (like Macon State), and two-year colleges (such as Atlanta Metro).

Clayton State's category showed an overall growth rate of just 1 percent, putting CCSU significantly ahead of its most comparable fellow USG members. Within the state university category, only North Georgia College & State University (6.4 percent) and Albany State University (4.8 percent) showed a better enrollment growth from 1998 to 1999 than CCSU.

Although not directly comparable, it's interesting to note that Clayton State's 4.1 percent growth from '98 to '99 also surpassed the average percent changes for the universities (2.4 percent), the regional universities (-0.4 percent) and the two-year colleges (3.4 percent). The state colleges also showed a 4.1 percent growth rate from 1998 to 1999.

“I think the numbers speak for themselves,” says CCSU interim President Michael F. Vollmer. “Everyone has done a superb job in bringing our enrollment up from the semester conversion of 1998.”

The system-wide enrollment report is available on the Web under the University System of Georgia home page; http://www.peachnet.edu.