MURFREESBORO – Another year, another record.

Proving its status as the fast growing private university in North Carolina again this year, Chowan University recorded its highest enrollment since returning to four-year status in 1992. The total enrollment for the Fall 2013 semester is 1,367, a 3.9 percent increase over last year’s enrollment.

This marks the highest enrollment since 1971 and the third highest enrollment in the university’s history. Main campus undergraduate enrollment is 1,304 students, marking a 3.7 percent increase over the Fall semester of 2012.

As Chowan University celebrates a decade of leadership and achievement this year under the administration of President Dr. M. Christopher White, the numbers reflect the school’s massive transformation. In the last 10 years, Chowan’s enrollment has grown an astounding 75 percent.

“The continued growth of Chowan is very exciting. It is a testament to the dedication of our faculty and staff,” said Danny Moore, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. “Because of their efforts, I believe Chowan’s potential for future growth is limitless.”

In an effort to increase enrollment, university faculty and staff collaborated to devise and implement strategies to improve student success. These strategies proved to be successful enough to help create a record enrollment, particularly through retention increases in the upperclassmen which saw an 11 percent increase over last year and a 27 percent increase of two years ago.

“At Chowan, students receive personalized attention from credentialed professors who pride themselves on growing students who are intellectually, socially, and spiritually mature,” explained Craig Janney, Dean of Admissions. “It’s clear that students and their parents love Chowan University.  The continued enrollment growth is a byproduct of authentic community shared among our faculty, staff, and students.  The university has taken a concerted effort to embody our promise: ‘Faith in your future.’”

Chowan is a Christian liberal arts university founded in 1848. Its history runs deep in the Roanoke-Chowan area as the university boasts of one of the most recognized structures in the state – the original McDowell Columns Building, erected in 1851 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Accredited with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Chowan offers over 80 undergraduate academic programs among The School of Arts and Sciences, The School of Education and The School of Business, and offers Masters Degrees through the School of Graduate Studies. Several departments are also individually accredited, such as Teacher Education Program’s accreditation by NCDPI and NCATE, as well as the Music program’s institutional accreditation by NASM. Chowan offers 15 varsity sports, as well as co-ed cheerleading, with 11 programs in the CIAA conference and all with dual-affiliation in the NCAA D-II and NCCAA.

For more information about Chowan University, visit www.chowan.edu or call 1-888-4-CHOWAN.