CINCINNATI — University of Cincinnati officials announced record enrollment this fall with more than 54,000 students, even as the university adapts to new state legislation banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
The milestone comes at a pivotal moment for the campus community, with enrollment growing by 10,000 students over the past decade.
"We have record enrollment, so we have 54,000 students this fall," said Jack Miner, Vice Provost of Enrollment Management at UC. "What that represents for the University of Cincinnati is, in the last decade, we've grown by 10,000 students and that's nearly 20 years of record growth."
Miner said that accessibility remains central to the university's mission despite the changes.
"We've always been committed to access. For us, that's what it was really all about, is making sure that any student that wanted a college education knew that they could come to University of Cincinnati and knew that we were going to remove those barriers," said Miner.
The university is seeing growth in key demographics, including first-generation college and international students.
UC hits record 54,000 student enrollment as campus adapts to new DEI restrictions:
"That's really a sign that regardless of everything else going on, Cincinnati is still a destination for people across the country, but around the world," said Miner.
The enrollment increase comes as UC implements changes to comply with Senate Bill 1, which prohibits DEI programs at state colleges. Earlier this year, UC President Neville Pinto announced the university's compliance plan, which included repurposing the university's four identity centers to support all students.
Among the changes, the African American Cultural and Resource Center has been renamed "The Cultural Center," while the Center for Student Involvement has moved into spaces previously occupied by Ethnic Programs, the LGBTQ Center and the Women's Center.
These changes sparked protests last semester, including what students called a "funeral for academic freedom." However, many student organizations have united in response to the challenges.
"Seeing so many students come out for the protests and all these people from different backgrounds and different groups who might not normally interact with each other, come together gives me a lot of hope for the future," said Ava Hartmann, Wesley Campus Ministry.
Despite the structural changes, student leaders remain determined to maintain their community presence on campus.
"We are still on campus. So we've been continuing to push forward, and we've been using the moniker, 'still we rise' as the quote for the year, just saying that the Black community at UC is strong, we're still pushing forward, we're still hosting our events. We're still here — we're still UC," said Dylan Thompson, co-president of Black in Psychology.
Students told me that while physical spaces have changed, their commitment to supporting each other and maintaining inclusive communities remains strong.
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