Record spring enrollment at IU's Bloomington campus

A record number of students have enrolled at Indiana University for the spring semester, following the all-time high set last fall.\nEnrollment for the spring semester at IU's Bloomington campus has climbed to 36,281 students, the high mark for the spring semester and an increase of 2.3 percent from a year ago, university officials said Tuesday. The campus set a fall semester record of 38,903 in 2002.\n"The continued growth of enrollments on our campuses is excellent news for both our university and our state," IU interim President Gerald Bepko said. "The students we are educating today will play vital roles in building Indiana's economic future."\nOfficials attributed the increase to the success of IU's 2002 men's basketball team, recognition by Time magazine and the reputation of Midwestern campuses as safer places to be after the 2001 terrorist attacks.\nSpring-semester records for students and credit hours also were set at IU-Purdue at Indianapolis, IU-Purdue at Fort Wayne and IU Southeast in New Albany. The university's South Bend campus set a record for credit hours.\nBut growing enrollment also brings concerns.\nA task force reported in 2001 that the university's Bloomington campus was at its enrollment capacity. The Indiana Commission for Higher Education and state universities have urged the General Assembly for funding increases to account for recent enrollment growth.