NORMAL -- Illinois State University leaders say that tucked into this fall's 2 percent enrollment increase are numbers telling a bigger story: More minorities are choosing the Normal campus.

"Our aggressive recruiting efforts have begun to pay off," said ISU President Al Bowman.

ISU's total enrollment of 20,856 students this fall is the highest it has been since 2002, but the changing demographics especially pleased Bowman.

Compared to last fall's student body, there are nearly 20 percent more black students and nearly 35 percent more Hispanics among the ranks. In all, about 2,500 minorities attend ISU, and that's almost 300 more than last fall.

The added minorities represent an academically talented pool of students that previously haven't chosen ISU, officials said.

Having a student body in which nearly 12 percent are minorities means the institution is better reflecting the state's demographics, said Bowman.

"It's part of our mission," he said. "We have an obligation to represent every part of the state."

And more of those students are returning after their freshman year: Retention rates are up from 73 percent to 81 percent for blacks and from 73 percent to 78 percent for Hispanics.

Among ISU's total enrollment, nearly 85 percent of its fall 2008 freshmen returned for this sophomore year, which Bowman called "a huge step forward" for the campus.

Because most college students who drop out do so before the sophomore year, the corresponding result is higher graduation rates, he said. The Normal campus now has a 70 percent graduation rate, the highest in the school's history.

Bowman credited the increase to a concerted effort to identify and reach out to high-risk freshmen.

Other Central Illinois campuses

Aside from ISU, another 10,000 students attend five other Central Illinois campuses.

Illinois Wesleyan University has kept its target student body at 2,100 for several years, said Bob Murray, IWU enrollment management dean. This fall, it hit about 2,070.

With nearly 3,500 applications for about 550 new openings, IWU remains competitive.

"Despite what the economy is like right now, the number of applications is a testament to how attractive strong liberal arts schools remain," he said.

Like ISU, Illinois Wesleyan has had success drawing more minority students: Since 2005, they make up about 17 percent of its enrollment.

Fall 2009 brought record enrollment again for two other institutions: Eureka College and Heartland Community College.

Eureka enrolls 767 students, a 2 percent increase over last fall. At Heartland, 5,257 students take credit courses, and that represents a 5 percent increase over last fall.

Lincoln College, which has campuses in Lincoln and Normal, enrolls about 1,260 students this fall - up from 1,200 a year ago.

Lincoln Christian University enrolls about 1,010, a slight increase from last fall's 975.

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Campus census

Following are preliminary enrollment numbers for area colleges and universities based on headcounts on the 10th day of classes. In some cases, numbers were rounded:

School...2009...2008...2007...

Illinois State University...20,856...20,450...20,250

Illinois Wesleyan University...2,070...2,100...2,100...

Heartland Community College...5,255...4,985...4,825

Eureka College...770...755...680

Lincoln College...1,260...1,200...1,200

Lincoln Christian University...1,010...975...1,055

SOURCE: Pantagraph archives, college enrollment data