University of Alabama President Stuart Bell expects record enrollment this fall

University of Alabama President Stuart Bell said he expects UA to have another record-breaking level of enrollment this fall.

While official enrollment numbers won't be released until September, Bell said Wednesday he is optimistic that UA will top its previous record-high enrollment of 38,645 students, set in the fall of 2022. The 2022 class also included the largest freshman class in the university's history, a mark that Bell also expects to be surpassed in 2023.

More: Built by Bama: A look at the University of Alabama's construction projects

"So, last year we had a record incoming freshman class, we also had records on overall enrollments at the University of Alabama. These are all-time records as well. So never had we been as strong at the freshman level or overall enrollments," said Bell, a native of Abilene, Texas, who is in his ninth year as UA's president.

"And we are still a little bit away from first day in our census but we are projecting and expecting that we will exceed both of last year's records this year," he said.

More than 4,000 students participating in pre-semester activities began moving into residence halls last week. The rest of the students will move in this weekend, with the first day of class at UA set for Aug. 23.

While the U.S. Supreme Court in June struck down affirmative action admission policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, Bell said that diversity and inclusion remains a major part of UA's strategic plan. Bell said he and his team are actively working to improve diversity on campus.

Bell said he believes diversity is important and those who visit UA campus will see students from throughout the United States and from countries around the world.

"You come to our university and you very much get a global view," Bell said.

The University of Alabama campus also continues to grow in other ways. There are more than 29 construction projects in the works, with many nearing completion before students start fall semester classes next week.

Among those projects is the much anticipated Drummond Lyon Hall, which will be home to the College of Human Environmental Sciences’ fashion retailing and apparel design concentrations of study.

Bell said he is excited about the new developments and he's proud that all of the projects are expected to be complete on time.

"We have a remarkable facilities group on campus and we're going to make sure that the students have full access to those facilities on time. I'm an engineer by training and I just think they're cool ... a lot of new technology and buildings," said Bell, who earned a degree in nuclear engineering in 1979 and master’s and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering in 1981 and 1986 at Texas A&M University.

Bell was named UA's 29th president on June 18, 2015.

He came to UA after serving as executive vice president and provost at Louisiana State University. He also had stints as chief academic officer and the chief operating officer at LSU. Before his time at LSU, Bell was dean of the School of Engineering at the University of Kansas.

His resume also includes a previous stint at UA, with 16 years as a faculty member and then department head of mechanical engineering.

Under Bell's leadership as president, UA has experienced increases in student retention, graduation rates and the number of faculty members, according to his biography on UA's website. He also oversaw the 2021 launch of the Rising Tide capital campaign, which seeks to raise $1.5 billion for a wide range of needs at UA, including more student scholarships, enhanced faculty research, campus facilities improvements and continuing the momentum of success in athletics.

In addition to campus developments in Tuscaloosa, Bell said UA continues to have a significant economic impact in Alabama.

In a  recent economic analysis, every $1 invested by the state in UA resulted in over $15 in economic impact, totaling almost $2.8 billion and creating over 13,000 jobs. This showcases the significant and growing contribution of UA to Alabama's economy, he said.

Bell said not only is he thrilled to welcome students back to campus, but he is also excited to kick off football season and other Alabama athletics, such as soccer and volleyball, which begin their seasons in the fall. The first UA football home game is set for 6:30 p.m. Sept. 2 against Middle Tennessee State at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

"It's a great time for both our students to be a part of that, but also all of our fan base. And we are excited about the season and we're excited about the other sports that are also launching," Bell said.

Reach Jasmine Hollie at JHollie@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: UA President Stuart Bell expects record enrollment this fall