The effort by Ball State University that began last spring to improve the quality of the student body and increase enrollment seems to be paying off.

A report by Vice President for Student Affairs Douglas McConkey shows that 88 percent of the fall freshman class returned to the campus for spring semester classes. That compares with an 83 percent return rate last year.

"This information leads us to believe we are on target to significantly improve the retention of students to the sophomore year," said McConkey.

Retention from the freshman to sophomore year, which peaked at 77 percent in 1991-92, had dropped to 68 percent in recent years. Officials blamed the decline in large measure for the overall drop in enrollment during the same period.

"We were admitting roughly the same number of students as before," said McConkey. "They just weren't coming back at the same rate."

McConkey attributed the improved return rate to the quality of students admitted last fall that he described as "the most qualified freshmen in recent memory," and to the Freshman Connections program initiated in the fall.

The average SAT score last fall was 1013, up 27 points from the previous year. In addition, there are 11 National Merit Scholars and two National Achievement Scholars in the current freshman class compared with three the previous year.

Freshman Connections is an innovative program funded by a $3 million grant from the Lilly Foundation designed to link students in small living and learning groups organized around common courses and out-of-class experiences.

McConkey also praised faculty, academic advisors and student mentors for the improved return figures and said the outlook for next year is also bright.

"The students applying for next year are the best group of applicants we've ever had," he said. "If this trend continues--better students, better retention--we're optimistic about ultimately reaching our goal for a total enrollment of 19,500-20,000."