The University of Arkansas at Little Rock campus was filled with excitement and energy Aug. 22 as thousands of students began the new school year.

Students could be found all around campus Monday playing games in the quad, meeting at Starbucks for coffee, catching up with their friends, and enjoying life with their fellow students.

“The joy of a new school year always brings excitement as we welcome new and returning students to campus,” said Kara Brown, assistant vice chancellor for student affairs. “We embrace this new era and welcome you to our Trojan Family!”

Among the many things to be excited about on campus is that enrollment for first time-freshmen and transfer students is trending up for the first time in years. Currently, first-time freshmen are anticipated to increase by about 20%, while transfer students are on-target to see an increase of about 10%.

The UA Little Rock Board of Visitors also celebrated the enrollment news with the passage of a historic resolution during the board’s August meeting that thanked UA Little Rock employees and community supporters who have invested their time and passion in the university.

“We are deeply appreciative for the dedication and professionalism demonstrated by our faculty, staff, administration, and supporters in helping to build a better future for our community by fulfilling our mission to provide students access to an affordable and quality education,” the resolution states.

Thomas Forcum, the new SGA president and a senior chemistry major, encouraged students to take advantage of all the opportunities available for the 2022-23 school year.

“We’ve been given an incredible opportunity: to learn, to improve ourselves, to make friends, to volunteer, to enjoy the college experience,” Forcum said. “The great Roman poet Horace wrote, ‘Nil sine magno vita labore dedit mortalibus.’ Translated, it means ‘Life grants nothing to us mortals without hard work.’”

Other UA Little Rock students were also happy to be returning to campus. Adrien Mitchell, a sophomore civil engineering major, is concentrating on helping students in a new role as a Chancellor’s Leadership Corps (CLC) mentor.

“I’m a CLC mentor this year for the first time,” Mitchell said. “I met my mentees last Friday, and they’re really great. My mentors were great to me last year, so I hope to be a person that my mentees come to as well.”

Ryan Drown, an accounting major and new student on campus, was happy to start his college experience with the opportunity to spend more time with his older brother.

“It’s definitely unique because the last time I had him in the same school as me was in elementary school,” Drown said. “It’s definitely a change, but I’d say it’s a welcome one. It took some of the pressure off all the first day jitters. It makes me happy knowing that my older brother is here and has my back.”

Drown’s older brother, Bryce Colvert, a mass communication major, was also happy to be starting the school year with family by his side since it’s the first time the brothers have gone to school together in a long time.

“I lived with my dad and Ryan lived with our mom during our childhood, so we didn’t get to have the traditional experience of going to the same school and seeing each other in the hallway,” Colvert said. “For me, it’s really exciting to get to be the cool older brother who knows his way around campus and knows the best spots to hang out. Now we’ll be able to grab lunch every week and hang out between classes, and I think it’ll ultimately help us become much closer.”