December 21, 2007

In New Orleans, College Enrollment Increases Slightly Over All, and Officials Note Other Signs of Progress

By Katherine Mangan

Austin, Tex.

Twenty-eight months after Hurricane Katrina forced the closures of more than a half-dozen New Orleans colleges and universities, many of them are still struggling to regain their enrollments and restore buildings damaged by floodwater and mold.

Over all, college enrollment in New Orleans increased slightly in the fall of 2007, reaching 74 percent of pre-Katrina levels, compared with 72 percent in the fall of 2006, says a report released in November by the Brookings Institution