Bruce Harreld, the University of Iowa’s next president, officially starts work Nov. 2, but he’s been reaching out to campus colleagues since the Iowa Board of Regents announced his appointment.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll share more information on his plans to connect and introduce himself. Again, please join me in welcoming him and in helping to write this next chapter our university’s story.

Now, some perspective on another milestone: The official numbers are in, and the University of Iowa’s class of 2019 is the largest, most academically accomplished, and most diverse undergraduate class in university history.

First-year enrollment is up by 575 students over fall 2014—5,241 total.

The class includes 700 Old Gold Scholarship recipients, up from 523 last year. Old Gold Scholars must have at least a 30 ACT and 3.80 high-school GPA.

Nearly 21 percent of first-year students identify as African-American, American Indian, native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, Asian, Latino, or two or more races. Last year, the figure was 19 percent. In 2010, it was 12.6.

Our new students come from every Iowa county, every U.S. state, and 26 nations around the world.

Over the past few years, the university kept enrollment stable while investing in infrastructure—homes for our arts programs, new residence halls, and other key projects. With completion of this work within sight, we last year set an ambitious goal to expand the first-year undergraduate class by at least 420 students.

As you can see, we’ve exceeded our target. My thanks to the offices of admissions, student financial aid, strategic communication, and recruitment partners across campus—including countless faculty who’ve made one-on-one connections with prospective students—for a job well done.

And thanks to all of you for teaching, guiding, and supporting new and returning students. Our real goal, of course, isn’t to admit more students, but to see every student succeed.

This commitment to student success drives our culture. It inspires fresh thinking, powers collaboration, and provides our sense of purpose. It’s led to a slate of initiatives aimed at helping students start strong and graduate on time and on budget.

Community building through On Iowa!, early intervention through Mapworks, support through the Academic Resource Center—these and other programs are proving their worth. We’ve seen undergraduate retention and graduation rates improve, surpassing national averages.

Your commitment offers students a unique experience: the opportunities of a major research university with the personalized support of a smaller school. That’s what draws students to Iowa and helps them to exceed their goals once they’re here.