LARAMIE - The University of Wyoming expects to enroll its largest freshman class in more than 10 years this fall, UW trustees were told Thursday.

Vice President of Student Affairs Sara Axelson said the number of students who have confirmed spots in campus orientations scheduled for June indicates that about 952 residents and 748 nonresidents will enroll as new freshmen, a 3.6 percent increase over last fall. The number of transfer students is expected to come in at about the same level as last year.

The new students will not only be more numerous but also more likely to succeed, Axelson said, pointing to expected increases in college entrance exam scores and grade point averages.

Axelson said the numbers are "really encouraging," in that the most reliable projections of high school graduation numbers in Wyoming show a substantial decline over the next 15 to 20 years.

Another challenge to increasing the proportion of students obtaining post-secondary training, she said, is the state's strong energy economy, which offers jobs with "pretty good salaries" to people just out of high school.

UW is doing more programs in middle schools and even elementary schools "to get more students thinking about going to college," Axelson said.

UW's first priority is in-state students, but Axelson said it is critical to the overall educational experience of students on campus to bring in students from all parts of the country and the world.

"We hope to increase our new freshman international students this fall from 50 to 90," Axelson said, "and in the next five years we want to increase our total international students from 500 to 700."

In other business, UW President Tom Buchanan told trustees that improving the college's fine arts facilities has become a strong priority, now that construction is under way on the main library expansion and a new information technology building and the expansion and renovation of the College of Business is about to begin.

Academic Affairs Vice President Myron Allen said planning for a new art building and for remodeling and expansion of the present Fine Arts Building will begin this summer. He said special environmental controls are necessary for the art building because of the materials and processes used by art students. If the board and the Legislature approve the project, the art building could be completed by 2013, Allen said.

The new art building could cost about $35 million to $40 million, according to Administration Vice President Phill Harris.

Once the art department moves to its new building, the enhancements and expansion of the existing building would begin, increasing the space available to the music and theater and dance programs. Harris said that given the rising costs of construction, the price tag for the expansion and renovation would be "similar" to the art building.

Arts and Sciences Dean Oliver Walter said the "noise pollution" from the poor acoustical separation in the music rooms has been often mentioned in evaluations of the department. He also said the theater program has increased substantially since the existing building was completed in the mid-1970s.

UW officials said they hope to build the new art building close to the present facility, but conflicts with the main campus' underground steam pipes are complicating the site selection process.