Trustees at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke learned that the university has helped — either directly or indirectly — to create more than 2,500 jobs in the area during the past decade.

Chancellor Allen C. Meadors said a study commissioned by the university has determined that 500 jobs have been added on the UNCP campus alone, and that 100 new businesses have opened since 1999, accounting for 1,304 full-time and 743 part-time jobs.

“Over that same period, the economic impact of the university has grown from $100 million in 1999 to $250 million,” Meadors said. “It’s going to continue to impact the community in a positive way in the coming years.”

Meadors said UNC Pembroke has seen 18 consecutive semesters of record-breaking enrollment growth as well.

“Our undergraduate enrollment is up 116 percent since 1999, and we expect that trend to continue,” he said. “Right now we are projecting enrollment to increase from 6 to 8 percent this fall.”

Total enrollment at UNCP for spring 2009 is 5,978 — 5,232 are undergraduate students and 746 are graduates. He noted that the number of students majoring in education has risen almost fourfold, from 455 in 1999 to 1,645 this year.

It was announced earlier this week that tuition and fees for in-state undergraduate students at UNCP are going up for the 2009-2010 school year. The university was approved for the 3.6 percent hike it requested, raising tuition and fees from $3,527 to $3,655.

Meadors told the trustees that from the $128 hike, $53 is for tuition and, of that amount, 60 percent will go to financial aid.

Meadors said the economic downturn has affected the university in several areas, particularly the 6 percent budget cut by the state that amounts to $3.3 million. He said the troubled stock market has depressed endowments and the scholarships they fund.

Meadors said the budget crisis could also translate into larger classes next year.

“If the ax is as heavy as it could be, classes will grow,” he said. “It can’t be helped.”

In other business, the trustees voted to meet for a one-day retreat on Aug. 7, either on campus or at COMtech. Board Chairman Breeden Blackwell said the board should demonstrate financial restraint in light of the weak economy, noting last year’s board retreat cost the university $16,700.

They were also advised that UNC Pembroke is a title sponsor for Lumberton’s Rumba on the Lumber, scheduled for Saturday, March 7. All UNCP employees who register for the race will receive a free UNCP T-shirt and have their $20 race registration paid for by the university, a move university officials say allows UNCP the chance to promote wellness and community involvement among its employees.