UW-Whitewater’s popularity appears to be growing. School officials say preliminary enrollment figures show a record 12,433 students. This includes the largest first-year class in the university’s history with 2220 new students. Chancellor Beverly Kopper says she’s delighted more students than ever are choosing UW- Whitewater to pursue their degrees. She adds she’s also proud of a record freshman-to-sophomore retention rate of more than 80%.