Record Enrollment at Southwestern Community College
“We have a phenomenal 11 percent increase- and it’s still growing since this is just our first week calculation for fall semester,” said Cecil Groves, SCC president for the past 11 years. “We are showing 2,301 students taking full time college credit classes.”
Groves said that community colleges in rural areas typically expect a one-two percent increase and get really excited over a three-percent increase. “Last year when we experienced a six percent increase we thought that was amazing. But, according to our early enrollment figures, we’ve almost doubled that.”
Groves said the significant increase represents “a more serious commitment by students to attaining their educational goals. People in the community understand that their future is directly correlated to their education.”
The college also has another 4000 or more students enrolled in continuing education classes.
“It’s not just an enrollment increase in a few programs,” said Phil Weast, SCC dean of student services. “It’s an increase in all programs—health sciences, arts and sciences, and the technologies.”
Both Weast and Groves attribute the increase to several factors.
“First off, we’re seeing an increase in students fresh out of high school, as well as older adults, concerned about an uncertain economy and the need to reduce the cost of higher education,” said Weast.
The rapid growth of the Macon Campus has also contributed to the increase, they said, as have the early college students at both the Jackson and Macon campuses.
Another segment is returning students who’ve been to SCC before. “Then there are those who have lost jobs in the area and are attending SCC to improve job security and their wage-earning ability,” Weast said.
“The national and statewide recognition Southwestern has received this past year has added value,” said Weast. “It really increased our visibility and status when Washington Monthly named Southwestern the number four community college in the nation. I heard it on the lips of parents and students who came into my office to talk about enrollment. They came in because they wanted to see for themselves why we rank so high.”
“Then, on top of our national ranking, the N.C. Community College System with support from the NC General Assembly ranked us as one of only seven exceptional colleges of the state’s 58 community colleges,” Groves said.
Groves added that SCC’s high rankings aren’t based on how big the college budget is or how many new buildings the college constructs. “Our ranking is specifically based on the success of our students,” Groves said. “In fact, statewide we are one of the top three community colleges based on the successful performance of our college transfer students.
“We give our students an enriched educational experience, with emphasis on providing them with our time and our attention,” said Groves. “Our goal is make sure students have access to knowledgeable and caring advisors, tutors, counselors and support staff, as well as instructors, dedicated to helping the succeed. And their success in the classroom and workplace is what contributes to our high ranking.
“We’ve got a lot of great things happening at Southwestern and I think our enrollment increase reflects that.”
Tags: Southwestern Community College, Sylva
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