ASHEBORO — Randolph Community College continues to break enrollment records this spring.
When spring semester registration ended Jan. 12, 2,971 students had enrolled in college credit classes. That number is an all-time high for a spring semester at RCC, a 16.2 percent increase of over last spring’s enrollment of 2,557, said Karen Ritter, director of planning and assessment.
This spring, the number of new student applications increased by nearly 30 percent over last spring (from 1,179 to 1,527).
Many classrooms are full to overflowing, and the College has increased the number of sections of many courses to handle the extra students. Ritter noted that 18 sections of Introduction to Computers are being offered this spring, with 78 percent of those classrooms filled to capacity. Fourteen General Psychology course sections are offered, with 64 percent full or over. College-wide, 109 classrooms are filled to capacity and an additional 28 classrooms had at least one student over its stated capacity, said Ritter.
“These enrollment figures indicate that, even in the worst of economic times, the people of our community turn to RCC to find hope and opportunity,” said Robert S. Shackleford, president of RCC. “We are dedicated to the mission of preparing our students for the jobs and careers of their dreams.”
The largest growing technical programs were Industrial Systems Technology (177 percent), Automotive Systems Technology (94 percent), Funeral Service Education (71 percent), and Healthcare Management Technology (50 percent), according to Ritter. The Associate in General Education curriculum (taken by many students waiting to get into programs like Nursing or Radiography) grew by 50 percent.
In addition, several of RCC’s lowest enrollment programs saw a boost this spring – Entrepreneurship grew by 233 percent (from three to 10 students) and Biotechnology by 125 percent (from four to 9 students).
Parking has been at a premium, too. The paved parking lots are full most mornings, with students nearly filling the gravel overflow lot next to the old Klaussner plant bought by Randolph County for the College two years ago. That facility is awaiting renovations to provide more classroom space.
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RCC enrollment jumps again; classrooms overflowing
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