Terra State Community College enrollment rising

Enrollment figures are on the rise at Terra State Community College, according to Terra President Ronald Schumacher.

"This year we're up about 8.5% above where we were last year, which is a great improvement for us," said Schumacher. "Numbers look good."

The president said the local community college is among the few in the state with numbers of students rising during the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said the official census of colleges around the state recently came out, having been tallied in the second week of the semester.

Proud of accomplishments

"We're not back to where we were pre-COVID," Schumacher said, but added, "We've all been pretty proud of what we've been able to accomplish."

Schumacher explained that the college's enrollment figures have climbed to over 2,100 for the present semester and by approximately 2.5% in full-time equivalents over the 2021-2022 school year. Full-time equivalents (FTEs) are a calculation that translates student credit hours into an equivalent number of full-time, full-years students. This year's FTEs equal 525, Schumacher said.

Numbers in 2019, prior to the pandemic, stood at 2,278, Schumacher detailed, with FTEs at 620.

More work ahead

"We've got a little work to do," he said.

Key to current efforts to increase enrollment are substantial changes that have been made in admissions office policies, with a concerted focus on removing roadblocks from students efforts to enroll. New efforts are also designed to renew relationships with students, he said.

Welding program to expand

One such renewal is the upcoming expansion of the college's welding program, which had been throttled back in recent years.

Community demand for increased instruction in the subject area drove the expansion, for which the college chose to find funding sources. Demand for welding classes have increased among area industries, requiring certificate and other programs, while contending with the Platinum Program developed between Terra and Vanguard-Sentinel Career & Technology Centers. Industrial employers had even offered to send their students to classes on Saturdays, to fill their needs, Schumacher said.

"This whole welding thing came up because of the community involvement," he said. "This was a no-brainer, when we had a little bit of capital."

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This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Terra State Community College enrollment rising