(February 12, 2010) -- Spring semester enrollment numbers at South Piedmont Community College are 20 percent higher than this time last year, and registration continues for classes beginning later this term. The record-setting trend is consistent across the college with at least 20 percent enrollment growth in college curriculum, corporate and continuing education and basic skills.
     The 2,814 college credit students are the most ever enrolled in a single semester at SPCC. The previous record was set in the fall semester with 2,736 students enrolled. Summer enrollment of 726 was nearly double that of previous summers. Recent enrollment numbers seem especially high to college administrators because more of the college’s students are electing to take full-time course loads than in the past.
     SPCC President John McKay attributes a portion of the enrollment growth to the high unemployment rates that have plagued the region over the past year. He noted that 10 out of 11 of the college-credit technical programs have seen growth this semester. Entrepreneurship training has led the growth as students prepare themselves to start their own businesses as a solution to the shortage of employment opportunities. Other popular programs include business administration, computer information, criminal justice and advertising and graphic design.
     As prices at four-year colleges and universities escalate rapidly, SPCC has seen a corresponding demand for college transfer classes. The associate in arts or associate in science programs allow students to complete the first two years of a four-year degree while still living at home. More students are going directly from high school to SPCC to begin their college careers.
     High-school-aged students are enrolling at SPCC in ever-growing numbers. This semester 494 SPCC students are taking advantage of free classes offered through the early college high schools, Learn and Earn, Huskins Bill and dual enrollment programs.
     SPCC’s Corporate and Continuing Education Division saw heavy enrollment growth last year. During 2009, the division provided 425,872 hours of training to more than 16,000 individuals. Much of this enrollment growth was fueled by unemployment.
     Workers who have found themselves laid off have increasingly looked to the college for short-term training options, such as the Jobs NOW programs that give students new job skills in six months or less. SPCC offers advanced manufacturing, industrial maintenance and nurse aide training as part of the N.C. Governor Bev Perdue’s short-term training initiative.
     Basic Skills enrollment at SPCC grew 22 percent in 2009 with 2,773 adults taking classes. The Basic Skills Department provides free classes for adults who need to learn basic reading, writing, math and communication skills. It’s also the place for adults who need to earn a GED or high school diploma. Basic Skills provides classes in English for speakers of other languages and compensatory education classes for adults with developmental disabilities or traumatic brain injury.
     As SPCC enrollment grows, college facilities and instructor schedules are being strained. Prior to the first day of spring classes, 168 courses were closed to additional enrollment. Course enrollment caps are often determined by the number of available computer or lab work stations in a classroom, but all high-demand classes without these constraints are larger than in past semesters.
     “We pride ourselves on our small classes and the individual attention we provide students, but we’ve also seen needs that will go unmet without increasing class size,” said McKay. “We are bursting at the seams, and it may be difficult to continue to serve all the students who need additional training.”
     With a space shortage on campus, the college is being forced to offer many co urses online. This semester, the college schedule includes 130 classes offered completely online. Many on-campus classes meet for shorter periods than they once did, and classroom instruction is supplemented with online exercises. The shorter class periods allow classroom space to turn more often.
     A multi-purpose building is being planned for the Old Charlotte Highway Campus in Monroe, where crowding is most severe. Bidding for construction could begin in two to three months, pending approval by the Union County commissioners.
     College trustees and personnel will begin work this summer on a long-term plan for facilities on the L.L. Polk Campus in Polkton and the Lockhart-Taylor Center in Wadesboro.