First round of numbers in for spring enrollments
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on January 10, 2007 1:52 PM
Classes have resumed for the spring semester at area colleges, with enrollment reportedly up slightly at Mount Olive College and showing a drop at Wayne Community College.
Officials at Mount Olive expect the number of daytime students this semester to top 600, ahead of last spring's 545.
"We are still enrolling," Dr. Barbara Kornegay, vice-president for enrollment, said.
Classes began Tuesday, with students still able to add classes until Friday, she said.
At the end of the spring term last year, Dr. Kornegay said Mount Olive's unduplicated enrollment for all its locations -- Mount Olive daytime and evening, New Bern, Washington, Wilmington and Research Triangle Park -- was more than 3,300.
"I think we will exceed that number slightly this year," she said, but noted it's still "too early to tell."
Wayne Community students returned to class on Friday, with the headcount at 2,953. That figure includes 160 Jump Start students, up five from the fall enrollment.
After the last day of registration on Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and the second eight-week registration on the main campus Monday, officials estimated the headcount at 3,100.
Comparatively, the college had 3,268 students attending in the fall, 3,023 in the spring of 2006 and 3,048 in the fall of 2005.
Dr. Kay Albertson, vice-president for academic affairs, said registration this semester was "very steady and smooth."
The breakdown of program enrollments will not be available until the middle of the month, but Dr. Albertson said she had personally assisted students interested in a great variety of majors and noted that "people seem to be taking courses across program areas."