WCC fees going up for some courses
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on July 22, 2009 1:46 PM
Fees for continuing education courses at Wayne Community College are going up this fall, reflecting recent changes outlined by the General Assembly and approved by the State Board of Community Colleges.
The move set the rates for courses that last 1-24 hours at $65 per course, $120 for a 25 to 50-hour course, and $175 for a course that lasts 51 or more hours.
"It is difficult to institute any kind of fee increase during tough economic times such as we are experiencing now," said Roy White, vice president of WCC's continuing education and workforce development division. "However, we understand the need to do so. The increase will allow community colleges to serve the record numbers of students who are looking to us for training and education."
The move will understandably create a degree of "sticker shock" for students, White added, but the courses being offered at the college are still a bargain.
"A prime example is our Nurse Aide course, which ends with students fully trained to work and ready to take the state certification exam," he said. "The registration fee is now $175 and it is worth every penny. They can't get that training for such a reasonable price anywhere else."
Sen. Allen Wellons, vice-chair to the N.C. Senate's Finance and Capital Needs Committee, who made a presentation to the state board about the fee increase, said that they are "necessary to keep colleges operating in tough times."
"Even with these increases, our tuition is still the lowest in the Southeast and among the lowest in the nation," he said. "We remain committed to keeping tuition as low as possible, but these increases are necessary if our colleges are going to keep operating and providing the services our citizens need."