Student enrollment still climbing at Wayne Community
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on February 4, 2010 1:46 PM
Student enrollment continues to set records at Wayne Community College, as the board of trustees approves curriculum programs to keep pace with future employment opportunities.
Dr. Kay Albertson, WCC president, announced Friday afternoon that student numbers are still on the rise.
"We have had an incredible enrollment -- 3,559 in the spring semester," she said, noting that the numbers seem to be changing almost daily.
There is still one more registration period to go before the final tally is complete, she said.
"We run two eight-week sessions, so we will be registering again in March," she said. "We could top our fall enrollment."
At this rate, Dr. Albertson said, the college could boast its largest spring enrollment in its 53-year history.
The trend typically parallels the economy, with a rise in students taking advantage of the community college's short-term training opportunities to enhance their workplace skills.
The president also attributed credit to the college's ongoing efforts to recruit and retain qualified instructors and staff members.
At the meeting, the board also approved a new curriculum program application, which could be implemented as early as the fall 2010. The Sustainability Technologies program was introduced by board member Veda McNair, representing the curriculum committee. The Sustainabil-ity Technologies curriculum is designed to prepare individuals for employment in environmental construction, alternative energy, manufacturing or related industries. Course work would cover green building technology, energy management and environmental responsibility.
"We think it has 'jobs, jobs, jobs' written all over it," Mrs. McNair said. "We're going to be empowering alternative energy sources and working closely with Progress Energy (to design course content)."
According to the proposal, employment opportunities in the field exist in both government and private industry sectors, as manufacturing technicians, sustainability consultants, environmental technicians or green building supervisors.