Fall Enrollment!

Although we have at least 2 more New Student Orientation sessions to go, the outlook for Fall Enrollment is great! Here's an article from the Longview News Journal on August 10th talking about the possible record breaking enrollment we're about to have:

Texas State Technical College may top 1,000 students

CHARLES IYOHOMarshall News Messenger

An unpredictable economy, the lure of landing a highly-specialized position and the introduction of in-demand programs are a few reasons TSTC Enrollment Dean Suzanne Carter expects student enrollment to top 1,000 this fall. About 946 students were enrolled at the school last fall. "Assuming high numbers for the dual-credit students, we'll certainly exceed 1,000," said Ms. Carter. "I'd hate to predict, but I'd like to think we might be close to 1,200 if we include our dual-credits, but that's yet to be determined."

School officials are predicting a significant enrollment increase based on pre-registration and new student orientation numbers. Ms. Carter said she expects the number of new students to be double that of last year. The number of returning students currently enrolled at TSTC has also increased by a large percentage.

Ms. Carter believes the trend may be attributed to a number of factors, such as local residents that have been laid off from work looking for a fresh start in a well-paying industry.

School officials say the recruitment efforts of staff members and opportunities for students to receive both unemployment education benefits from the federal government and benefits from Texas Workforce Commission have also caused enrollment numbers to swell. "It's typical when you have a downturn in the economy and unemployment rates are high that college enrollment is going to be high also," said Ms. Carter. "It's a direct correlation between the two." The introduction of new programs at TSTC has also played a factor. Programs such as the electrical lineman, biomedical technology, software engineering, welding and diesel programs have been in such high demand that TSTC officials have not been able to accommodate all students who apply.

Ms. Carter says the school received about 40 applications for the electrical lineman program alone and won't take any more students until next summer. The program is limited to 15 students due to its structure, which includes internships and practical training opportunities on the school's utility training yard. "I'm afraid we can't serve all of our students \— it's a wonderful problem to have," said Ms. Carter. "We'll be looking at trying to help them in some other degree programs that they may not have considered but that would be highly skilled and have good benefits."

Ms. Carter says the boost in enrollment numbers is a sign that more residents are seeing the advantages of what a two-year technical institution has to offer as opposed to going the traditional route. "I think it's gratifying to see that the good work that we've been doing now, to carry the message of the value of technical education, is being realized out in the workforce," said Ms. Carter. "I think that we will see enrollment growth that comes not only as a part of a downturn in the economy but because of our ability to showcase the value of technical education. I think you're going to see more people be aware that's where the jobs are."