Early numbers down at FSCC

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Early enrollment numbers for the fall semester this year at Fort Scott Community College are slightly lower than normal, but are expected to increase within the next few weeks, FSCC officials said.

College officials have more than a month before they must report final fall semester enrollment figures to the state, officials said.

FSCC Registrar Alice Claypool said Wednesday there are a total of 1,206 students enrolled in courses on the college's main campus in Fort Scott; the FSCC Pittsburg campus; and the Miami County Campus in Paola. This preliminary number should increase considerably within a couple of weeks, as students have until the first day of classes, Aug. 20, to register for fall courses, Claypool said.

Lately, many students are using the Internet to enroll, through the FSCC Web site, a procedure that often takes the students longer to complete the enrollment process; one factor that could contribute to low early enrollment numbers, Claypool said.

"We're seeing a lot more of that," she said.

The newly revamped FSCC Web site also allows students to pay tuition and fees online; and to view their class schedules and financial aid information as well, among other available tools.

All Kansas Board of Regents-accredited colleges and universities across the state must submit final fall semester enrollment numbers to KBOR on the 20th day of classes each semester, which this year is Sept. 17.

All of the 19 community colleges in Kansas should have calculated all of their online student enrollment numbers by that date, Claypool said. This could mean a substantial increase in final enrollment at FSCC when those figures are released next month, she said.

There are also other factors that contribute to this relatively low early enrollment figure at FSCC, Claypool said.

"Many students are getting their financial aid in place, things like that, there are a variety of different reasons," she said. "It's not like the three-day enrollment at the high school and they're done. It (enrollment) will change quite a bit."

During the spring semester, about 1,885 students were enrolled at FSCC, an increase from the previous spring. Over the past few years, FSCC has shown consistent small jumps in enrollment each semester. There has been an average of between 1,700 and 1,800 students enrolled each semester at FSCC -- after final enrollment numbers are tabulated -- over the last few years.

Claypool added that this summer, several students have expressed interest in at least one of the college's occupational programs, although she did not yet have preliminary numbers for students enrolled in those programs for the fall semester.

There have been several inquiries into such programs as the FSCC Harley-Davidson Technician Training Program and the John Deere Technician Training Program in Frontenac, the FSCC Cosmetology Program in Pittsburg and Fort Scott, and the Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Program in Pittsburg.

About 24 students are currently enrolled for the fall semester in the HVAC program, a two-year program that is designed to teach students how to work on heating and cooling units and eventually become certified technicians.