ESCC sees enrollment increase, readies for second mini term

“There are so many factors that led to this growth,” Dean of Students Kassie Mathis said. “With recent funding changes and great recruiting, we saw a large increase in dual enrollment participation, but we also saw more first-time freshmen enrolling in classes.”

Director of Recruitment Emily Baker said she was excited to see so many first-time students enrolling at the college.

“Great things are happening at ESCC,” Baker said. “We offer a full college experience here, from the scholarship opportunities to the great student organizations to the great programs. It’s all here, and I think people are seeing that.”

Mathis also said new and expanded programs were also a factor in enrollment growth this semester. The college saw the start of its three-semester, traditional Practical Nursing program, with 17 students currently enrolled. Additionally, the college is still offering its one-semester Practical Nursing Bridge Program, which allows medical assistants and paramedics to bridge their training toward a nursing degree.

The college also saw more growth in its Mechatronics program, leading to classes being held on both the Enterprise and Ozark campuses this fall. Mechatronics began on the Ozark campus in 2019 with 12 students. This semester, the college will see 91 students in the program, including several dual enrollment students from area school systems.

“Our job as a community college is to meet the needs of our students, community members, and business and industry partners,” ESCC President Danny Long said. “We do that by providing a strong academic education and needed workforce training. We’re excited to see more individuals taking advantage of our programs and the opportunities those lead to, whether they move toward transferring to a four-year institution after two years or training for their future career.”

The success of higher enrollment can be credited to a team of people at the college who helped students prepare for the fall semester, according to Mathis, as well as the strong partnerships ESCC has with local business and industry leaders and area school systems.

“We are very proud of our partnerships with our business and industry partners as well as our local school systems,” she said. “With our business and industry partners, we provide training to upskill our current workforce or create a pipeline for our students to have easier access to great careers, and with the help of our school counselors and career coaches, we are able to share the great opportunities we have here at the College to those students who are looking to their next steps during or after high school.

“Additionally, our team here at Enterprise State has done such an amazing job reaching students,” she said. “They have each gone above and beyond to stay for weekend events, help local high schools with FAFSA nights, answer questions about registration and degree plans, and more. We are always excited and ready to help anyone who needs assistance, and I think the enrollment numbers show that.”

There are still opportunities for students to register for classes and start their future with Enterprise State. At ESCC, classes are offered for a full semester or over two mini terms. The second mini term, which is about seven weeks, offers students a second chance to take either academic or some career tech classes. The next mini term starts on Monday, Oct. 17.

Students who are interested in registering for second mini term classes, can visit escc.edu/registration to get started or email advising@escc.edu for information.