A first-day enrollment increase at Ozarks Technical Community College translated into an overall increase in student population, according to its official count for the fall semester.
The college reported a 2.2% increase in the number of students, with 11,045 attending programs across its six campuses and online. Those students are taking 105,458 credit hours, a 1.1% increase over last year.
The increases can be partially attributed to recent expansions that increase the number of available positions in some programs. Mark Miller, chief information officer for OTC, pointed out some highlights:
- Welding enrollment is up 15%, thanks to an additional 36 welding booths and an instructor. “By opening the Plaster Manufacturing Center last year, we created capacity in the Industry Transportation Technology Center,” Miller said. “By adding that capacity, the college cleared off a waitlist for one of our most popular technical education programs.”
- Agriculture enrollment is up 21%. A decision in 2019 to move the college’s agricultural program to the Richmond Valley Campus in Christian County continues to pay off. “The program has grown like crazy since adding cows and sheep, and the subsequent animal science courses,” Miller said. “Plus, we have more opportunities for plant science and forestry students.”
- A cybersecurity program in its second year is up 38%.
- Pre-engineering enrollment is up 35%.
- Drafting and design enrollment is up 24%.
Student retention also increased by 3% over last year. Miller said that increase represents hundreds of students, and can be partly attributed to the college’s development of student support programs.
The Department of Student Success is an orientation program for incoming students that pairs each one with a navigator who helps that student get registered and becomes a first contact for any needs they have, Miller said.
OTC Cares is a group that promotes student wellness through identifying needs and removing barriers to completing coursework, wherever in a student’s life those barriers are found. Miller said an example of the program’s work is found in the Eagle Breakfast program, a free breakfast available to OTC students.
Community college enrollment nationwide is seeing a slight increase. The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reported in March that enrollment at such colleges saw a .5% increase between the spring semesters of 2021 and 2022, while undergraduate enrollment at four-year universities dropped as much as .5% in the same period.
