GCCC Sees Enrollment Growth During Fall Semester
"GCCC has been very intentional in their efforts and focus on enrollment, and this is directly attributed to the faculty and staff at GCCC who place the highest importance on students, student engagement, and the student experience," Dr. Ryan Ruda said in a statement.
These numbers are in contrast to a report released today by the Kansas Board of Regents that showed that the Kansas Community College system experienced a sharp decline in enrollment for the start of the fall semester, which directly correlated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The preliminary report from KBOR represents enrollment as of Sept. 14 at institutions. The report is indicative of the disruption that all K-12 schools in the state experienced back in March as a major contributor to the downturn, stating that because students had transitioned into distance learning, it hindered the assistance they would have normally received to enroll in fall classes and dual-credit courses.
"Throughout the pandemic, GCCC has worked collaboratively to establish processes and systems to be responsive to students," Dr. Ruda added. "We feel that this has contributed to increased enrollment in credit-hour generation."
As of Oct. 1, GCCC's enrollment stands at 1,920 students and 21,215 credit hours, equating to a full-time equivalency of 1,414.33 (that takes into account both student enrollment and credit hours).
"Enrollment is a moving target," Dr. Ruda added. "The fall preliminary is simply an early gage on enrollment. However, the true picture is known at the end of the semester."
Enrollment opportunities are still available and GCCC encourages students who are interested in enrolling for classes in both the Oct. and Dec. sessions, to please contact the admissions office at 620-276-7611 or visit the school website at www.gcccks.edu.
During economic downturns, the Kansas community college system has always been a key component of the economic recovery through training, re-training, and up-skilling employees to ensure they are able to return to the workforce swiftly. Reaching out to any potential student who could benefit from higher education and/or training and connecting them with their local community college is an excellent action step that all Kansans can take to help their neighbors and the Kansas economy. Scholarships are available, and depending on income, these scholarships could fully fund the entire cost of community college education. As Kansans pull together to overcome our latest challenge, the Kansas community college system stands ready to assist students to ensure they receive the education or training they need to provide a prosperous future for themselves, their families, and the state of Kansas. In addition, the Kansas community college system looks forward to working with Kansas policymakers, industry leaders, and our secondary education partners to ensure students understand the value of higher education, and how the education and training they receive is critical to being able to fill open jobs within the Kansas economy both today and in the future.
Garden City Community College exists to produce positive contributors to the economic and social well-being of society.