Dateline: February 12, 2008

CC enrollment climbs compared to last spring

Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

Clarendon College is on the right track with enrollment and has grown more than the state average for community colleges, according to figures for the 2008 spring semester.

Following the 12th class day, CC had a total enrollment of 1,047 students, which is up from 1,004 last spring, an increase of more than four percent.

Preliminary data reported to the Texas Association of Community Colleges prior to the 12th class day showed a state average increase in spring enrollment of 1.9 percent. Amarillo College was reporting a 1.5 percent increase, and Frank Phillips College in Borger was showing an enrollment drop of 7.5 percent.

“Any time you’re up above average, it’s a good thing,” said CC President Bill Auvenshine. “We’re bucking the trend.”

Enrollment at the home campus and the center in Pampa are down slightly, but enrollment at area high schools has increased dramatically, the college reported.

“The high schools are where our major growth has been,” Auvenshine said. “We’re down in full time students, but we’re up in students who are taking nine hours or less.”

The president said CC is working to attract students who are taking concurrent classes in high school to come to Clarendon College and take at least a year of coursework before transferring to a university.

“That’s one thing we have to focus on in Pampa,” he said. “There’s no reason we can’t have an enrollment of 400 students there.”

The CC – Pampa Center’s enrollment this spring is 213, and Clarendon’s enrollment is 342.

The most important figure though is the number of contact hours CC is generating, which is a method the state uses to determine the college’s funding. Preliminary data showed contact hours have increased 1.6 percent from 237,152 in spring 2007 to 241,008 this spring.

Auvenshine said he was pleased with the enrollment report overall and said the college has initiatives in place for next fall that should see an upward trend.