DE QUEEN – Kristin Bowden, Vice Chancellor of Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas, announced today that the College’s spring enrollment was up for the seventh consecutive year. As of the eleventh class day, the College’s enrollment stood at 1,121, the official figure reported to the Arkansas Department of Higher Education (ADHE). This figure marks the College’s highest enrollment ever, and a one percent increase over spring 2004. It caps a twelve-fold increase in student headcount since spring 1992, when registration was 91 students. The spring 2005 count represents an increase of 12 students from spring 2004.

Bowden said, “More and more people are realizing that getting and keeping any good job requires some education or advanced vocational training beyond high school. We also believe our students are telling friends about the quality of instruction at CCCUA. If you couple those trends with tuition that’s as little as a third of the four-years’ in some cases, and the individualized attention students get in-class and online – you have a recipe for enrollment growth like we’ve seen over the years.” She also cited convenience as a factor in the enrollment growth: “Our internet numbers have set a new record as well; more than 52% of our students are taking at least one Internet class this term.” She explained the trend, saying, “People are signing up for online classes because they can participate from anywhere there’s a computer and an internet connection.”

    The biggest increase was seen in distance enrollment, according to Distance Education Division Chair Steve Cole. “For Spring 2005, CCCUA has 1,224 students registered in 64 sections of on-line courses. This compares to 1,065 registrations and 51 sections of on-line courses for fall 2004, representing an almost 15% growth in on-line registrations.” He added that the unduplicated count in on-line courses for spring 2005 is 590, compared to 513 for fall 2004, also representing a 15% increase in the count for on-line courses. He said, “Of the 590 students enrolled in on-line courses, 128 are from outside the service area, up 25% from the 102 enrolled for the fall 2004 semester.” Students are taking an average of 2.07 courses on-line, up from 1.97 from fall of 2004.

    In the Interactive Video (AV) courses, CCCUA has 358 students registered in 25 sections for spring 2005. This compares to 154 registrations and 10 sections for the fall of 2004, representing a 344% increase from fall ‘04. The unduplicated student count for AV room courses is 256, compared to 114 for fall ’04, a 224% increase. “People are discovering the amount of control over their daily lives that these courses give them,” he said.

    In total, CCCUA has 1,751 registrations in some form of distance learning (internet, A-V and web-enhanced courses), and has 744 unique students taking one or more class offered at a distance. This compares to 627 from fall of 2004. These numbers don’t include students enrolled at other colleges that are using the AV rooms, such as the ARNEC nursing program, and courses being offered at UA-Fayetteville and SAU-Magnolia.

    Chancellor Frank Adams said, “Our enrollment is still growing, but we know our population base won’t allow us to post gains like we saw in the Nineties. We had a big spurt of growth from 1991 to 1996, took a couple of years to catch our breath, and resumed our upward climb. I think we’re seeing another breathing spell. We have achieved a lot to keep up with our explosive growth, and we are poised to start seeing more enrollment gains. We are causing that to happen that by actively promoting our internet enrollment outside the state and even internationally, because we believe what we have to offer is as good as what is available anywhere in the world, at a much lower cost.”

    Bowden added, “Student satisfaction is what it all boils down to. If students aren’t satisfied with how they’re being treated and taught, they’ll go elsewhere. We are very cognizant of that, and want to make sure that every student has the best possible college experience.”

    CCCUA is supported in Sevier and Howard Counties by ¼-cent sales taxes. This local support comprises approximately 10% of the College’s total operating budget, and has enabled the addition of programs in Business/Agriculture and Child Care, and construction of a new 35,000 square-foot extension site at Nashville, which will begin later this year. Currently, the College has almost $2 million in grants from various sources. “Our faculty and staff are great about going after grants, which is why the state budget cutbacks haven’t hurt our staffing or programs as much as they have other institutions,” Bowden said.
    Cossatot Community College offers both technical certification and Associate’s degrees in a wide range of fields on its campus at De Queen, at extension sites at Nashville and Ashdown, and at cccua.edu. It has an enrollment of over 1,100 students, and is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools’ Commission on Higher Learning.

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