ROANOKE – Virginia Western Community College announced late last month that it is projecting a 5.9% increase in its key enrollment category of full-time equivalencies for the fall 2022 semester.
A release from the college said that the news follows a trend from the summer semester, which also saw a 6.4% increase in overall student enrollment.
“The trendlines are looking good,” Robert H. Sandel, president of the college, said. “We are so excited to see classrooms filling up and our campus coming to life again. Students are enrolling in more hours and finding a class schedule that works for them.”
In the release, Sandel said he believes the increase can be attributed to a number of factors, beginning with the COVID-19 pandemic shifting to a new phase. But he also praised the entire college community for coming together and offering creative ideas on how to reach more prospective students and retain those already enrolled.
Additional factors the college attributed to the enrollment uptick include increased awareness of the financial support available to students, a new strategic initiative to increase in-person outreach in the community, more advisors to help on-board new students, scheduling that offers greater flexibility and the launch of new physical therapy assistant, surgical technology, biotechnology and agriculture science programs.
“They all took the message to heart – at every level of the college – that when our enrollment is down, people in the community are missing opportunities to improve their lives. I’m so proud of what’s happening here.”
-The Salem Times-Register