For The Daily Southerner
TARBORO —
For the second year in a row, student enrollment at Edgecombe Community College is setting new records.
A total of 3,644 students are attending the college this fall, an increase of 12 percent over last fall’s enrollment of 3,224 and an all-time high. Classes began last Friday.
The weak economy and high unemployment continue to contribute to high enrollment as students fill classrooms for retraining and learning new job skills.
Pam Flanagan, 45, of Whitakers, was laid off from her job in industrial maintenance as a journeyman in mechanical and electrical. This fall, she is entering the radiography program at Edgecombe.
“At my age, I didn’t want to go back to turning a wrench, and radiography is a good fit. I am used to diagnostics, and now I’ll be helping diagnose problems with patients.”
At Edgecombe, creative scheduling and more class options also are enabling more students to attend classes.
“We are open from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m., and we have classes meeting throughout the day and evening,” says Dr. Kristi Snuggs, vice president of instruction.
“This semester, we have more students taking full loads, and we have been able to schedule them in blocks: 8 a.m.-12 noon, 1 p.m.-5 p.m., and 5 p.m.-10 p.m. This type of block scheduling is more convenient and efficient for our students, and it works better for our instructors, too.”
The college also has met the increased demand by adding sections of popular courses and by increasing the number of hybrid classes. Hybrid classes combine face-to-face instruction with an online component.
A handful of retired employees returned to the college last week to assist with final registration and bookstore traffic, and they proved to be an invaluable asset. “These were all seasoned employees who worked at ECC for many years, so they came in with an understanding of our procedures and our system. They fit right in and went to work, and they made all the difference,” says Charlie Harrell, vice president of administrative services.
Long lines for student IDs and books moved steadily, and complaints from students were minimal. The phone system and college receptionists also rose to the challenge. According to Neil Baker, director of computer services, between 4,000 to 4,500 incoming and outgoing calls were logged each day last week, compared to a more typical 1,500 to 1,800 calls daily.
Superior personal service was cited by a number of students who are attending ECC this fall, including Kate Giamarino, a second-year associate degree nursing student who lives in Rocky Mount.
She applied to several community college nursing programs in the area, but Edgecombe was the only college that returned her calls. She holds two bachelor degrees from Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
“Everyone at Edgecombe bends over backwards to help you,” she says. “I have been very happy with my classes. They have been on par with or better than classes I took at Lycoming, which is a private college that costs $30,000 a year.”
Health sciences programs remain among Edgecombe’s most popular programs and are filled to capacity. These programs include:
• CT/MRI
• Health Information Technology
• Interventional Cardiac and Vascular Technology
• Medical Assisting
• Medical Transcription
• Nursing
• Radiography
• Respiratory Therapy
• Surgical Technology
Early childhood education, business, and college transfer programs also are popular.
Edgecombe offers a handful of programs that are unique to the region, including automotive body repair, CT/MRI, cybercrime, esthetics, health information technology, historic preservation, radiography, and respiratory therapy.
Cybercrime is the only program of its kind east of Greensboro. Historic preservation is unique among North Carolina community colleges.
