The rebound out of a global pandemic continues for Hopkinsville Community College, and in a strong direction.
During Monday night’s quarterly Board of Directors session, Admissions Advisor Julie Hyams reported Fall 2023 enrollment finished at 2,157 students — a 6.4% increase from Fall 2022’s tally of 2,028.
For the spring, she said 966 students are already registered for classes — and that’s a nearly 14% increase from Spring 2022.
A potential reason for the increase: a surge in recruitment appearances and requests.
Francesca Campbell, one of many responsible for recruiting at HCC, said while the focus on traditional and non-traditional students has been key, one demographic is proving more important than ever:
Middle and high school students.
Dual credit applications are also, very much, on the rise. April Smith, student affairs specialist, said the final Fall 2023 headcount was 619 — a 22.2% increase from Fall 2022’s 511 students.
A big reason for this, she said, was due to a new partnership of nearly 50 students who came from Butler County High School and Franklin-Simpson High School for an introduction to construction class — something that isn’t currently offered within the KCTCS systems near their districts.
Graduation from dual credit, she added, comes close to 220 over the last two years — and it’s very stratified over west Kentucky’s schools.
Chief Academic Affairs Officer Dr. Chris Boyett also noted dual credit options come in different flavors for different schools, but sometimes there are barriers and challenges to the educational process.
In other HCC News:
— President and CEO Dr. Alissa Young confirmed that Holiday Burger has sold and changed ownership, and as such, the popular Pathfinder Grill located in the Emerging Technologies building will be closed at the end of the semester. A request for proposal has already been drafted and publicized, and prospective buyers are required to attend a 2 PM, November 28 walkthrough before going into the bidding process.
Dr. Young thanked Holiday Burger for their efforts, but added that the hope is to continue some sort of food offering for students in the future.
— All of HCC’s campus will be closed November 22-24, in observance of Thanksgiving. Fall Commencement is planned for 12 PM and 3 PM, December 8. Spring classes begin January 8.
