First Day Enrollment at MCC Tops 3,000

MADISONVILLE, Ky. Opening day enrollment at Madisonville Community College topped 3,000 on Monday, August 17, for the first time.

Tentative numbers show 3,080 students had enrolled by Monday, compared to 2,864 enrolled on the first day in fall 2008.

We are reaching our capacity, said Jay Parrent, dean of student affairs. We are literally running out of seats in some of our classrooms.

College officials have added class sections in general education courses such as speech and in allied health courses like nurse aid. Budget reductions over the past few years have led to a shortage of full-time faculty, which makes adding sections difficult. To make up the difference, they have increased class sizes in order to accommodate students.

The college has also increased class sizes in its Advanced Industrial Integrated Technology program, which offers class lectures online and in-person lab work at the Brown Badgett Sr. Energy and Advanced Technology Center.

Other programs in the Badgett Center are also up in enrollment, including the HVAC program, which is at capacity. The college s allied health programs continue to attract students and the transfer general education courses are heavily enrolled.

Parrent credits much of the enrollment increase to a weak economy, with laid-off workers coming back to school and students choosing community colleges for lower tuition.