Mississippi Delta Community College's enrollment has reached an all-time high this semester, with a total of 2,962 students signed up.
This is an increase of 11.3 percent over last fall's enrollment of 2,661 students. It is one of the largest one-year gains in the school's 75-year history, said Joe Ray Jr., dean of admissions, records and financial aid.
"We've had an increase in enrollment every year at least as far back as 1991," he said, "but this year's increase is much larger than last year's 6.1 percent increase and is an all-time record as far as I know, and I've been here over 30 years."
The number of MDCC students from Leflore County rose from 364 to 383. Leflore ranks third in the number of students, behind Washington and Sunflower.
MDCC has 991 students from Washington County, an increase over last year's figure of 810. Sunflower, which sent 639 students there last year, has 682 this year.
Ray attributed the growth to a higher number of students atttending the Greenville Higher Education Center and a steady increase in the number of students taking courses online through MDCC's Virtual Community College.
The Greenville center, which opened in September 2000, is a hub of instruction for MDCC, Mississippi Valley State University and Delta State University.
MDCC also has become an attractive option in a slow economy, Ray said. Parents realize they can put off borrowing for two years by sending their children to a community college.
The students also can spend two years at MDCC, take the same courses they might take at a four-year school and then transfer, he said.
Mississippi schools have had to raise tuition to compensate for budget cuts, but MDCC has tried to keep its increases to a minimum, he said.
Higher enrollment can create some difficulties, such as a parking shortage, but Ray said he considers it "a good problem to have."
A grand opening for the Greenville center was held Thursday in conjunction with the dedication of the Hafter Multipurpose Room and a permanent exhibit, "Words and Photographs: Bern and Franke Keating." Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck was on hand.
Ray said the Greenville center "is probably going to grow, because it's a beautiful facility."
#Dr. Larry Bailey, the college's president, said in a statement that the school's growth "can be attributed to the college's ability to better serve the communities in the MDCC seven-county service district.
"This has been accomplished by offering a quality college education at a low cost, with an excellent faculty, and in close proximity to the students served by the college," Bailey said.
