Director of Workforce Development Dr. Jason Hurst said 300 students registered for college courses this fall, up 45 percent from last fall’s registration of 200 students. Hurst said the Talladega Center has been experiencing steady growth since 100 students enrolled in classes the first semester the location opened.
These numbers do not reflect additional enrollment in programs such as workforce development, adult education and the lineworker program.
Hurst said the center’s location may play a role in the growth it’s experienced in its three and a half years, but he thinks the tough economic times might have more of an impact on the increased numbers of students paying tuition to attend CACC.
“When the economy is not in good shape, people want to earn degrees that will make them more marketable,” Hurst said. “They have a lot more competition for fewer job opportunities.”
Hurst said CACC has not changed its system of recruiting students, nor has it increased its advertising. He thinks being at a busy intersection where people can see the campus activity has served as ample advertisement.
Of the three locations for the CACC, the Talladega Center experienced the most improvement in enrollment this year by far. Hurst said the Childersburg campus had a 14.5 percent increase in enrollment. Including another campus in Alexander City, CACC enrollment college-wide rose eight percent.
Being the fastest-growing campus of CACC means finding ways to offer more classes for students seeking to further their education.
Hurst said the Talladega Center is able to offer two class times for its fundamentals of oral communication, or speech, class this semester.
“We have offered speech classes before,” Hurst said. “But we were not able to offer it every semester. We found an adjunct professor who was able to teach the class and that has been such a blessing.”
Hurst said the center also plans to offer criminal justice and political science classes in the spring. He said those classes were originally set to be offered this semester, but professors could not be found in time.
CACC is also considering offering courses in economics and accounting in the spring.
Hurst said while the growth the center is experiencing is wonderful, it also creates problems for the state-funded college.
“The funds are not available for us to hire extra faculty and staff during these difficult times,” Hurst said. “It is not easy for us to offer more courses because it is so hard to find professors who are able to work with us.”
For more information, contact the CACC Talladega Center at 256-480-2066.
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