By Chrissy Alspaugh, The Republic
calspaugh@therepublic.com
Columbus region of Ivy Tech Community College has more than doubled its size in seven years and experienced a record 68.5 percent enrollment increase at the end of the fall 2008 semester.
Enrollment at the end of last semester was 4,739, compared to 2,813 for the end of the fall semester of 2007.
The figures reflect enrollments in classes running the entire 16-week semester.
Ivy Tech's Columbus region includes the main campus, a satellite campus in Franklin and course offerings in Greensburg, Nashville, North Vernon and Seymour. The enrollment figures also include high school students enrolled in the dual-credit program.
"Figuratively speaking, we've added another college on top of the enrollment figures we reported in the fall of 2002 and then added another 761 enrollments to that," said Bill Harmon, chairperson of Ivy Tech's Regional Board of Trustees.
"With several transfer options and sites throughout the region, Ivy Tech has become the college of choice for thousands of residents in this area and across the state."
College officials said the recent influx of students can be attributed to a doubling of regional program offerings within the last five years, the quality of faculty and courses and the expansion of facilities in the new campus in Franklin and the new Advanced Manufacturing Institute in Columbus.
John Hogan, the Columbus campus' chancellor, said he credits increasing enrollments to the high-quality post-secondary institution offering excellent faculty and programs needed in the region.
He said a growing understanding of the importance of earning marketable degrees and programs' affordability also contribute.