DSCC has record enrollment.
Months of planning and hard work have come together as the head count of students attending Dyersburg State Community College has risen 24.3 per cent and the full time equivalent is up 28.3 per cent when compared to the admission figures for fall 2008.
“This is the largest enrollment jump in the 40-year history of the college, except for 1981—the year Dyersburg State offered our courses to inmates at our local prisons,” said DSCC President Karen Bowyer.
Based on unofficial numbers, DSCC has achieved the largest jump in fall enrollment of all 19 of the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) institutions.
“We attribute this rise in enrollment to many things, including the area’s unemployment rate. We know we have a student-centered learning environment. Our new facilities allow us to offer state-of-the-art instruction and student services. We like to believe our message of the importance of higher education is finally hitting home, that people are acting upon this information and are choosing DSCC for all the right reasons,” said Bowyer.
The message has included information on the many offerings, opportunities and improved services at DSCC. This fall DSCC offered a new paramedic program. The new Student Center on the Dyersburg campus opened in September of 2008, and at this facility a new One Stop Student Services approach is being used that has stream lined the admission and financial aid process. A similar approach has been implemented at the DSCC Jimmy Naifeh Center at Tipton County.
Innovations such as My Math Lab, use of technology in the classroom and more time on task have contributed to improvement in the success rates in mathematics classes. More sections of the redesigned developmental mathematics courses are now being offered. In addition, every degree-seeking student must now meet with an advisor before registering. This service is key to helping DSCC students succeed.
Many area residents have enrolled at the College using Federal Dislocated Worker funds. This assists with tuition payments for courses that allow them to learn new skills. Grant money was also used to fund dual/joint enrollment scholarships for qualified high school students.
The enrollment jump may also be attributed to the FAFSA (Free Application for Student Aid) Fever campaign mounted by the College earlier in the year. The campaign’s goal was to make students aware of the need to fill out their financial aid forms in a timely manner so that that they could receive all financial help available to them.
To accommodate this enrollment increase, DSCC hired a number of adjunct instructors to teach courses that were in high demand. College officials also analyzed the space available in each building to make sure it was being utilized. Maintenance even counted the number of chairs available in classrooms and parking spaces available in DSCC parking lots.
To retain these students and to continue to grow, the College is looking at several innovative changes in instruction and processes. According to DSCC Vice President for Technology Diane Camper, funds from a Perkins IV Technology Incentive Grantare being used to purchase interactive television equipment that will be installed on the Dyersburg campus, at the DSCC Jimmy Naifeh Center and at the DSCC Gibson County Center. “We hope to have this up and running for our spring semester in Dyersburg and Covington; Gibson County will follow in the fall. This system will increase the accessibility of our courses for our students. An instructor will be able to teach a class here in Dyersburg and have it offered at the same time in Covington. The instructor will be able to see and hear the class, and the class will be able to see and hear their instructor. It will be the next best thing to actually being there,” said Camper. “This will allow the college to make more courses available at locations that are convenient to our students,” she continued.
DSCC also hopes to offer a number of hybrid courses that combine classroom and on line instruction. Vice President for the College Mary Ann Sellars has asked each member of her staff to add a retention
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