Student enrollment at Volunteer State Community College has reached an all-time record for the school, with 9156 students attending this fall semester. The previous record was 8989, set in fall of 2010. The current headcount is up 3.5 percent over fall of last year. Much of the increase is attributed to the popular TN Reconnect program. It provides tuition-free education for adults who do not already have a college degree. This fall 1039 new students using TN Reconnect are enrolled in classes at Vol State. There are also 460 continuing students using the program.
“We are excited to have attained this record enrollment,” said Vol State president, Jerry Faulkner. “It is gratifying to see more citizens of our service area taking advantage of the opportunity to advance their education. Vol State is fulfilling our mission to prepare students for successful career, university transfer, and meaningful civic participation in a global society.”
Vol State has been planning for increased enrollment. Two new buildings have been added to the Gallatin campus in recent years. The Livingston campus was enlarged. The Highland Crest campus in Springfield was built. In Cookeville, Vol State began offering classes at the Cookeville Higher Education Campus (CHEC), setting enrollment records there, as well.
The number of online classes has also expanded, allowing for even more growth. In the fall of 2010 there were 195 course sections and this fall 356. There are many more faculty and staff working at the college, from 769 in 2010 to 854 employees today.
“Our great team at the college has worked really hard to prepare for this year and for continued growth in enrollment,” Faulkner said. “Our next project is a renovation of our Warf science building. We will gain two science labs, a classroom, a computer lab, and a new six thousand square foot wing to house our Mechatronics program.”
Full-Time Equivalency (FTE) is a unit that measures the number of credit hours students are taking. That FTE number is also a record this fall at 6206, versus 5758 in 2010. Vol State is currently accepting applications for the spring semester for TN Reconnect applicants and all other students. Visit www.volstate.edu for details.
