CFCC Enrollment Hits New High

Jan. 7, 2010

Central Florida Community College began classes Wednesday with the highest enrollment in its history. As of Thursday, Jan. 7, some 8,579 students had enrolled to attend classes at CFCC. Last spring, that figure was 7,035, for an increase of 22 percent.

At the Ocala Campus, the number of students increased from 6,047 to 7,345, or 21 percent. Citrus Campus enrollment increased from 1,259 to 1,877, or 49 percent.

"The No. 1 priority for the college is student learning and we will continue to do all we can to provide a quality education experience as we meet the enrollment demands,” said Dr. Charles Dassance, CFCC president. “Our faculty and staff deserve a great deal of credit for helping to accommodate increasing numbers of students while the college cautiously works with reduced resources.”

Dassance announced on Tuesday that 10 full-time faculty, possibly more, would be hired for the 2010-2011 academic year. In 2009, the college added adjunct instructors to meet the growing demand.

At the Citrus Campus, the growth can be attributed in part to the addition of the Citrus Learning and Conference Center, which opened in late October. The 36,000-square-foot facility increases Citrus Campus instructional space by 80 percent.

"The dramatic enrollment growth at the Citrus Campus this semester is a true indication of the strong local demand for higher education,” said Dr. Vernon Lawter, vice president/provost of the Citrus Campus. “The addition of the new Citrus Conference and Learning Center has allowed us to expand course offerings to serve far more students than our facilities could accommodate in the past.”

College enrollment traditionally grows when there are economic challenges and CFCC has implemented a number of changes to accommodate the growth. More courses and sections have been made available, a few seats have been added to many classes, and the number of online opportunities has expanded. To help students get started, the number of orientation sessions has increased, a call center has been added and staffing has increased during peak hours. The college has also worked to improve the financial aid process which impacts roughly half of its students.

"Even with increased numbers, the college is maintaining its commitment to small classes and individual attention for students,” Dassance said.

Maintained by the Office of Marketing and Public Relations at Central Florida Community College. Contact Coordinator Lois Brauckmuller at 352-854-2322, ext. 1374, brauckml@cf.edu, Barbara Trebilcock, coordinator, trebilcb@cf.edu or Dr. Joe Wallace, director, wallacej@cf.edu.