Parking spaces are at a premium at White Mountains Community College these days as enrollment is up and classes are filling up.
Classes opened Monday for the fall semester and Vice President of Student and Community Affairs Martha Laflamme said early figures have enrollment up 4.5 percent. She said that follows a 31 percent increase in summer enrollment and a 19 percent increase last January.
"Community colleges across the state and country are seeing increased activity on their campuses and White Mountain Community College is no exception. We have seen a steady increase in enrollment throughout this decade and this fall the growth continues," Laflamme said.
Laflamme said people are looking for value for their education dollar and WMCC offers the lowest tuition rate in the state. A New Hampshire resident taking a full five course load would pay about $3,000 in tuition and student fees per semester.
With the main campus in Berlin and academic centers in Conway, Littleton, and Woodsville, Laflamme said the college is a close affordable alternative for much of the North Country.
"On the third day of class a student commented that finding a place to park was challenging. And we've had to add more sections to some of our classes and labs to accommodate enrollment. But these are the kind of problems we like to see," Laflamme said.
The Culinary Arts, Baking and Pastry Arts degree program have seen the largest growth of all programs at the college. Laflamme noted the new 1,500 square foot bake shop build last year will see plenty of use this semester.
Other popular programs this fall are Liberal Arts (which allows students to transfer after two years to a four year university), Allied Health, Spatial Information Technology, Teacher Preparation, and Early Childhood Education.
Laflamme said the increase in enrollment can be attributed to a number of factors. She said the econ-omy obviously plays a major role.
"Many North Country families are realizing it makes sense for their student to stay close to home for a year or two, and work on credits that will easily transfer to a four year college or university. These families save thousands of dollars in tuition and room and board expenses," she said.
She said the college has seen a surge in residents who have lost their jobs with the decline of the paper industry and are looking to upgrade skills or retrain for new careers.
"We continue to work closely with displaced workers who have a desire to return to college and train for a new career. Their interests are fairly widespread, and they have enrolled in a variety of programs from short-term certificate," she said.
Laflamme said the college has also worked hard at outreach and forming partnerships. One such program is the Running Start Program which allows high school juniors and seniors to enroll in college courses for $100. The WMCC courses are taught at the high school by credentialed high school teachers and the course counts towards both high school graduation and college credit.
Laflamme said Running Start Coordinator Jody Camille has been busy visiting area high schools to talk about the program. Last year she said 400 students enrolled in one or more Running Start courses.
WMCC also partners with the NH College and University Council (NHCUC) and Campus Compact for NH to plan events that will educate North Country students about the importance of furthering their education. Laflamme said the Second Annual North Country Colleges Access Convention is planned for Friday, November 6. It teaches high school sophomores strategies to plan and pay for college.
Students can also enjoy the extensive renovations that were made last year including the new Student Wellness Center and remodeled Bistro. Laflamme said the college has received a lot of positive feedback about the long overdue facelift for the campus.
"People who visit the campus cannot believe the transformation that has occurred. So if it's been a while since you've been on our campus, stop in and see all of the changes," she said.
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