LUMBERTON — The final enrollment numbers for spring semester academic courses at Robeson Community College are up slightly from last year, the college’s president said Monday.
Kimberly Gold told the board of trustees that 1,876 students have enrolled in academic classes this spring. That compares with 1,823 in the spring of 2016.
“This is good news,” Gold said. “It shows that we are going in a positive direction.”
The enrollment numbers are promising, said Bill Mauney, the RCC vice president who oversees student enrollment.
“We could always do better,” Mauney said, “but this is good.”
The numbers only represent students enrolled in academic programs, and not in workforce development, continuing education, or college and career readiness programs, he said.
“A lower unemployment rate negatively impacts the number of students we have,” Mauney said. “When there is plenty of work our enrollment is usually off. People have less time to spend taking courses to further their education.”
In other business, board members were introduced to the college’s three full-time Emergency Medical Science instructors by Channing Jones, vice president of RCC’s Workforce Development Program. The instructors are Eric Freeman, director of the Emergency Medical Science program; Toby Carter, clinical coordinator of the Emergency Medical Science curriculum program; and Nestor Rivera, clinical coordinator for Continuing Education programs.
During the past year there have been 232 Emergency Medical Science training classes, Jones said. A total of 3,663 students took part. Another 48 students are getting Emergency Medical Science degrees. The state Office of Emergency Medical Services has been increasing the requirements for individuals to become paramedics.
“To keep up, those who have been working as paramedics must become re-skilled,” Jones said. “All EMS members constantly have to train to keep up with the new standards.”
The trustees on Monday also:
— Approved adding three employees to RCC’s staff. They are Derek Miller, IT network operations manager; Kenneth Davis, director of facilities; and Regina Branch, executive assistant to the president.
— Heard a report from Gold concerning proposed legislation being considered by the state Community College Board regarding issues related the trustee boards at state community colleges. The issues include term limits for trustees, how trustees can be removed from office, and how often trustee boards should hold meetings.
— Briefly reviewed a draft copy of a policy outlining how RCC facilities can be utilized by the community. The draft, which will come up before the board at its next regular meeting, clarifies what a current policy already states, Gold said.
