Enrollment continues to rise at SCCC

Newton - Monday, Sept. 18 was considered the “10th Day.” That is the official date for locking in the enrollment numbers at Sussex County Community College. President Harry Damato reported that the college is thriving and has met both the enrollment and budget goals. The fall 2006 credit enrollment was 3,566, a 3-percent increase over last year’s 3,461 students. Damato reported the total credit hours, the real indicator of productivity, increased by 6.1 percent from last year. This has been primarily fueled by a 7.6 percent increase in the number of full-time students (1837), while part-time enrollment decreased by a modest 1.4 percent. The college has continued to experience a demographic shift to a full-time college. For the first time in SCCC’s history, 51 percent of the students are full-time. First-time freshmen increased by 5.3 percent to 684, a great indicator of the college’s recruitment efforts. The report stated that the male student population increased by 8.4 percent and the female students now number 58 percent of the student population, quite a change from the nearly 70 percent of past years. Damato indicated that a variety of factors are contributing to the college’s continued increase in enrollment, including a reasonable tuition, modern facilities, visibility, and strong Freeholder support. He gave thanks for the efforts of SCCC’s front line enrollment staff, but stated that the enrollment success is a collective effort. The Chronicle of Higher Education and other journals have of late been reporting an enrollment crisis related to the vanishing male student. Damato said that SCCC