College enrollment at WPCC bounces back post-COVID

After a steep drop in enrollment due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Western Piedmont Community College (WPCC) is seeing a promising recovery with enrollment numbers near pre-pandemic levels. For the 2023-24 school year, the college has enrolled 6,345 students, just 138 students shy of its 2019 enrollment. Staff members are optimistic about surpassing those numbers by next year.

The trend upward extends beyond WPCC. The University of North Carolina System also reported an increase in spring enrollment at UNC’s three mountain universities: Appalachian State University, University of North Carolina Asheville, and Western Carolina University.

According to Andy Wallace, director of media relations at The University of North Carolina System, compared to spring of 2024, enrollment this semester increased 2.2% at Appalachian State University, 1.9% at University of North Carolina Asheville, and 1.7% at Western Carolina University. Compared to spring of 2023, current enrollment is higher by 6.8% at App State, 4.7% at UNC Asheville and 3.3% at Western Carolina. The three universities enroll more than 34,000 students.

POST-COVID RECOVERY AT WPCC

Susan Berley, vice president for student success and support services at WPCC, discussed the drop in enrollment numbers during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019 enrollment was 6,482; those numbers fell to 4,468 in the 2020-21 school year. Today, enrollment at WPCC stands at 6,345 for the 2023-24 school year, 138 from the school’s enrollment pre-COVID.

“We’re excited because we are here to serve our community and we can only do that if we are reaching out and letting folks know what we have to offer for them here and working with them to achieve their goals,” Berley said.

There has been a noticeable shift in the demographics of students enrolling at WPCC. While the college had seen a decline in male student enrollment pre-COVID, there has been a recent uptick in this group. Additionally, there has been growth in Hispanic student participation in curriculum programs.

Despite concerns over the impact of Hurricane Helene on spring enrollment, Berley reported an increase in numbers for the spring semester.

“We didn’t know what the impact of Hurricane Helene would be, so we were concerned with what we were going to see in this spring semester, but we see our numbers increasing during the spring,” Berley said.

PROGRAMS AND RETENTION

Berley said the most popular degree programs post-COVID are associate degrees in Arts and Science, Nursing, Cosmetology, Welding, and Business Administration.

Berley highlighted the increase in student retention. Historically fall-to-fall retention has been 48 to 50%; fall 2023 to fall 2024 has jumped to 57%. She attributes retention growth to the new advising model. Students are now assigned three advisers: academic advisers, staff advisers, and a success coach.

Staff advisers, located in student services, work with students first to determine schedules. Students then transition to faculty or academic advisers assigned as subject matter experts in the field they are pursuing. The success coach is there to help remove any barriers students may be facing outside of the classroom.

“We’ve got this wrap-around approach for working with students,” Berley said, referring to advisers.

CHALLENGES/FLEXIBILITY FOR STUDENTS

The biggest challenge plaguing college enrollment today is students trying to balance a job, school, and family, according to Berley. Additionally, students may face uncertainty about what program to pursue.

To address these concerns, WPCC has implemented the HyFlex model, which blends online and in-person classes. The model evolved as a result of COVID-19 and is flexible and meets the needs of students, according to Berley. The HyFlex model was first introduced in the Simulation and Game Development program and Digital Effects and Technology program.

“It’s always our goal to reach out to folks and let them know what we have to offer and the various formats that we offer courses,” Berley said. “We’ve got a lot of flexibility, and we can work with them to find something that works with their schedule.”

As the college transitions to eight-week courses, Berley said program coordinators are re-evaluating their offerings to ensure they best meet the needs of students.

FUTURE PREDICTIONS

As the college continues to adapt to the changing landscape, Berley believes that WPCC is well-positioned to meet the needs of students and the community, even amid nationwide challenges. Berley gave a prediction about the future of college enrollment.

“Nationwide, it seems, there is sort of this enrollment cliff that we may be coming up against because of the declining growth in population. … So, we’re watching it very closely. There is some concern nationwide,” Berley said.

“Here locally, we still feel like there’s a lot of potential for reaching folks with higher education and there’s potential for growth here, but we are ever mindful of some of the demographic factors we are facing.”