HCC sets enrollment records

Raymond – In the third week of classes, Hinds Community College’s (HCC’s) credit enrollment stood at more than 12,300 students, a 16 percent increase over fall 2008 enrollment.

HCC reports enrollment has continued to break records for weeks. With 2,000 more students on campus this fall, the college is on track to serve nearly 30,000 credit and non-credit students this academic year, including workforce, secondary and Adult Basic Education/GED students.

Both the Raymond and Rankin campuses have increased about 570 students each. That is a 12.3 percent increase for Raymond and nearly 20 percent increase for Rankin. Online enrollment has also increased about 20 percent.

However, with the recent additional state budget cute HCC officials are concerned about serving more with less.

“This presents a real challenge for us to continue to deliver quality programs and services to this unprecedented number of students. We are already operating on a lean budget, supported by an affordable tuition that makes higher education affordable for the people in our service district,” said Dr. Clyde Muse, HCC president.