Enrollment up at PJC for the spring 2012 semester

Published or Revised January 25, 2012

Paris Junior College is seeing more students enrolled in the spring semester than last year and the year before, according to a report received by the PJC Board of Regents Monday evening. The preliminary enrollment total is 5,785 students, seven more than in spring 2010 and 287 more than in 2011. The number of contact hours is up 10,471 from last year and 76,263 from two years ago. The official date of record is Wednesday. Students at Paris totaled 4,142, at Greenville 1,670, Sulphur Springs 819, and Commerce 119. The numbers add up to more than the enrollment total because some students take classes at more than one campus and all online courses originate from Paris. PJC’s numbers look very good, according to PJC President Dr. Pam Anglin, because statewide community colleges are seeing either flat enrollment or drops of 8 percent to 9 percent. This was attributed to the economy starting to turn around and a lack of federal stimulus money for workforce students. Dual credit enrollment is down due to lack of state funding for high schools and reduction of the number of dual credit classes offered due to meeting accreditation standards of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The regents voted to continue holding elections in May, as the local school districts do, instead of moving them to November. The regents also chose Louise Taylor to fill the position of vice president that was vacated when Rachel Braswell resigned from the board. In other business, the Regents:

• Heard a report on two academies for high school students. The Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) Academy will be five weeks of summer classes in science and math, and touring local industries to see how theory and lab exercises are applied in industrial settings. The Workforce Academy, still being developed, is for high school co-op students and would allow them to work towards a certificate.
• Approved the investment policy with no changes from the previous year.
• Received an update on developing soccer at PJC, resulting in an action item for the next Regents meeting agenda to consider adding men’s and women’s teams to the PJC athletic line-up.
• Selected Regents President Paul Gene Roden and Secretary Birdie Gibson to attend the Achieving the Dream Trustee Strategy Institute, with the Greater Texas Foundation again paying for the regents to go.