880 at LBW this term

Published 12:00 am Friday, June 7, 2013

Summer enrollment at LBW Community College is down slightly; however, officials say the numbers are comparable to previous semesters.

Dr. Herb Riedel said Tuesday enrollment for the semester sits at 880 students. Those students are enrolled for a total of 7,058 credit hours.

“Both the head count and credit hour enrollment numbers are down 6 percent from last summer, which is comparable to the decline we had in the fall and the spring,” Riedel said. “This is similar to what most of the colleges in the state have experienced this year.”

Riedel said he’s optimistic about enrollment for the fall semester.

“Our faculty and staff are starting new, innovative programs and constantly seeking ways to help students succeed,” he said. “We are very excited about the new evening program geared specifically for those individuals who work full time during the day. They commit two nights a week for two years and earn a college degree, all while continuing their full-time employment.”

Riedel said the college depends on increasing student numbers.

“We are more dependent on enrollment now than we were years ago because of the decline in state funding, and because of that, we have to depend more on tuition and fees than in past years,” he said.

According to the latest Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) report from the National Center for Education Statistics, 90 percent of LBWCC’s full-time, first-time degree or certificate seeking students qualify for some type of student aid. The majority of these students receive federal Pell Grant funds.