CC posts third highest enrollment

Clarendon College is reporting the third largest enrollment in its history this week, following the 12th class day of the fall 2015 semester.

CC President Robert Riza said total enrollment is currently at 1,350, which is an increase of about 12.6 percent over last fall’s number.

“This the result of the hard work of a lot of people,” Dr. Riza said. “With this increase, what I’m looking for is two years from now to see what our graduation rates and student success numbers look like.”

The biggest increase for CC came in a nearly 54 percent increase in dual credit enrollment in area high schools from 352 students to 541.

Those dual credit figures include 97 students from Carson County, 53 of which are in Panhandle High School, who are all being covered by scholarship. The college many years ago inherited a farm in that county from the McConnell Estate, and this year the Riza administration moved to use the lease payments from that property to cover all Carson County high school students’ dual credit expenses.

Dual credit numbers are also way up in Gray County, where the Pampa Foundation chose to use a large donation to pay for college classes for high school students on the free and reduced lunch program.

Miami High School also has 52 dual credit students taking classes from CC, more than twice the number of last year. Riza said that school has launched a four-year plan to graduate as many students as possible from Clarendon College three weeks before they graduate from high school.

Miami is one area school pushing students to start dual credit classes as freshmen. Riza said taking dual credit classes in high school leads directly to success in college for many students.

“Our figures show that 37 percent of dual credit students will earn a four-year degree within four years or less of graduating high school,” the president said.

Enrollment numbers were down slightly on the home campus in Clarendon at 328 compared to 352 last year. Riza said that reflects less than full occupancy in the dormitories due to some turn overs among coaches. He expects CC to be back at full occupancy next fall and possibly see increases in the spring semester.

Pampa enrollment fell by ten from 276 to 266 with the college feeling the impact of economic woes in Gray County where more than 300 jobs have been lost in the last month and a half, Riza said.

The CC center in Childress saw its numbers grow from 54 last year to 73 this year. The Amarillo cosmetology center was down from 65 last fall to 43 this fall, but 19 Amarillo ISD students are now taking cosmetology by dual credit.

Riza also said Clarendon College is working to offer more courses through an Adult Education Literacy grant aimed at getting people ESL training, GED credentials, and some workforce training. Those classes are first being offered in Pampa for welding, certified nurse’s aide, and phlebotomy.

“This serves a segment of our population that we have to help become productive,” Riza said.