ALBANY, GA (WALB) -
An Albany College is showing one of the top growth rates in the state as enrollment sinks at most public colleges and universities in Georgia. After years of record enrollment, overall enrollment dropped by 1.2% this fall.
But Darton State College is the only college in our area reporting higher enrollment. They grew by almost 5%, the fourth highest rate in the state and their secret is quite simple: Their focus on student wants, and that's the nursing program.
More than half of the public colleges in the peach state are teaching fewer students this semester. "That's really what makes a college, is the students and as long as you focus on the students needs you are going to have a great college, and that's Darton," said Tracey Goode Dean of Institutional Advancement.
This fall, enrollment plunged by 1.2% in Georgia, but Darton is the only school in our area where enrollment has increased. The majority of colleges were prepared for this drop due to the slow growth rate.
But When Darton was informed, they got busy on marketing and recruiting to potential students.
Darton leaders say the nursing program always has the highest enrollment numbers. They recently added a four year degree due to its overwhelming popularity. And it may have been what attracted even more students this semester.
Changes to the federal Pell Grant, Georgia's HOPE scholarship. And other financial aid programs made an impact on enrollment too.
"It definitely played a large role," said Matthew Jones. "As someone who is on HOPE, it helps out tremendously."
Fewer students mean less money and it comes at a time when colleges have already had to cut spending due to the economy. But officials at Darton say they tried to use creative ways to handle those cuts without impacting students.
"Over the years due to the decrease in funding, we've had to come up with creative ways like staff members working overtime so there is no interruption for students," Goode said.
Officials say it's too early to tell whether this is a new trend, or just a bad year, but Darton says they are hopeful they will continue this upward trend. @@
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