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TSTC: 17 Percent Overall Fall Enrollment Growth, 34 Percent New Student Growth

 

Texas State Technical College is reporting a 17 percent increase statewide in students enrolled at all 10 of its campuses this fall.
 
Certified enrollment numbers grew from 11,316 in fall 2015 to 13,249 in fall 2016. Of this total increase, TSTC realized a 34 percent increase in new students, with returning students increasing 3 percent. Increases of traditional students set all-time records bested only by the increase at the height of the recession in 2009 that was driven by Pell Grant and dual-credit incentives.
 
The announcement came following TSTC submitting its certified numbers to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board late last week.
 
"This type of growth in higher education, much less in a first year of merger, is hard-pressed to be matched," said TSTC Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Operations Officer Elton Stuckly Jr. "A little over two years ago, our Board of Regents and TSTC Chancellor Mike Reeser set us on a bold and innovative course to grow TSTC in response to the near-critical skills gap in the state of Texas, and the TSTC family could not have responded with more resolve in this statewide success."
 
In summer 2014, the TSTC Board of Regents approved the recommendation to merge its four regional colleges comprised of 10 statewide campuses into one single accredited college. In spring 2015, TSTC successfully completed all the necessary requirements and received approval from SACSCOC to begin operating as one college. In fall 2015, Reeser set a first priority of working to grow enrollment statewide.
 
"The success of our students and their impact on increasing needs within the Texas workforce remains the focus of our work," said Reeser. "I cannot give enough credit to our faculty and employees across every operational division and every campus for pulling together in such a significant and collaborative way."
 
"I could not be more proud of our team, both here in East Texas and across the state, for banding together to reach such an incredible milestone," said TSTC in Marshall Provost Barton Day. "I'm truly humbled to be part of such an awesome group of folks. This is a great day for the TSTC family and the state of Texas."
 
Following the statewide merger in 2015 and stated priority to grow, TSTC operationally realigned all enrollment services statewide into a strategic collaborative with the operational divisions of the college and set sights on an aggressive 12 percent increase in enrollment statewide.
 
"With double-digit increases in applications, we set our sights on new student growth with a major emphasis on personal customer service throughout the enrollment experience," said TSTC Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Services Rob Wolaver. "The innovation and growth of capacities building new cohorts in our instructional divisions was paramount. It truly was a whole-team win for the college."
 
"It's been quite a run for TSTC over a very short period of time," said TSTC Vice Chancellor and Chief Marketing Officer Jeff Kilgore. "Changing to a results-based funding formula, bringing two new metro campuses out of the ground in Hutto and Red Oak, achieving single accreditation without a recommendation from SACSCOC, cutting the ribbon last month on a new campus in Fort Bend County for which $40 million was donated by the community, announcing a money-back guarantee, and now this type of statewide enrollment growth is just another testimony in a growing long line that the brand value of TSTC has never been stronger in the schools, homes, communities, industry and even in the Texas state Capitol."

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