Central Carolina Community College announced last week that it had set a new enrollment record, and Chatham County was well represented.
The college said 1,146 residents of Chatham County had enrolled in fall 2019 classes, a 16 percent increase from the 988 that were enrolled last fall. There was also a 19 percent rise in students taking classes at CCCC’s Chatham sites — from 512 to 610.
One of the probable reasons for the jump is the 160 graduates from Chatham high schools enrolled in the new Chatham Promise program, which provides free tuition and fees to qualified students. Mark Hall, the college’s Chatham provost, told the Chatham Chamber of Commerce’s Economic Development Briefing last week that those students would benefit the Chatham community in multiple ways.
“They’re not accruing debt, and neither are their parents,” Hall said. “That means they have more opportunities to do things later on, but they also have more opportunity to spend their money here. This is another great return on investment.”
Hall added that the Chatham campus’ Building Construction Technologies program had continued to grow “by leaps and bounds” and that the college had to open up new classes. He also said that the new CCCC Health Sciences Building near Briar Chapel in northeast Chatham County should be available for occupancy next month.
A record 5,924 students were enrolled for the start of the 2019-2020 school year at CCCC. It is a 9.5 percent increase over the previous all-time high enrollment of 5,411 students in the fall of 2009 and an 11.4 percent increase from last fall’s student population of 5,320 students.
Lisa Chapman, the college’s new president, said in a statement that CCCC was “thankful to be the community college for Chatham, Harnett and Lee counties.”
“We are very pleased to serve as the education partner for these students — our students — as they progress toward their career goals,” Chapman said. “CCCC believes in accessible, lifelong learning, and is proud to provide a first-class education for our communities, whose support is providing opportunities for so many.”
Ken Hoyle, CCCC’s vice president of student services, added, “I am beyond pleased with how these numbers reflect so well and attribute it to the College’s reputation for a high quality education at a reasonable cost.”
Reporter Zachary Horner can be reached at zhorner@chathamnr.com or on Twitter at @ZachHornerCNR.