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Press release from Indian Hill Community College.

OTTUMWA --- Two years ago, the enrollment for the fall term at Indian Hills Community College topped 4,000 for the first time ever.  But that number pales in comparison to this fall’s enrollment at IHCC.  The official enrollment number this year is 5,137.  It marks the fourth consecutive year of record enrollment at Indian Hills.

The number of students at IHCC, which includes both part-time and full-time, is nearly 20% higher than last year when the college reported an enrollment of  4,294.

Indian Hills has seen growth in every division, according to Kelly Conrad, Dean of Student Services at IHCC.  Even the number of international students is up from last year.

Some of the programs in the individual divisions have seen large increases in students.  Conrad cited Culinary Arts as one example of a program that has seen its enrollment go up significantly.

“The college has made a big investment in new facilities in the Culinary Arts Department and we think that is one key reason for their enrollment increase,” said Conrad. 

There are other areas where Indian Hills has recently upgraded its facilities.  In May 2007, the college finished construction on a new state-of-the-art building that houses the Health Occupations division.  The 20 programs in that division continue to show strong enrollment numbers.

The IHCC North Campus, located at the Ottumwa Industrial Airport, has also seen a major renovation project within the past year.  One of the technical programs that was moved from the Main Campus to the North Campus is Welding and the enrollment in that program has more than tripled in the past two years.

Indian Hills added four new academic programs this fall and that is another reason for the overall enrollment growth.  Those programs include Renewable Energy Technology, Industrial Technology Educator, Geospatial Technology and Clinical Laboratory Assistant. 

The Renewable Energy Technology program has been especially popular.  The program gives students conceptual as well as hands-on training in the technology and practices used in the solar and wind energy field.  It focuses on renewable energy equipment, production, distribution and control with an emphasis on solar and wind power.

Indian Hills has made a concerted effort to strengthen its online program offerings and its enrollment of high school students taking IHCC courses.  And that effort has paid off.

Some of the more than 160 online courses are full and the ones in the Arts and Sciences Division were full before classes began this fall.

Now that the students are enrolled, Conrad said the challenge is to keep them in school.  “We have put a great deal of time and effort into a college-wide retention plan,” Conrad said.  “That effort involves a number of different departments at the college, including our academic division and student services staff.”

This year, for the first time, Indian Hills scheduled academic sessions the two days prior to the start of classes, in addition to social activities, to help students get acclimated to the college.