Jeff State celebrates first year

By Jan Griffey (Contact) | Clanton Advertiser

Published Thursday, October 29, 2009

Jefferson State Community College’s enrollment continues to set record pace at its Clanton branch.

The college celebrates its first anniversary with a campus here this month.

“We were pleased with our enrollment to start out with. We had a little bit of a challenge when we started because our facility was not complete,” said Keith Brown, Jeff State’s dean of campus development and campus/legal services.

The college’s branch in Clanton saw a “tremendous increase” in its spring enrollment, he said.

“Then, we saw a level enrollment from spring to summer. Usually you have a sharp decline in the summer,” Brown said.

Jeff State in Clanton saw another sharp increase in enrollment this fall.

“That tells me we are in the right place, that there’s a need there. The students are in need of our educational services,” he said.

Jeff State had a head count this fall semester of 369 students, up from about 250 during the spring semester.

Brown said the demographic of students is varied.

“It’s a mix. Usually, younger students go to classes in the day and older students at night. Here, we have a pretty even disbursement between day and night,” he said.

Day students at Jeff State Clanton number 260, while 247 students are enrolled for night classes.

“Obviously, that means some students are taking classes both day and night. However, what’s unusual from what we have experienced at other locations is we see a bit of a decline in the number of students enrolled at night. In Clanton, that number is about even,” Brown said.

That fact, he said, means Clanton area residents have enrolled because they want additional job training or additional classes to help with a job search.

“When you look at students who are most in need of our services, it’s in Clanton. There is not another college close by. You have to have colleges where the students are. Not everyone can drive 60 miles one way to take classes,” he said. “We are in the right place (in Clanton).”

Brown also said he and others at Jeff State are eager to hear feedback from the community.

“If there are classes we need to offer, we want to hear about that,” he said.

Brown said he was in a conversation with someone from Clanton who said they would like to take a Spanish class if offered in the evening.

“I called the dean of instruction and we are looking at offering that class during the spring,” Brown said. “Community colleges are just that — community — in every sense of the word. We’re there to offer what Clanton and Chilton County want and need. We welcome any suggestions.”

---

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE THIS STORY?

---