MOULTRIE , GA. The numbers are in and Moultrie Technical College (MTC) has beaten its own fall quarter 2006 all-time high enrollment record by at least 140 students during the fall 2007 quarter. The College celebrated last year when enrollment for fall quarter topped 2,000 for the first time and marked the highest enrollment in its 42-year history. With this quarter’s number of students eclipsing the previous year’s, the celebration continues.

The growth from 2,025 students to 2,166 represents a 6.5 percent increase over the last year at the College’s five campuses in its service area of Colquitt, Tift, Turner and Worth Counties and in online studies in which students enroll and take courses from anywhere in the world.

Moultrie Tech, as a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, shares the spotlight with 32 sister colleges, which as a system has seen a 4.4 percent growth statewide this fall, according to Mike Light, executive director of communications for the Department of Technical and Adult Education.

However, MTC is a stand-out as the only technical college in the state to achieve 10 consecutive years of enrollment growth, which also adds up to over a 100 percent increase since 1997. The additions and expansions of campuses in Tifton, Ashburn and Sylvester, as well as the construction of the College’s new main campus on Veterans Parkway in Moultrie in 2003 and the incentive of convenient online classes, has attributed to the unprecedented growth since the College opened on Industrial Drive in Moultrie in 1964.

Dr. Tina Anderson, Moultrie Tech president, said, "There are a lot of reasons why Moultrie Tech has achieved this kind of enrollment success over the past 10 years. But I think the biggest reason is that we have made student success our focus. When a business or industry says that their greatest and best-trained employees have come from Moultrie Tech, we have done our job."

MTC vice-president for student affairs Scott Hudson added, “A major reason why Moultrie Tech has been able to maintain growth can be attributed to its almost 300 full- and part-time faculty and staff. The faculty teaches students using cutting-edge technology, and the admissions, financial aid, recruiting and marketing departments do a great job of attracting students to the College.”

Hudson said Moultrie Tech also has a strong presence in its area high schools, as the College has more than 400 dual enrollment students enrolled this quarter. That number is the second highest in the state among the technical colleges. Dual enrollment allows students to earn both high school and technical college credit at the same time.

Most recently, the College added dual enrollment programs in car audio installation and automotive technology on the campus of Tift County High School.

MTC shows no hint of slowing down its recruiting and enrollment efforts now. The planned addition of a wildlife management program is in the works, said Anderson.

Moultrie Tech currently offers over 140 associate degree, diploma and technical certificate programs and boasts a 99 percent job placement rate for graduates and those who choose to continue their college careers or enter the military.

MTC also serves thousands of students annually in adult literacy, English as a Second Language, Citizenship and GED testing programs, as well as through continuing education courses and customized business and industry training.