Moultrie Tech Tops All-time High Student Enrollment
MOULTRIE, GA. As if exceeding the magical mark of 2,000 students in its fall 2006 quarter wasn’t reason enough to celebrate, Moultrie Technical College (MTC) outshined that number in fall 2007 with another increase of 6.5 percent. Now the revelry carries on in fall 2008 with the highest student enrollment in the College’s 44-year history.
MTC has beaten its own fall quarter 2007 all-time high enrollment record by almost 100 students during the fall 2008 quarter with plans to add at least 20 more Commercial Truck Driving program students on its Tifton campus mid-quarter.
The growth from 2,166 students to 2,260 represents a 4.2 percent increase over the last year at the College’s five campuses during fall quarter 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 4.1 percent enrollment growth statewide this fall, according to the system’s KMS Data Center statistical reports. The system also increased its credit hour and full-time student equivalent (FTE) numbers by 4.9 percent each – state averages which MTC surpassed this quarter with 8.1 percent growth in both areas.
However, MTC is alone at the top as the only technical college in the state to achieve 11 consecutive years of fall quarter 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, the construction of the College’s new main campus on Veterans Parkway in Moultrie in 2003, and the incentive of convenient online classes and dual enrollment options have attributed to the unprecedented growth since the College opened on Industrial Drive in Moultrie in 1964.D
Dr. Tina Anderson, Moultrie Tech president, said, “The response from our four-county service area to the quality education that MTC provides is the key to our growth.”MTC Vice President of Student Affairs Scott Hudson added, “Our faculty and staff are second to none in the state. As budgets continue to tighten, they are asked to do more with much less. Each and every person at MTC has risen to the challenge, and I think this is evident with our fall quarter enrollment. We believe a strong student-focused environment will continue to lead our college in the right direction.”
Hudson said Moultrie Tech also has a strong presence in its area high schools, as the College has almost 500 dual enrollment students this quarter. That number is the highest in the state among the technical colleges. Dual enrollment allows students to earn both high school and technical college credit simultaneously.
“We are proud to once again eclipse our dual enrollment numbers from last year. This year we have 487 dually enrolled students taking classes with MTC. Mandy Ponder, our new high school coordinator, has worked tirelessly with our high school officials to maintain strong working relationships with each high school in our service area,” said Hudson.
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 more than 7,000 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.
