MONROE - Enrollment on the Monroe campus of Blackhawk Technical College this fall is down - and up - as fewer students are signed up to take more classes.
The current student headcount is below that of the fall of 2012. But the number of credit hours taken by full-time students is up, according to Gary Kohn, manager of marketing and communication at the Blackhawk Technical College campus in Janesville.
Kohn also added that the number of high school students taking dual-credit courses for high school and post-high school credits, is rising "significantly."
Students already enrolled in the college's programs are allowed to sign up for classes early, but general enrollment for the fall is still going on. Kohn said it is not unusual for "Johnny-come-latelys" to enroll or sign up for classes at the last minute or even after classes start. Classes begin Monday, Aug. 19.
The student population today is certainly not as high as it was after the General Motors announced in 2008 that it was closing its Janesville plant. After the closing, many workers went into the college for retraining.
"There was as sudden (enrollment) surge of about 51 percent after GM closed," Kohn said. "Those (students) have passed though.
"That was an artificial increase, not from marketing efforts, and classes were full. We never expected that would be the enrollment forever," he added.
Kohn said there is a challenge of knowing "where the new normal is going to be," and noted that the BTC numbers are "still ahead of the pre-GM surge."
The ups and downs of enrollment are "a college thing, not necessarily a BTC thing," he said.
"Every year, we make sure to offer classes that best accommodate the students' needs," Kohn said.
Classes are not eliminated but, rather, not offered for a semester or a year, based the deans' monitoring of students' progress. Kohn said even if a class isn't filled, it is scheduled and proceeds, only when students need it.
The college "feels good" about its programming and enrollment, and has made changes to enhance its course offerings, Kohn added.
The college has been "redoing responsibilities," which has led to one instructor, Matt Urban, Monroe, being made director of the Monroe campus, Kohn said. Urban's duties are "similar, but not the same" as the previous dean position, he added. Jennifer Thayer resigned as dean of the Monroe campus this summer to become district administrator of the New Glarus school district.
A Nuclear Tech Program is coming to BTC with a partnership with Lakeshore Technical College. Kohn said graduates fresh out of the program can earn about $68,000 annually.
And the much anticipated Advanced Manufacturing Training Center is opening in the spring of 2014 in Janesville.
Kohn said the college is "optimistic" about the 100,000-square-foot training facility outfitted with "state of the art" equipment found in manufacturing fields.
The current student headcount is below that of the fall of 2012. But the number of credit hours taken by full-time students is up, according to Gary Kohn, manager of marketing and communication at the Blackhawk Technical College campus in Janesville.
Kohn also added that the number of high school students taking dual-credit courses for high school and post-high school credits, is rising "significantly."
Students already enrolled in the college's programs are allowed to sign up for classes early, but general enrollment for the fall is still going on. Kohn said it is not unusual for "Johnny-come-latelys" to enroll or sign up for classes at the last minute or even after classes start. Classes begin Monday, Aug. 19.
The student population today is certainly not as high as it was after the General Motors announced in 2008 that it was closing its Janesville plant. After the closing, many workers went into the college for retraining.
"There was as sudden (enrollment) surge of about 51 percent after GM closed," Kohn said. "Those (students) have passed though.
"That was an artificial increase, not from marketing efforts, and classes were full. We never expected that would be the enrollment forever," he added.
Kohn said there is a challenge of knowing "where the new normal is going to be," and noted that the BTC numbers are "still ahead of the pre-GM surge."
The ups and downs of enrollment are "a college thing, not necessarily a BTC thing," he said.
"Every year, we make sure to offer classes that best accommodate the students' needs," Kohn said.
Classes are not eliminated but, rather, not offered for a semester or a year, based the deans' monitoring of students' progress. Kohn said even if a class isn't filled, it is scheduled and proceeds, only when students need it.
The college "feels good" about its programming and enrollment, and has made changes to enhance its course offerings, Kohn added.
The college has been "redoing responsibilities," which has led to one instructor, Matt Urban, Monroe, being made director of the Monroe campus, Kohn said. Urban's duties are "similar, but not the same" as the previous dean position, he added. Jennifer Thayer resigned as dean of the Monroe campus this summer to become district administrator of the New Glarus school district.
A Nuclear Tech Program is coming to BTC with a partnership with Lakeshore Technical College. Kohn said graduates fresh out of the program can earn about $68,000 annually.
And the much anticipated Advanced Manufacturing Training Center is opening in the spring of 2014 in Janesville.
Kohn said the college is "optimistic" about the 100,000-square-foot training facility outfitted with "state of the art" equipment found in manufacturing fields.