At the beginning of the fall semester, 3,952 students chose to pursue a degree at Orange County Community College, up 276 from the previous year.
The community college, also known as SUNY Orange, is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system and operates two campuses, one in Middletown and the other in Newburgh.
Aside from the nearly 8 percent student enrollment jump, the college also saw an 11 percent increase in the enrolled credit hours.
“Eleven percent is very good news, and more than doubled what we expected,” SUNY Orange President Kristine Young told The Epoch Times on Sept. 1.
“I’ve been talking with faculty this week, and a lot of them said to me, ‘My classes are full,’ or, ‘I let a couple extra students into my classes,’” she said. “So it feels like students are coming back.”
Much of the enrollment increase can be attributed to the ongoing efforts to retain existing students and attract new ones, according to Ms. Young.
The number of continuing students increased by 8 percent, and the number of first-time students jumped by 28 percent this fall.
SUNY Orange is one of the first 10 community colleges in the state university system to participate in the Guided Pathways program, designed to help students identify and stay focused on their chosen career tracks.
“When a student comes in, we think about their academic program from the very beginning to the very end,” she said. “Every student is part of an academic community and has access to a coach who can help them find resources they need on their journey here, be it tutoring, mental health, and food pantry.”
The college has also been running a student success center in the library that provides core services under one roof.
“None of our students live here, and they might come to the campus just long enough to go to their class and then maybe go to a job or watch their own children,” Ms. Young said. “With a student success center, a student really only has to go to one place and say, ‘I need help.’
“So we keep challenging ourselves as a college to design everything we do around the students instead of designing it for ourselves.”
The college has also been using federal grant money to make its services more welcoming to Hispanic students, who account for about a quarter of its student body.
“For Hispanic families, when a student chooses to go to college, it is very important for the whole family to be involved,” Ms. Young said. “That’s where we got the idea to do a family orientation. We invite our new students and their whole families to come to the campus.”
Enrollment of Hispanic students increased by nearly 16 percent, the largest percentage increase in enrollment in any ethnic category, followed by black students at 14 percent; both groups saw the biggest dips following the pandemic.
Though increasing, the total enrollment number at SUNY Orange still falls short of pre-pandemic levels.
The first-day enrollment for the fall semester dropped from nearly 4,800 in 2019 to about 4,413 in 2020 and to 3,676 last year.
Ms. Young said the college would continue to drive up enrollment with ongoing student retention and recruitment efforts while looking to implement new strategies.
This fall, a one-credit course is offered for the first time to guide new students through their college life.
The college also unveiled a new 8,000-square-foot student lounge last week, a project initiated by the student senate and partially funded by student fees.
In terms of academic offerings, the college started a new health administration degree this fall and plans to expand the nursing program at the Newburgh campus next year.
It also looks to expand its workforce development programs under the leadership of Jean Leandre, the newly hired vice president for workforce, strategy, and innovation.
