Attendance up at college

MAT-SU -- Nearly 100 more students have signed up for classes this year at Mat-Su College than last year, and the number of full-time equivalent students is up nearly 10 percent. That's nearly 150 more students than registered for the fall 2000 semester, and a full 100 more full-time students who registered at that time.

Those numbers are according to a report issued Tuesday to Mat-Su College's new director, Dr. Paul Dauphinais. Nearly 1,300 students registered for class this semester, and that number may continued to grow, as more students generally come on throughout the semester.

"That, for us, is wonderful," Dauphinais said of the rise in full-time students. "It does mean it will help us as we look to how we are going to expand and progress -- we have a little cash available for that."

Dauphinais, who has been in the director's chair roughly eight weeks, credited the faculty and new technology for the increase.

"This is an incredible faculty," Dauphinais said. "They really want to do what's right for the students. Our staff has done an excellent job across the board."

But a big player in the increasing number of students, Dauphinais said, is easy to recognize even after spending just a short time in the Valley. Increasing population, he said, means more people who want to go to college. And while some of those people choose to go to college Outside or in Anchorage, many are seeking higher education within Mat-Su.

"It takes a while for the population to get to a critical mass … [where they begin to think] 'Why am I going to Anchorage if there's a college right here?'" Dauphinais said.

The addition of a smoother enrollment process, the director said, may have helped enrollment. A few computer terminals were placed in the college's main lobby and were manned by staff to help students through the enrollment process. Prospective students could also register for classes online from their home computer, making the process that much faster.

The growth in numbers means a few sections of popular classes have been added to the semester's curricula. The college received funding recently for an Information Technology faculty member, and as a result of the popularity of the IT classes, a new section has been added. In response to the community's demand for the classes, the curriculum is being reviewed by the University of Alaska Board of Regents. It was set for review Friday, Dauphinais said, and if it is passed, the college will be able to provide students meeting the curriculum demands with associate of applied science degrees.

Dauphinais said the college also secured funding for an instructor of early childhood development, and is beginning to broaden its scope of classes in that area as well. More classes will be available in that area of study in the spring, Dauphinais said.

Meeting the demands of the community served by the college is one of Dauphinais' primary goals. And one demand the director is focusing on, he said, is to help the college become a greater presence in the community.

"I would like to make us the first place that anybody in the Valley thinks about when they think of college," Dauphinais said. "If I can make everybody think of us first, that's a significant milestone. And from my perspective, it's not a difficult stretch."

One way to do that is to appeal to high school seniors. While Dauphinais said Mat-Su's enrollment age is dropping, he would like to see more incentives for high school students. Dauphinais said he's had discussions with the Mat-Su Borough School District to find more ways to work together, and he's also hoping to raise funds locally for student scholarships to the college.

Over the next few years, Dauphinais hopes to expand a few programs to make the college a better option for students who want to get their core classes, or general classes, out of the way without breaking the bank. One of the areas he's hoping to expand, Dauphinais said, is into health care.

It's no secret that, with a growing demographic comes a growing number of people in need of health care -- both eldercare and general hospital staffing. Recent news reports have discussed a growing shortage in nursing staff across the country, a shortage that Alaska is not immune to, and it may be in the college's best interests to take the lead and help the community generate capable workers for that field.

Growth is a clear goal for Dauphinais -- one he hopes to achieve with the help and approval of the community. To that end, an advisory council made up of 15 individuals was recently created that will help identify what they, individually and as a community, expect from the college. That information, Dauphinais said, will be useful to the college's governance council, which will be working to come up with a strategic plan for the next two years. That plan, he said, will be the first step in setting about identifying a natural progression of growth for the college -- growth that Dauphinais hopes will eventually float the college.

"The long-term goal for me is, we need to be as self-sufficient as we can," Dauphinais said -- but clarified that "self-sufficient" did not mean abandoning the annual state appropriation, simply lessening the college's dependence on outside sources of income.

In the meantime, Dauphinais said, he's taking things one step at a time and hoping to help the college attain stability it has lacked in recent years.

"When you have people in here for one year, you're trying to keep it going," Dauphinais said. "When you're here for your first year, you're trying to figure out what way is up."