Mesalands sees enrollment increase for fall 2016 semester

February 28, 2017

Fall 2016 enrollment numbers have been finalized at Mesalands Community College and the results show another increase in the number of students attending the College.

For the fall 2015 semester, Mesalands reported a headcount of 805 to 869 students for fall 2016, an increase of nearly eight percent. During the fall 2015 semester, students enrolled in a total of 6,018 credit hours, compared to 6,202 credit hours in fall 2016, an increase of three percent. As a result, Mesalands had a similar increase in full-time equivalent (FTE) for the fall 2016 semester. These numbers are significant with colleges across New Mexico seeing a decrease in enrollment. According to the 2016 New Mexico Higher Education Department Annual Report, Mesalands was the only independent community college in the state to see an increase in headcount from the fall 2014 semester, to fall 2015.

The College’s Annual Enrollment Management Report 2015-2016, attributes the continued growth in enrollment to the following: rigorous recruiting and effective marketing efforts, and attention to persistence, completion, and assessment trends. Specifically, Mesalands expanded their course offerings last semester, to better meet the needs of students.

During the fall 2016 semester, Mesalands expanded dual credit offerings, resulting in the College offering courses at 17 high schools across the state. The College also added additional online science and social science courses. These courses were made available for both on-campus and dual enrollment schools.

Dr. Thomas W. Newsom, President of Mesalands Community College, says enrollment growth and student success are vital to the future of the institution.

“The continuous growth that we have experienced at the College over the last few years is truly a testament to the hard work of our faculty and staff in ensuring that our programs are engaging to students and have great outcomes for our graduates,” Dr. Newsom said. “The community has also embraced the College to ensure that our students can be a success in a supportive environment. We are very excited that more students are finding Mesalands and taking advantage of our unique brand of affordable and accessible education.”

Unofficial numbers already show enrollment growth for Mesalands Community College will continue through the spring 2017 semester.