Cleveland State Community College’s McMinn Higher Education Center sees rise in enrollment

The McMinn Higher Education Center at Cleveland State Community College has increased its enrollment in full-time equivalent students and overall headcount by 8%. The school is now the second highest enrolling school among the Tennessee Board of Regents community colleges, after Walters State Community, which is located in Morristown.

Cleveland State President, Dr. Ty Stone, was quoted by the Daily Post Athenian on the impressive numbers: “This increase is a direct result of the tireless dedication and commitment of our faculty and staff. Our students are the reason we do what we do. We have listened to our students’ needs, and have chosen a variety of course offerings and modalities that suit these needs including on ground, online and hybrid options.”

Stefanie West, who is the Director of Cleveland State Community College’s McMinn Higher Education Center’s facility, echoed Dr. Stone’s sentiment, saying, “A dedicated group of employees (both faculty and staff) have provided the help and support necessary for success from the onset with applying and enrolling all the way to graduation. We simply care about our students and want them to have the best college experience possible.”

West went on to describe some of the myriad factors that went into the increasing enrollment in the MHEC program. Outreach was one of those factors, with three Cougar Days events being held at the Newest MHEC location, which brought in just under one hundred Cleveland State students to see the facility. Cougar Days are events where students can meet with success coaches and college representatives, register for the next semester, and more.

Holly Melton, the assistant Director of Recruitment, spoke highly of the Cougar Days events, saying, “We were so excited to be able to expand our Cougar Day high school registration events to the McMinn Higher Education Center this past April before the high school seniors graduated. The high school seniors who attended these events at MHEC were able to get registered for their fall semester classes, meet their success coach, as well as take a tour of the building. We cannot thank the high schools enough for allowing us the opportunity to work with these students on the college enrollment process before they had even graduated.”

Another big factor in the increasing enrollment has been the expansion of the number of majors being offered at MHEC. Recently, Early Childhood Education courses have been offered with Early Childhood certificates, Associate of Applied Science, or Associate of Science degrees being available to be completed entirely at the MHEC location.

The staff at the McMinn Higher Education Center are working with building partners on other opportunities, too. The UT Extension of McMinn County is offering training for local educators on Adverse Childhood Experiences. Margaret Horten, who is Cleveland State Community College’s Director of the Early Childhood Education program, is working with Sarah Kite, who is UT’s Extension Agent, to implement more Adverse Childhood Experiences training into the Education and Early Childhood Education curriculums at the school. 

A recent survey posed to students at the McMinn Higher Education Center location showed a 99% satisfaction rate with the services and programs offered there.

Stefanie West also brought up things offered at MHEC that aren’t part of the classroom setting, but still valuable to the students’ experience there: “Extracurricular activities outside the classroom have resumed in high gear with an increased student appetite for engagement and connection opportunities yielding many to believe that we are moving beyond the pandemic. While multiple options for learning with the use of technology have evolved over the last several years, this response indicates that there is still a place for on-ground, in-person learning. That type of learning cannot be replaced and offers the most enriched and enlightening learning experiences.”

Other potential programs the school is considering adding to the facility are Criminal Justice, Agriculture, and an Honors College.

The McMinn Higher Education Center also plays host to members of the community, such as local manufacturers, the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce, the McMinn county economic Development Authority, several banks, and other area businesses, all using the space for training and meetings. 

On the whole, Cleveland State Community College has seen an uptick in dual enrollment and recent high school graduates from the five-county area the school services, up 10% and 8%, respectively. Enrollment of Tennessee Promise students is also up 8%. A large part of these increases is due to the Dual Enrollment Grant, which has allowed the school more funding. 

Not only are more students enrolling at the school, but fewer students are leaving, with CSCC seeing a retention rate increase of 4% of full-time students from the Fall 2021 semester.

Students interested in learning more about Cleveland State Community College can visit its website. More information about the McMinn Higher Education Center specifically can be found here.