Lenoir Community College began the 2013-14 school year this week with enrollment up and administrative offices running on all cylinders.
As of Thursday enrollment at LCC was at 2,806’; that marks a 3 percent increase from the 2,724 students who registered at LCC in fall 2012.
On Monday, LCC set up a special call center to help with the large volume of students needing assistance with issues including financial aid, admissions and registration. The call center allowed for staff on campus to work directly with walk-ins and to not get bogged down by phone calls.
Overall, the process helped students get the help they needed.
“It filters calls so they can be directed to the appropriate person,” John Paul Black, dean of student services, said.
Friday morning, the bookstore was a busy area as students bought books and other supplies for the semester. Deborah Sutton, vice president of administrative services, was pleased with how the bookstore was running.
“It has been the best year ever,” Sutton said.
Sutton attributed the positive conditions to a rise in the use of the pre-order program, where students can order and purchase their books ahead of time and pick them up without having to wait in line. The bookstore received 450 pre-orders for the fall 2013 semester; that was an increase from the 350 pre-orders place in fall 2012.
Students also noticed the progress.
“It’s been moving so smoothly,” Chaquinta Dixon said.
At the financial aid office, students who did not have their aid packets in order were able to obtain help before the start of classes. Others, like Simone Jones of Greenville, were fully prepared ahead of time.
“I start in January so I am ready by August,” Jones said.
For some students, it marked their first time in a college classroom. Roosevelt Sanders, a graduate of Jones Senior High School, plans on knocking out his basic courses at LCC before pursuing a degree in sports management at Chowan University.
Sanders said he is enjoying his first few days at LCC.
“It’s going pretty smooth so far. I like it,” Sanders said.
Students can still receive full credit in a limited amount of course offerings by signing up for either the late start program or the second set of eight-week classes. The deadline for late start is Aug. 26 and for the second eight-weeks the deadline is Oct. 10.
Noah Clark can be reached at 252-559-1073 and Noah.Clark@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter @ nclark763