Fox 9 Story on Enrollment Increase
As we finish the first week of fall semester 2024, Normandale Community College is projected to have a nearly 15% year-to-year increase in fall enrollment from 2023 to 2024.
The positive upswing in enrollment includes a nearly 15% year-to-year increase in returning students year-to-year. With a total of over 7,400 FYE (which could get overall annual enrollment around 15,000) students set to attend this upcoming semester, Normandale has its fall FYE enrollment around its highest levels in the history of the college.
“We feel like our enrollment increases are the culmination of planning efforts to make Normandale a modern and student-ready campus,” said Dean of Recruitment and Outreach Charles Frame. “From our College Services Renovation project, to several key grants we have secured for key programmatic efforts, and a variety of strategic initiatives, we have been focused on meeting students where they are, providing expanded resources to meet unmet needs, and making sure our campus is a welcoming environment where people can show up as their authentic selves to learn and gain a variety of experiences that support their education, personal and career goals.”
In Spring 2021, Normandale completed an ambitious College Services Renovation project that was funded through the state’s bonding process. The project focused on centralizing student services to make it easier to navigate for prospective and current students.
There was also a heavy emphasis on creating a welcoming space at the College Services main entrance, high-quality and comfortable study spaces for students, and modernizing classrooms to provide collaborative learning experiences.
Along with the physical changes, Normandale embarked on a new strategic framework in 2022 that focused on being a more student-ready college in a number of ways.
The College focused on the whole student by increasing efforts to provide key resources in its Tutoring Center and Computer Lab, the expanded Campus Cupboard, Student Resource Center, and by distributing laptops and other key academic technology needs to students.
It also restructured its student services in a variety of ways to provide high touch services to help make the on-ramp into college a smoother process, as well as revamping the structure and processes for its Advising, Counseling and Career Center.
“The landscape of higher education is rapidly changing, and we must evolve to meet our students’ needs,” said Frame. “We are doing that by helping all of our community members get the information they need about accessing and financing higher education, and by providing a high-quality experience at Normandale that includes key resources that students need to succeed.”
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