Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2010

Wake Tech tops record enrollment

More students began classes at Wake Technical Community College this semester than any previous semester.

For the first time, enrollment in curriculum classes surpassed 18,000 students on the first day of the fall semester.

Wake Tech made several adjustments to prepare for the increased number of students, including hiring 65 new instructors, adding classes and increasing class sizes where possible.

At the Western Wake Campus, the college leased additional space to add more classrooms, while at the Northern Wake Campus, the college piloted its "Afternoon College" program to maximize space during off-peak hours. The Public Safety Education Campus tripled in size, allowing basic law enforcement and criminal justice programs to be moved there from the main campus. Several buildings on main campus have been renovated, and a new parking deck is under construction at the Health Sciences Campus. To accommodate the increased number of cars, a free shuttle service is being offered at the main campus.

New academic programs include fire protection technology, global logistics technology and four new online certificates in computer networking and programming.