OTC enrollment up 16 percent

Fall classes began Thursday at Ozarks Technical Community College, and campuses are more crowded than ever.

A total of 12,902 students enrolled for fall classes, up 15.5 percent from the beginning of the 2008 school year. The biggest jump is at the school's Waynesville Education Center, where 209 students enrolled - an increase of more than 64 percent. Springfield campus enrollment is up 10 percent, at 8,887 students.

"The demand for courses and training in Springfield is obviously there," OTC President Hal Higdon said in a news release. "While we still have room for plenty of growth at Richwood Valley and our education centers, the Springfield campus is definitely experiencing capacity issues. In order to meet the demand and continue to grow, we will soon need to find more space."

The school went a little way toward adding needed Springfield space with the Aug. 6 opening of an expansion to the Norman K. Myers Technical Education Center. The $1.8 million expansion project was funded through the state's Lewis & Clark Discovery Initiative.

Student numbers at the Richwood Valley campus in Ozark increased 28 percent, while 36 percent more students are taking courses in both Ozark and Springfield. Enrollment at the Lebanon and Branson campuses is up 15 percent and 14 percent, respectively, while online enrollment numbers jumped 33 percent.

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