SAVANNAH — When Savannah Technical College administrators set enrollment targets for the year, they anticipated a 3-4 percent growth, maintaining the steady upward movement enrollment the college had experienced over the past seven years.
But when the dust had settled at the start of the spring quarter, the college had added 683 more students than were enrolled in spring 2008 bringing the initial count (seven days into the quarter) to 4,663, making it the fourth largest among Georgia’s technical colleges.
“We’re always pleased to welcome new students to campus,” said STC President Dr. Kathy Love. “Traditionally, when the economy struggles, colleges show growth. We’re seeing this kind of growth across the state, even among the larger colleges, like Savannah Tech. It’s clear to me that people recognize technical education as the way to strengthen their career viability, whether in improving current skills or developing new ones.”
Data show a year-to-year increase among full-time students of 22.8 percent, from 1,580 to 1,940; and among part-time students from 2,404 to 2,724 or 13.3 percent. Total enrollment in spring 2008 was 3,984 and in spring 2009 it is 4,663.
This spring, the college added an evening cosmetology program and will soon add evening culinary arts and policing programs to meet growing demand, especially for those underemployed and looking for greater opportunities in a variety of career fields. New programs on the horizon include barbering, court reporting, neuromuscular therapy and sports medicine. STC is slated to open a new three-story classroom building on the Savannah Campus next year and will open a new entrance on Hampstead Road in the coming weeks.
Savannah Technical College is a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia serving Bryan, Chatham, Effingham and Liberty counties of southeast Georgia with two locations in Savannah – on White Bluff Road and in the Crossroads Business Park; in Effingham County on Highway 21 between Springfield and Rincon; in Liberty County on Airport Road in Hinesville and in the Fort Stewart Army Education Center.
