WESSON – While stimulus issues are keeping the budget in thelurch, Copiah-Lincoln Community College has not felt the shockwaves of the economic downturn when it comes to enrollment numbersfor 2009, school officials said.

College President Dr. Ronnie Nettles said summer term enrollmenthas increased almost 17 percent from last year.

“We think a lot of things have changed in last few years thathave made summer school more appealing,” he said. “We’ve changedthe fee structure and you can enroll full time at a full-time rateinstead of paying by the hour. Now students pay the same full-timerate as in the fall or spring.”

In addition, Nettles said, more financial aid is available forstudents interested in taking summer courses. He said in previousyears Co-Lin has not put a strong emphasis on summer school, butthat it has become more of a priority in recent years.

“There was a time we didn’t push it so well,” he said. “Ourpercentage was up in the fall and the spring. Both were up about 3percent, so this summer number is quite a bit more. Some of thoseother variables come into play, too; we’ve got more courseofferings, and we’re more interested in summer school as aninstitution than we have been in the past.”

Nettles explained that the Full-Time Equivalent (FTE), which isderived from a formula that adds all the course hours taken byCo-Lin students and dividing by 12, is also up more thansubstantially.

“Our FTE enrollment is up almost 25 to 30 percent,” he said.”The state funds us based on the FTE. That’s why it’s just asimportant for a student to take part-time courses with us.”

Co-Lin Public Relations Director Natalie Davis said the FTE isup 27.29 percent, to be exact.

Meanwhile, officials believe the outlook for upcoming semestersis positive, though the fact that the area was hit by plantclosures and other economic trials a little earlier than otherareas of the state could mean that there will be less of a jump inenrollment than other schools may see.

“I think the economy has something to do with it. Most peopleconsider that when there are tough economic times, communitycolleges tend to see enrollment go up, and we’re seeing that likeall community colleges are,” Nettles said. “I think we’ll see anenrollment boost for fall based on our preregistration, but I don’tknow if it will be as significant as other places in thestate.”

He said, however, that the budget has been conservatively basedon roughly the same enrollment that the college saw in the 2008-09school year.

Another thing that may continue to raise enrollment at Co-Lin isa new structure for ACT scholarships that will go into effect inthe fall of 2010. Nettles said it should give students incentivenot only to go to Co-Lin if they already have high scores, but alsoto get the high scores to achieve the scholarships.

“I think it’s going to be a really good thing once it getsstarted,” he said. “I think it’ll give them some incentive to gettheir scores up. In the past if you made a 29, you got the samescholarship as someone who made a 25.”

Currently, students scoring between 20 and 24 on the ACT areoffered an honors scholarship that covers half the tuition cost,and those scoring 25 or higher are offered a dean’s scholarshipcovering the full tuition cost. As of 2010, students scoring a 27or 28 on the ACT will receive full tuition and a $500 per semesterbookstore stipend. Those scoring or above on the ACT or having anational merit achievement would also receive free room andboard.