NRCC History Book

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Chapter One The Beginning of the 21 st Century: A Time of Change

Introduction D uring the first decade of the 21 st century (2000-2009), substantial changes occurred frequently at New River Community College (NRCC). As the college experienced record enrollments, severe budget cuts were made at the state level. To offset the loss of funding, the college applied for grants and sought donations to the NRCC Educational Foundation. Leadership changed both at the college and the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) in early 2000. In 2003 the VCCS introduced a strategic plan, Dateline 2009, which included vision statements and goals to be achieved by the college over the next six years. Other changes between 2000 and 2009 occurred due to rapidly advancing technology. Programs and courses were adjusted frequently, along with instructional methods used to deliver the courses. The classrooms, labs, offices, buildings, and grounds were updated as technology advanced. A new instructional site, located in Christiansburg, served the increased enrollment coming from Montgomery County. A review of this decade would not be complete without including news, activities, awards, and recognitions of faculty, staff, and students. Record Enrollments NRCC experienced record enrollments in the new decade. For Fall 2000, the

headcount was 3,692 students, representing an increase of 205 students or 5.5 percent over Fall 1999. Enrollment increased by almost seven percent in Fall 2001 when 255 additional students attended, bringing the total fall enrollment to 3,947. Furthermore, Fall 2001 was the first time that enrollment in transfer programs was higher than enrollment in occupational/technical programs. Also, the attendance of students living outside the college’s service region, which includes Radford City and the counties of Floyd, Giles, Montgomery, and Pulaski, reached almost 30 percent of the student body. For the next six years, the average student headcount was around 4,000 each fall semester. During the 2007-08 academic year, NRCC had a combined fall and spring headcount of 7,240 students, compared to 6,394 the previous academic year. According to VCCS data, NRCC had the greatest rate of increase (13.2 percent) of all the system’s 23 community colleges. Enrollment continued to increase, and the college set a record at the end of the decade when 5,229 students enrolled for Fall 2009, representing an increase of more than nine percent compared to the previous fall semester. Budget Cuts From March 2001 to November 2001 (eight months), the United States was in a mild recession. Contributing to the recession may have been the collapse of the dot. com bubble. Investors had poured money into startup technology companies, many

Chapter 1