News

College breaks enrollment record

Scott Wagar

11/05/2013

Dakota College at Bottineau (DCB) set a new enrollment record this fall with 951 students enrolled with at least one credit.

Dr. Ken Grosz, dean of Dakota College at Bottineau, stated that there are eight primary reasons for the new enrollment record, which includes:

  •  Collaborations with other schools in the university system
  •  Online programs   
  •  Duel credit  
  •  Honors program   
  •  Boost in scholarship money through the Foundation Office
  •  A football program which is attracting students from across the U.S.
  •  New offerings from the Student Service Office
  •  A comprehensive retention program

COLLABORATION

When it comes to the collaboration with other schools in the university system, Grosz pointed out DCB’s nursing program at Valley City State University, which has increased its numbers in the 2013-14 school year with 25 students.

ONLINE AND DUEL CREDIT COURSES
Grosz added the online and duel credit programs have also seen a good increase in enrollment numbers this fall.

“Our four allied health programs have seen 55 advisors assisting in the programs,” Grosz said. “In duel credit, we have seen over a 100 students enrolled throughout the state.”

Melissa Coleman, allied health coordinator, stated that in her field of study she has seen great numbers when it comes to online students.

“I have students from all over the United States,” Coleman said. “They find us online and it works for a lot of people to do online classes from home.”

Coleman added that the increase in enrollment within the allied health programs at DCB also includes expanding its coding program and electronic health records because of the demand for individuals in these two health care system fields and that DCB has the only medical assisting program of its kind in the entire state of North Dakota.     

“I really drive our programs on what advisor groups tells me,” Coleman said. “So, we are keeping our instructors trained so they can train the students for the work force.”

Coleman also stated that her students are being offered jobs before they graduate from DCB, and that job placement is well defined at the college.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Brandy Simpson, executive director of the Foundation Office, which is responsible for obtaining finances for academic scholarships, has almost doubled the amount of scholarship funding in the past year, which grants DCB the opportunity to offer more scholarships to its students.

“We offered $198,000 in scholarships this year (2013-14),” Simpson said. “That’s an increase from the $104,000 we offered last year.
“A lot of that is due to the Berge Scholarships with the Vern and Ruth Berge estate, which goes to all Bottineau County residents. That was a huge portion of the increase,” Simpson continued to say.

“We also had increases in direct scholarships where organizations would scholarship directly to a student in an organization they felt tied to. Examples of that would be the Pheasants Forever organization which gives wildlife scholarships and Dakota Bank doing a business scholarship. There are certain things like that, that have increased over the last few years that have allowed us to offer more scholarships,”she said.

“The exciting things about those ones is they also go to returning students, not only to draw students in here but to keep them here for the returning year; and they get at least as much as their freshman year,” she added.  

Adding to the Foundation Office’s success this year was Evergreen, which raised close to $60,000 for student scholarships, which was an all time record in the 30 years that the Foundation has hosted the event.

ATHLETIC PROGRAMS

The athletic programs at DCB have also increased enrollment numbers this fall.

“Our athletic programs have seen significant higher rosters this year than last year,” said Danny Davis, associate dean for students. “The coaches have done a pretty spectacular job in setting their recruiting terms of quantity and quality in the classroom and the athletic corner field.”

Davis also stated that DCB’s volleyball team has doubled in size from last year and that the football team has seen a great jump in numbers this year and that the football players come from 25 different states. He additionally said that due to the state size and population, all colleges in the state, like many of the rural states in the U.S., have to depend on recruiting athletes from outside of the state to gain good numbers, which he said DCB has done an incredible job in.

For Grosz, those numbers in the athletic programs are important to him for not only the college, but for the community, too.

“Experience has shown that many of these athletes stay in North Dakota and pay taxes in North Dakota,” Grosz said.

Grosz added that having students throughout the U.S., Canada and other countries, grants the student’s population a more well rounded education.

“For students to come to a small town where you are use to metropolis of three to four million, it’s a cultural experience for all the students with ethnic backgrounds and different type of cultural experiences. They all come together and they learn from one another,” Grosz said. “In particular when they live together in resident halls they learn from each other, which have benefits as well.”

Retention

Grosz stated that retention of the students has played an important role in this year’s enrollment record and gave credit to Madison Junker, DCB’s retention coordinator.

Junker said that part of DCB’s retention program is to have the college’s students speak with individuals who are interested in attending DCB, in which they tell interested prospects to the school that apart of their education they enjoy the diversity of the students.

“Students say that they really like DCB because the students are from all over,” Junker said. “They tell them that their friends are from all over. People down the hall are from different states and different countries and that its more diverse, which for them has been a real selling point to the college.”

Grosz said that he is pleased with the fall enrollment numbers.

“It is everyone’s job on campus to increase and obtain enrollment and everyone contributes its part,” Grosz said. “It is a combination of things that together have a cumulative affect and you see the results.”