Blogwork

HACC: More students than Penn State York, and growing

When HACC’s York campus opened about six years ago, a few hundred students were enrolled in the early going.

That grew rapidly to about 2,200 in the fall of 2008.

And by a ridiculous 33 percent to about 2,900 in the fall of 2009.

And this fall, they expect to grow to about 3,100 students.

Whether you realize it or not, after York College’s 4,600 students, HACC is the second-biggest higher education school in York County, not Penn State York, which is around 2,000 students, including graduate students.

That’s considering, as the campus vice president, Jean Treuthart, told me, “There’s still a number of people who don’t know there’s a community college in York.”

HACC-York’s growth reflects a nationwide trend in community college enrollment growth. I’d like to blame that on the NBC sitcom “Community,” but let’s not give Chevy Chase that much credit. It’s more because community college credits are much cheaper than a four-year school. Actually, schools like Millersville University and Penn State York encourage students to go to HACC for two years to get their base credits out of the way before transferring to finish out their degree, if that’s the difference between them attending college and not being able to afford it.

It also helps HACC has an open enrollment policy: All you need is to be 18 or older, and have a diploma or GED.

You can see the growth on the campus, too. They just opened the new Goodling Center, which I finally got to tour - it’s very modern looking. In fact, it looks like it could belong on York College’s campus, and I mean that as a compliment. Even Treuthart said someone mentioned to her the building looks like “it belongs at a private college.” You can see one of the common areas in the photo. Down the hall, there’s a ballet/fitness studio (Yoga is crazy popular, I’ve been told), and computer labs. Eventually, the center will primarily house communications and arts programs.

And more growth is expected. In the next month or two, expect a big announcement from HACC about the construction of a new technology center. And there are plans to continue expanding the Goodling Center to add faculty space, and eventually build a student center/library/multipurpose area on another part of the campus, among other ideas.

A whole bunch of new programs have been added this fall, too, to accommodate the increased demand: Biology, Chiropractic, Marketing, Accounting, Technology Studies and Music and Marketing, to name a few.

Basically, HACC is to higher education what that Justin Bieber kid is to pop music: A relatively new entry into the field growing wildly popular by the minute (except HACC doesn’t have the wavy hair).

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If you’re interested in attending HACC, they have an “Apply & Test” event tomorrow, April 21, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the campus, located on Pennsylvania Avenue in York. You can apply to the school, enroll in classes, take your placement test, and find out about financial aid. All you need is a photo ID and $35 for the application. They also have the same event May 25. Call 718-0328, or visit hacc.edu for more info.