CONWAY — Final spring enrollment numbers set another record at Central Baptist College with 803 students, an 18 percent increase over 2011. The Professional Adult College Education and Online Studies programs account for 289 students enrolled. When added to traditional student enrollment of 514 - compared to 418 in spring 2011, a 23 percent increase - the overall spring enrollment is at an all-time high of 803, breaking the previous spring enrollment record of 682 set last year.
“We have posted record spring enrollment numbers for the past eight years,” CBC President Terry Kimbrow said.
While fall enrollment stood at 858, also a record, spring enrollment is historically lower than the fall numbers. Some students finish their course work and graduate or transfer to other institutions. Students also leave the institution for other reasons between the fall and spring semesters.
“We work hard to identify these ‘other reasons,’ address them and thereby improve our retention rate,” Kimbrow said. “The PACE program has a strong presence at Camp Robinson in North Little Rock. I am very pleased to see steady growth in the PACE program.”
Construction on a new $6.2 million Signature Academic Building is under way and is expected to be completed in time for the 2012 fall semester. Library renovation and expansion will follow, along with new student housing to accommodate the growing needs of the institution.
Baccalaureate programs have expanded to more than 30 programs now being offered, and athletic programs continue to be added, which include 12 intercollegiate sports teams that compete in the Midlands Conference of the NAIA.
Central Baptist College is a four-year, private, liberal arts college founded in 1952 by the Baptist Missionary Association of Arkansas. For information about the college, visit www.cbc.edu.
River Valley Ozark, Pages 142 on 02/19/2012