ASCC reaches
another enrollment peak for Spring 2008
by James Kneubuhl
ASCC Press Officer
With registration
data for the current semester now tabulated, the latest figures
released by the Admissions and Records Office at the American
Samoa Community College (ASCC) show a result that many will by
now find familiar the College has reached another enrollment
peak for the spring 2008 semester.
With the student
population rising from 1,494 in spring 2007 to 1,621 this semester,
a jump of 9%, more students now attend ASCC than ever before.
Looking back
on spring registration figures from 2001, when 980 students enrolled
at ASCC, this semester's total of 1,621 represents a rise of
more than 50% in the overall student population over the past
eight years.
Local high school
graduates have long recognized the advantages of pursuing their
Associate of Arts (AA) or Associate of Science (AS) degrees,
or one of the many Certificates of Proficiency offered at the
College, before either seeking employment or traveling off island
for further schooling. In addition, the last several years have
seen ASCC make significant progress in upgrading its programs
in Nursing, Trades & Technology, and especially Teacher Education.
Obvious explanations
aside, the exact reason for the steady and occasionally dramatic
increases in ASCC enrollment remains difficult to pinpoint, even
to members of the College's administration. As several administrators
offer their own ideas as to why the student population at the
College continues to grow, it emerges that a variety of factors
contribute to that growth.
Dean of Student
Services Dr. Emilia Le'i reflected, "In the past, a lot
of local students have tried to enter an institution in Hawaii
or on the mainland right out of high school. Now more of them
realize that finishing their AA here at home gives them an advantage
when they travel off-island to pursue higher degrees. It saves
them a lot of money and also makes for a much smoother transition
between the high school and college environment. I've even had
students tell me that finishing their AA degree at ASCC put them
at an advantage when they joined the military. Completing your
AA requirements beforehand also helps if you want to earn an
advanced degree online. So why go off-island when you can start
your college career here at home?"
ASCC Registrar
Sifagatogo Tuitasi, who analyzes much of the data collected by
the Admissions and Records Office, theorizes that the Teacher
Education options at ASCC have generated a greater interest than
ever previously seen.
"The number
of enrollees in the American Samoa Teacher Education Program
(ASTEP) took another jump from 152 in spring 2007 to 227 this
semester," she said. "This indicates that more then
ever before, teachers currently working in the local schools
have a willingness to invest the time necessary to upgrade their
credentials. At the same time, the recently established Teacher
Education Department got a really strong turnout of students
declaring the subject their major. All of this strongly suggests
that interest in Teacher Education has caught on like wildfire."
While the long-established
ASTEP program, a partnership between the Department of Education,
the University of Hawaii and ASCC, primarily serves working teachers
who attend classes after working hours, the more-recently launched
ASCC Teacher Education Department seeks to primarily serve undergraduates
making their first entry into the field.
Pending final
accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges,
who will conduct an official review later this year, the ASCC
Teacher Education Department intends to offer the first-ever
Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree available in American Samoa that
does not involve travel off-island.
ASTEP also culminates
in a BA degree awarded by the University of Hawaii Cohort Program,
and while the majority of the coursework takes place locally,
the final stage of the program requires teachers to take time
off from work to travel to Honolulu for a semester working under
UH instructors.
Asked for her
thoughts on the continuing enrollment increase, ASCC Dean of
Academic Affairs Dr. Irene Helsham takes a broad perspective
of the College's role in American Samoa's future.
"Most of
our students come to the College to achieve their own future
goals, the way students always have," she explained. "However,
we've also seen an increase in what we call non-traditional students,
or individuals of adult age already in the workforce who come
back to school at the behest of their employers to gain additional
skills in particular areas. Teachers already working for the
Department of Education provide one obvious example of our non-traditional
students, but we also see increasing numbers of them in other
areas, such as Nursing or the Trades. When you look at this slowly
changing composition of our student body, I think the enrollment
increases indicate early signs that many stakeholders in both
the public and private sectors of our community have an interest
in strengthening the skills of our workforce and service providers.
This in turn ties in with meeting the challenges the Territory
will face in finding its way through in the economic and social
realities of the future."
For more information
on the academic programs and other services offered at ASCC,
visit the College's Web site at http://www.amsamoa.edu.
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