Pflag staff

Enrollment at the Austin Community College District’s Pflugerville Center increased more than 86 percent this spring, compared with spring 2009 figures, ACC officials recently announced.

Meanwhile, ACC is experiencing record enrollment college-wide. Spring 2010 data show 41,050 credit students, up from 36,601 students in spring 2009. That’s an increase of more than 12 percent.

“More people are recognizing the tremendous value of community college,” said Dr. Stephen B. Kinslow, ACC president and CEO. “ACC provides affordable academic transfer courses that are important to increasing higher education participation rates in our community, and the college also is expanding workforce programs that train and re-train residents for high-demand careers.”

ACC has 108 students at the Pflugerville Center this semester, up from 58 the year before. Spring enrollment at all of ACC’s centers increased by nearly 36 percent over last spring.

Most of ACC’s centers offer classes in communities that, like the city of Pflugerville, are within the college’s service area but outside the taxing district.

“This increase indicates a growing awareness of the affordable, quality education ACC offers,” said Dr. Luanne Preston, executive director of school relations and supervisor of the centers. “We are happy to provide access to higher education, not only within the district, but also across the region.”

Overall ACC enrollment from Pflugerville and northeast Travis County increased as well. Pflugerville counted 1,177 students, up more than 14 percent from spring 2009. Enrollment from Pflugerville/northeast Travis County (defined as ZIP codes 78660, 78753, and 78754) went up almost 13 percent.

This is the fourth consecutive semester with record-setting enrollment college-wide. In order to meet demand, ACC is hiring more full-time faculty and support staff as well as adding new classes.

The new Round Rock Campus is a key component of expansion; it will have an initial capacity of approximately 5,000 students and eventually serve more than 11,000 students. Round Rock ISD joined the ACC District in May 2008, after 64 percent of Round Rock ISD voters approved annexation in exchange for lower, in-district tuition and expanded programs and services.