TSTC is ranked 11th among two-year schools

By Charles Iyoho, News Messenger

Texas State Technical College-Marshall is the fastest growing two-year college in Texas, according to a survey released by Community College Week Magazine.

The school, also ranked 11th in the nation among two-year schools with an enrollment of less than 2,500 students, increased from 705 students in the fall 2007 to 946 students in the fall 2008. No other Texas schools finished in the top 50 on the list, which includes colleges in Louisiana, Kansas, New Mexico, South Carolina, Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Indiana, Georgia, Ohio, Montana, North Carolina, Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Virginia, North Dakota, Alabama, New York, Oklahoma and Colorado.

Through a press release issued Tuesday, TSTC President Randy Wooten attributed the school's growth to the institution's instructors and staff members.

"In this economic time, it is clear the best opportunities are in technical fields," said Wooten, "which is why our enrollment has increased over 34 percent."

Since 1988, Community College Week has been the independent source of in-depth information for and about two-year college faculty, administrators and trustees, according to its Web site.

Published biweekly, Community College Week's readers include college presidents, chief academic officers, faculty, student-service professionals, librarians and other educators.

The publication covers such topics as "critical" academic trends and issues, "vital" statistics, technology updates and employment opportunities.

Each year, Community College publishes a special report highlighting the fastest growing community colleges, according to the TSTC press release.

Utilizing enrollment data and analyses from the 2007-08 academic year, the rankings are based on "the change in head count by percentages."

For a complete listing of schools that made the list, go to http://www.ccweek.com/News/templates/pdfs/Fastest-Growing/Fastest-Growing2009/Enrollment-Under2500.pdf.