To commemorate this record enrollment, a celebration was held today on the front steps of Tift Hall. ABAC President Mike Vollmer officially announced the enrollment record and introduced Mandee Smith, the 3,000th student to enroll at ABAC.
"Although two straight years of historic high enrollments is both gratifying and rewarding for the ABAC family, the most important statement is that we are meeting the needs of more and more students throughout Georgia," Vollmer said. "ABAC's unique array of course offerings, along with a dedicated faculty and staff, offer an attractive option for students."
Smith, a physical therapy major from Oakfield, said she was really worried when she received a phone message from Tom Call, ABAC's Interim Vice President for Student and Enrollment Services.
"I was so worried that it was bad news," Smith said. "I kept going over in my mind what I could have done wrong. I was shocked--and honored--when I finally found out why he wanted to talk to me. I didn't realize there were so many students at ABAC. I was happy to play a role in the celebration today, especially since this is my first semester at ABAC."
This semester, 277 students are enrolled at ABAC on the Square in Moultrie. The college is offering 35 different classes at that location. ABAC is also offering classes in Nashville and Sylvester for the very first time in order to give students more opportunities to attend college.
ABAC is also one of the sponsors of the South Georgia Regional Educational Consortium (SGREC) in Valdosta, along with Waycross College, Bainbridge College, and South Georgia College. Each of these colleges gets a share of the SGREC headcount. This figure is included in ABAC's total enrollment.
Saxon said students are carrying an average class load of 11.4 semester hours. Director of Residence Life Bernice Hughes said 702 students are staying in the residence halls. ABAC usually has the largest residential population of any two-year college in Georgia.
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