By Dr. Ross Tomlin, TBCC President
Looking at the weather over the past month, it seems we went straight from summer to winter. At TBCC, we are likewise asking where the fall term has gone. When we come back from Thanksgiving, it will be finals week and then we are done until the winter term begins on Tuesday, January 9. In fact, registration for winter term 2023 begins on November 21 and will go through January 8. We have had a strong fall term, with enrollments up over 5% from last fall, and this is after a very strong 2021-22 which took us to a new high enrollment of 505 full-time equivalent students.
At TBCC, enrollments are often even higher in the winter term. Me, I am always looking to get more students registered for classes. That means we are helping even more Tillamook County residents to better their lives through education. So, if you are looking for a career that will be rewarding and pay a living wage, come to the college and talk to our advisors to learn what programs and opportunities are available. There are also many different resources available to help students pay for college. One is our Career-to-Career scholarship which is awarded to people that have been out of school for at least five years and have been in the workforce. This scholarship pays all tuition for a certificate or degree that the student wants to pursue. We have slots available for the winter term but interested people need to contact Student Services soon to get information about this and other grant and scholarship opportunities.
The other important thing about this winter is the legislative session that will be held in Salem. This session sets the state budget for the next two years along with passing important bills. There will be a record number of new legislators in the state capitol this year which means forming new relationships and educating them on issues important to community colleges. One of the bills that community colleges will be advocating for in this session is to approve community colleges to offer a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. We are already able to offer Applied Baccalaureate degrees, but not a BSN. With TBCC working to start a new Associate degree nursing program that prepares graduates to be a RN, this would allow our local RNs to stay in Tillamook to get their BSN, providing them with more opportunities and career growth. We are excited about the possibility of not only having a new nursing program for two-year students but to then be able to offer a BSN.
So, fall may be about over and winter on the way, but TBCC is here to serve you with year-round high-quality courses and programs. Check out our website for opportunities that interest you and then come by the college and talk to one of our advisors. We wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.