September 14, 2009 (Curtis, NE)  The number of students enrolled at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture is up dramatically this fall. A record 425 students started classes in August, representing an increase of 49.1 percent from the previous year.

The number also represents a twenty-four percent increase in full-time first-year students and a substantial increase in students taking concurrent enrollment courses. Concurrent enrollment courses-courses that allow students in high school to enroll in selected classes for college credit through distance education-account for 127 students at NCTA this fall, up from 42 students in fall 2008.

Each of the University of Nebraska's four other campuses also saw a rise in enrollment-numbers are up 2.2 percent at UNL, 1.3 percent at UNMC, 2.9 percent at UNO, and 1.6 percent at UNK-but the near doubling of student enrollment at NCTA evokes specific changes taking place at the college. Aggie West, the new co-ed housing complex in Curtis, offers private bathrooms and additional space for students that wish to live off campus. The new "ownership" programs at NCTA also continue to attract more students. The 100 Beef Cow, 100 Acre Farm, and Business Builder programs help students who graduate with a degree to develop actual business plans and resources required to eventually own their own operation or business.

A number of additional programs are also underway. NCTA Dean Weldon Sleight is working to spur enrollment further and says he is very excited about the future of NCTA. Sleight points to the college's physical growth as evidence of the college's progress. "We are now planning the new Education Center that, along with a new residence hall, will come online fall 2011," he says. With the new residence hall, NCTA will have the capacity to house 300 students on campus. "These new buildings and several remodeling projects are making the NCTA campus a wonderful living-learning environment, says Sleight. "I appreciate the faculty and staff for all their hard work and for making the new enrollment a reality."