Miles Community College reported the highest spring enrollment the college has seen in over a decade. The official third week enrollment numbers were presented to the Board of Trustees during the February board meeting by Vice President of Student Success and Institutional Research, Darren Pitcher. According to the report, the school has seen a 7% increase in non-restricted credit enrollment Full Time Equivalents (FTE). The increase was attributed to higher than expected retention rates from fall to spring semester. Pitcher stated that “Increased retention rates have been a major goal for us. It is more cost effective for us to keep the students we have as opposed to going out and recruiting new ones”. The report also shows increases across the board. Compared to last spring, numbers are up for total Freshman, Sophomores, High School Dual Enrollment, and G.E.D. According to Pitcher, “the trends that we see now in regard to Spring enrollment show steady and controlled growth, which I think shows that what we are doing here at MCC is perceived by students as something valuable that they can invest in”. The total gross FTE number was reported as 478.132 up from 445.96 a year ago. The big surprise, however, was the headcount number. MCC now enrolls over 600 students, 606 to be exact. A number that high hasn’t been seen since enrollment spiked in 2001. “I think all of the changes we have made in regard to the programs we offer combined with our marketing and recruiting efforts have started to pay off” stated Pitcher, “If we can continue to build upon these success, the future looks very good”.