By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
As of last Friday, the final wiring was being put in place and new supplies were being organized in offices. On Monday, the Crawford Success Center opened its doors to its inaugural class.
“It has been exciting,” said Erin Stine, Operations Manager at Crawford Success Center. “You know, any kind of start-up, from the ground up operation has its hiccups at times but it’s been going really well.”
Nearly 100 students are enrolled for the fall semester. Crawford Success Center has offered students two statistics classes, two first-year experience classes, English composition, speech, intro to business management, and biology/nutrition. Professors from North Central State College will be teaching the courses.
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“Moving forward we’re really hoping to expand our offerings,” Stine said. “I’d like to see a lot more developmental courses here as well.”
She hopes to add college reading, writing, and math courses but it is all dependent upon the demand from students.
“We weren’t sure what we should or could offer at first. We didn’t really have a good yardstick,” Stine explained. “Now as we’ve been out in the community and talking, we’re offering this this semester but next semester we’ll know more of what people are looking for so that we can start really tailoring the Crawford Success Center to Crawford County.”
The students enrolled at the Crawford Success Center come from all walks of life, span different generations, and are in different stages in life. Stine said a lot of them are also first-generation college students.
“A lot of them don’t know where to start. A lot of them are just interested in a better quality of life. They want to start but they’re not sure how or where or who to talk to. That’s where we come in,” Stine said.
“The possibilities are endless for what we can offer here,” she added. “You come in and you want to get a start, we’ll get you a placement test then we’ll see where you’re at. Then we’ll figure out what to offer and we’ll get you started. It’s going to be a really exciting process to engage with Crawford County people.”
Over $2 million dollars has been raised for the construction and operation of the Success Center. Though the inside construction has nearly finished, the frontage is contracted to be finalized at a later date.
The scaffolding ladders and orange cones may have made some people believe that the Success Center was still months away from opening but Stine said they’re more than ready for students to walk in the doors.
“I can’t imagine the kind of – I’m hoping – the influx of people once they know we’re here and we’re open. I look forward to that,” Stine said. “Our goal is to wear the carpet out in a year. I hope we’re looking at carpet samples again next year this time because we have so many people in.”
Students interested in registering for the spring semester can stop by the Crawford Success Center to meet with advisors either in person or virtually. For more information visit www.ncstatecollege.edu or call 419-755-9039.