KPC students are back in classes today and enrollment across the KPC system remains stable. At this year’s spring convocation, held on Jan. 5, KPC Director Gary Turner reported to staff and faculty that the college is fortunate to see spring semester’s current enrollment essentially flat compared to the same period last year.

As has been the trend for the past year, many institutions around the state are seeing decreasing enrollments.

“Again this semester, seeing flat enrollments is considered very positive in the current university climate. Overall, the University of Alaska is seeing a four percent decline compared to the same period last year,” Turner said.

Turner also informed employees that KPC remains the third largest UA campus (head count and student credit hours) behind Anchorage and Fairbanks, followed by Juneau and Mat-Su.

At press time, KPC’s enrollment had increased slightly from Jan. 5 in comparison to spring 2014 semester. Late registration for the current semester will be available on campus through Jan. 16.

For more information, contact Student Services at 262-0330 or email iyinfo@kpc.alaska.edu.

KPC’s process technology degree comes out on top

The UAA Institute of Social and Economic Research recently released a report titled “UAA Graduates: How Many Stay and Work in Alaska?” The research was coordinated by ISER in collaboration with UAA’s Office of Institutional Research and the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

The report summarized that most graduates stay in state for at least five years and work throughout the Alaska economy. They also determined that five years after students graduate from UAA locations, their earnings double.

There were several interesting findings that focused on KPC degree programs. According to the report, graduates who earned KPC associate of applied science degrees in process technology and occupational safety and health, rank first and third in average earnings five years after receiving their degrees when compared to all other UAA degrees (master’s, bachelor’s, and other associate degrees).

It was determined that students who earned the process technology AAS from 2003-2007 top the earnings category among all other UAA degrees averaging $105,627 annually. The process technology degree program is offered at KPC’s Kenai River Campus in Soldotna and at the Anchorage Extension Site. There were 68 students who earned KPC process technology degrees between July 2013 and July 2014.

KPC’s occupational safety and health AAS, available completely online and at the Anchorage Extension Site, came in third in the earnings list with graduates earning average annual wages of $76,909.

Students graduating with UAA’s masters of business administration degrees earn on average $101,200 annually ranking second in the earning category.

“The strong demand for these (Process Technology) graduates is clear in their earnings: five years after getting process technology degrees, 2003-2007 graduates earned on average more than $100,000. That was double the average for all UAA graduates — and far more than the average for civil engineers or those with master’s degrees,” the report stated. On average, UAA graduates earned $51,000 (adjusted for inflation) five years after receiving their degrees.

Visit the ISER website at http://www.iser.uaa.alaska.edu to view and download the entire report.

This column is provided by Suzie Kendrick, Advancement Programs Manager at Kenai Peninsula College.