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by EMILY MELTON
News Reporter
Several years ago, Appalachian State University, Lenoir-Rhyne College and Catawba Valley Community College (CVCC) joined together to offer several courses of study for the Hickory Metro Higher Education Center (HMHEC).
Because the only university Hickory offers is Lenoir-Rhyne College, the three institutions found it important to offer more opportunities for undergraduate education.
This year, Appalachian will hire more professors and will offer more classes to students in Hickory.
During the Student
Government Association Senate Meeting Sept. 30, Chancellor Kenneth E.
Peacock spoke of the expansion taking place this year.
He said he would like to see more growth coming from an Appalachian umbrella in the Hickory area in the near future.
“A
faculty member from [Appalachian] will be moving down there to oversee
the major project taking place,” Peacock said. “We will have five
different programs that will be offered there.”
Peacock said it will take strong effort and attention from the staff to develop a branch campus.
“We just want to basically meet the needs of people down in that area.”
David F. Mofford, Student Government Association president, supports the project.
“I’m
originally from Hickory and there’s been an incredible amount of job
loss; many jobs are going [overseas],” Mofford said. “So, as a
metropolitan area,
Hickory needs more education providers, and Appalachian is currently looking into the project to see if it’s feasible.”
Kelli L. Galloway, sophomore technical photography major is also from Hickory.
Her
mother takes classes offered by Appalachian in the CVCC building, and
Galloway said the school gave her mom the opportunity to go back to
school to earn her master’s degree.
“She’s graduating in December and getting a degree in teaching,” she said.
Galloway said she believes the program is a good way for people to take classes without having to commute.
Galloway
also said a satellite campus would be a good way for more students to
get degrees from Appalachian to meet the needs of the growing student
body.
“I think
ASU is growing too much,” she said. “[Boone is] not just a small
mountain town anymore and there’s really no place to expand.”
Appalachian
is targeted to receive the same number of students next year as we did
this year, even if there are a larger number of prospective students,
Peacock said.
“The
growth, as in parking, housing, and such, will not happen as fast as we
want it to, but hopefully we will reach the point were we meet
everyone’s needs,” Peacock said.
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