It is the first day of school for community college students, and it looks a little different this year after 12 campuses statewide have consolidated into one system: “CT State Community College.”
From Three Rivers to Manchester to Gateway, students are geared up.
“New outfit, new school supplies,” said Kyree Perry, a student at CT State Community College Three Rivers from Norwich.
This year, they also have a new school name.
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“Connecticut State Three Rivers,” said Mohammad Kabny, CT State Community College Three Rivers student from New London.
CT State Community College is now the largest community college in New England.
“I think it's a good idea,” said Alex Bauman, a CT State Community College Gateway student from North Haven. “I've got a friend at Manchester Community College and we're taking a class, the same virtual class together.”
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System leaders hope it means new collaborations, saying the merger aims to streamline services and offer enrollment at multiple campuses.
“The main goal is the benefits to our students,” said Tamika Davis, Interim Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Retention. “Not having to do multiple processes to attend more than one community college. So all of that is now streamlined. So one application process, one financial aid process for our students, increased access to student services, is a huge deal.”
The new system has 32,554 credit students enrolled for the fall of 2023, including 7,853 new students. More than 9,000 are receiving a free college education through PACT, and another nearly 13,000 are getting financial assistance from Pell Grants.
Many students are taking advantage of the system’s statewide reach, with 27 percent taking a course at more than one campus.
“There’s going to be a lot more opportunity,” said Christian Robinson, a CT State Community College Three Rivers student from New London. “There’s a lot more majors now since you can, this can be your home campus here at Three Rivers, and then you can study a major at Quinnipiac College. “
“That's been pretty awesome. Right now I'm taking five classes and three different colleges,” said Jordan Brndiar, a student at CT State Community College Gateway from Ellington.
The name of the game is flexibility, something Perry plans to take advantage of.
“Before it was like, 'I'm a Sports Management major, so the classes were kind of limited,'” she said. “Most of them were online. But now that it's the full like CT State. If I want to take, like a Naugatuck or Middlesex class, I can do that.”
