Randolph Community College has announced it will offer its first complete degree program at the Archdale Center, located in Creekside Park. Beginning in the spring semester 2011, Archdale/Trinity-area students will be able to complete an Associate in Arts (College Transfer) degree without leaving Archdale.
Registration for spring classes is open now for current RCC students. New students who have completed the application process will be registering by invitation only Nov. 8-19. Open registration for spring will be Thursday, Jan. 6. Spring classes begin Jan. 10.
RCC's Archdale Center has been open since 1990 and has been primarily a location for offering continuing education courses. "Offering the Associate in Arts program in its entirety at this location will positively impact the educational opportunities for the residents in the northern part of the county," said Rhonda Winters, dean of the Archdale Center. "It would also potentially provide more seats for students at the main campus in Asheboro. Additionally, the Archdale Center would become a more visible entity in the Archdale community."
Winters said offering the Associate in Arts degree program at the Archdale Center is the first step in adding any additional programs in Archdale, because most curriculum programs have general educational requirements, like English, math, and sciences.
The Associate in Arts program in Archdale will allow students in Archdale and the surrounding area to complete their degree or diploma without having to commute to the Asheboro Campus or elsewhere. The course offerings within the program will be a mixture of face-to-face, videoconferencing, and online courses. Local high school graduates as well as adult students wishing to pursue a four-year degree can now begin their higher education journey by earning their Associate in Arts degree at RCC-Archdale and then transfer to a university. Students can save from $3,000 to $4,700 a year in tuition and fees alone by completing their freshman and sophomore years at RCC. Initial enrollment is expected to be approximately 20 students in this ongoing program, said Winters.
In spring 2009, the college began offering a limited selection of Associate in Arts courses at the Archdale Center via videoconferencing. The local Archdale community responded favorably to these offerings with increased enrollments for the fall semester 2009.
During the first year, RCC expects to offer five additional courses at the Archdale Center in a traditional face-to-face format. To ensure students have access to faculty members at the Archdale Center, all full-time faculty members assigned to teach at the Archdale Center will have one office hour per week at that location.
The admission and graduation requirements for the Associate in Arts program at the Archdale Center will be the same as the Asheboro Campus. Students can enter the program in either the fall or the spring semesters. In addition to the Associate in Arts courses, developmental courses will be offered at the Archdale Center to ensure that all students meet the prerequisites for the Associate in Arts courses.
The Associate in Arts students in Archdale will have the full range of student services available. RCC counselors will conduct placement testing and provide academic and basic financial aid counseling to meet the needs of the students served at the Archdale Center. The Associate in Arts students will also have access to RCC Library services through the Internet and through an agreement with the Archdale Public Library.
RCC has dedicated two classrooms for curriculum instruction at the Archdale Center. Both rooms are equipped with wireless technology.
RCC officials hope this will be just the first of several new degree programs to be implemented at the Archdale Center. Other degree programs that are in consideration for the Archdale Center include Certified Nursing Assistant and Medical Assisting, said Winters.
