Blinn board receives Fall 2020 enrollment report, update on districtwide master plan
Despite COVID-19, Blinn enrolls 17,956 students for Fall 2020
December 8, 2020
The Blinn College District Board of Trustees received a Fall 2020 enrollment report and an update on the districtwide master plan during its regular meeting Tuesday.
Dr. Diane Lovell, Vice Chancellor for Student Services, reported that despite the impact of COVID-19, Blinn’s certified Fall 2020 enrollment was 17,956. That figure, a 6.6% decline from the 19,183 students who enrolled in Fall 2019, was far superior to the 20% enrollment decline incorporated into the College’s budget.
In response to the pandemic, Blinn established a Back With Blinn health and safety plan in the summer that outlined the College’s adjustments to its academic services and campus operations and activities. To minimize the number of individuals on campus, Blinn offered a wider array of online classes. Almost all classes that included a face-to-face component also featured remote instruction using live classroom cameras.
In response, 4,495 students opted for online-only instruction this Fall, a 65.38% increase over Fall 2019. Blinn also experienced a 6.34% enrollment increase at the RELLIS Campus, where enrollment climbed to 2,752. At RELLIS, students can dual enroll with Blinn and The Texas A&M University System regional university of their choice, providing a streamlined path to an affordable bachelor’s degree in a high-demand field.
Blinn enrolled 6,776 students at the Bryan Campus, 1,959 on the Brenham Campus, and 1,690 dual credit students. The Schulenburg Campus enrolled 94 students and 54 students registered to attend the Sealy Campus.
The College recorded 3,220,960 contact hours, down 8.74% from last Fall.
Enrollment is available now for Blinn’s Winter Minimester and Spring semester. Registration for the Winter Minimester is open through Sunday, Dec. 13, and classes begin Monday, Dec. 14. Registration for the Spring semester is available through Monday, Jan. 18, and classes begin Tuesday, Jan. 19.
The Winter Minimester allows Blinn students to make faster progress toward their degree by earning college credit over parts of three weeks with time off for the holidays. All of Blinn’s Winter Minimester courses are available online, allowing students to complete their coursework while enjoying the holidays.
For more information regarding the Winter Minimester, including application and registration steps, academic resources, and available courses and their Texas A&M University equivalents, visit www.blinn.edu/winter. For Spring semester information, visit www.blinn.edu/spring.
In other business, the board received an update on the master planning process, including a summary of vision sessions and planning workshops that were conducted in October and November. In its presentation to the board, Gensler outlined its progress, which includes data gathering and space utilization, labor market, and demographic analysis.
Gensler plans to develop a preliminary master plan in January and February, with a final master plan to be approved by the Board of Trustees in the spring.
Trustees also approved the annual financial report for Fiscal Year 2020. The report received a clean audit from Lott, Vernon, and Company prior to its presentation to the board and now will be submitted to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. A copy of the audit shall become part of the board’s official minutes and shall be available to the public for inspection during regular office hours.
The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada recently awarded Blinn its Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting after determining that Blinn’s 2019 comprehensive annual financial report met its highest standards.
