Area high school seniors attend annual Cougar Day event

Photo Cutline: High school seniors from A.C. Jones attended Cougar Day orientation on April 1 at the CBC Beeville campus.

BEEVILLE, TX—This academic year, Coastal Bend College (CBC) has experienced record enrollment. At census day on February 5, the College had a student enrollment count of 4,272—the largest spring semester on record.

After a few years of declining enrollment due in part to the Eagle Ford Shale boom, CBC President Dr. Beatriz T. Espinoza, under the guidance of the CBC Board of Trustees, led the college effort to increase its community and high school outreach efforts. One of the largest student recruitment events is Cougar Day, which was held on April 1 on the CBC Beeville campus.

Cougar Day is a new student orientation that is part of the College’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) to increase student success and retention rates. Although Cougar Days are typically held in the summer, CBC transitioned to offering them in the spring semester to reach high school seniors earlier.

“We’ve seen that the earlier students learn about financial aid, admissions, testing and courses, the more likely they are to succeed. We’re proud of our enrollment growth, but are always focused on student success,” said CBC Executive Dean of Student Services Lupe Ganceres.

Students from local area high schools A.C. Jones, Freer, George West, Pleasanton, Skidmore-Tynan, Tilden, Runge and Wharton were in attendance for the daylong event which included five breakout sessions covering topics such as CBC’s admissions and financial aid process and highlighting student services and student clubs/activities.

After the breakout sessions, students had the opportunity to begin the CBC admissions process and many registered for the fall 2016 semester.

“It’s always great to see students prepared and ready to go for their first semester as a college student before they’ve even graduated from high school. Knowing we have a positive impact on these students’ futures is rewarding,” Ganceres added.

Prospective students for the 2016-2017 academic year who missed out on Cougar Day should plan to attend one of the New Student Orientation sessions offered during the summer or visit one-on-one with an advisor to learn more.