FVCC students begin fall semester
Cracking spines on new textbooks.
Shuffling shoes across the quad.
A flurry of “nice to meet you” and “is this seat taken?”
These are the sounds that signal the start of fall semester at Flathead Valley Community College. Students descend on campus today, Aug. 28, for the first day of classes. The vast majority — 92%— hail from Flathead or Lincoln counties, while the remainder are drawn from other parts of the state, the country and even a few from international locations. As of Monday, the school’s 120-bed student dorms were full with a waiting list, according to FVCC President Jane Karas.
Bailey Bishop, 19, of Eureka is one of the dorm residents and is returning to campus to continue her studies in radiology.
“This school has really excellent programs for what I’m going into and it’s a lot cheaper than the big universities and you can do the exact same thing,” Bishop said. “I like all of the nursing classes — they’re all super one-on-one with you and make sure you understand, which is really helpful.”
The medical programs are among the school’s most popular offerings, Karas said, including disciplines such as nursing, physical therapy assistant and paramedicine. The college isn’t unveiling any new programs this year, but students will enjoy a more modern study space at the Broussard Family Library and Learning Commons, which opened in June. The $3 million facility features high-tech amenities such as a virtual reality lab, podcast and video studio and group work spaces, among other upgrades. The former library was constructed in 1990 and was designed as “more of a traditional library space,” Karas said.
“Many students today study differently and there’s a lot more group work,” she said, “so there needed to be a place for them to study and work together.”
Karas said FVCC also has modified schedules in the technology and industrial-arts fields to accommodate the working student so they can complete their courses in two-day blocks.
“Initially in that area it looks like a potential 10% increase in enrollment,” Karas said, although she noted final enrollment figures won’t be tallied until the 15th day of the semester. Students can still enroll for fall semester classes along with late-start courses. More information is available online at www.fvcc.edu or by calling the admissions office at 756-3848.
The college offers a variety of associate degrees, workforce training, continuing education and adult education opportunities. Areas of study range from brewing science and wildlife biology to culinary arts and goldsmithing.
“We’re still a very affordable way for students to get a quality education. Our faculty are still unique in the fact that they could really teach anywhere but because of where we live, they choose to live here, just like a lot of the medical community here,” Karas said. “This is a really great place to be because of the small class sizes, supportive services and the affordable cost.”
Reporter Mackenzie Reiss may be reached at 758-4433 or mreiss@dailyinterlake.com.