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Photo by Bob Pennell RCC student Trevor Bruce focuses his attention on the instructor of his human relations class while traffic passes his classrooom window on 10th Street in Medford. RCC's enrollment increases Lion's share of growth was in Jackson County By SUSAN JAY "Offer more and they will come" seems to work for Rogue Community College, which is seeing a 17 percent increase in enrollment for the 1999 fall semester. RCC's two-county enrollment equals 1,002 full-time-equivalent students. Last fall it was 858. The actual number of students this semester is estimated at 1,975 in Josephine County and 2,282 in Jackson, said Tom Bradbeer, dean of human resources and college development. The bulk of the increase is in Jackson County, he said, where students are taking classes at three different sites: the Riverside Center, the Learning Center on Fir Street and the Veterans Affairs Domiciliary in white City. "We have been adding new facilities in Medford, and the classes that we've scheduled in those new facilities led to more enrollment, even more than we anticipated for this fall," Bradbeer said. As usual, most of the popular classes are already closed. Introductory courses in computer science, writing and math went first, Bradbeer said. Besides the writing and math courses required for transferring to a university, technically oriented writing and math classes are also jammed, and are required for RCC business, manufacturing and electronic job programs. "Everyone is doing their best to accommodate the growth in enrollment," Bradbeer said. But, he added, "it's not just a matter of adding classrooms and hiring instructors. We need to make sure that the full range of community college support services -- those things that make the community college experience unique -- are also being provided." Support services include advising, counseling and even free tutoring. RCC's challenge is to balance its resources to provide academic instruction and support services so students succeed, Bradbeer said. Meanwhile, RCC continues to add classrooms and offices to keep up with ever-increasing enrollment, especially in Jackson County. RCC added more instructors this semester and classroom space in downtown Medford and plans to add even more space by the first of the year. "Downtown Medford is going to be a great location for continued growth and development," Bradbeer said. Two other downtown buildings, the first floor of the Kay Building on Fir Street and the building where McKenzie Outfitters used to be on Front Street, between Eighth and Ninth streets, will be remodeled and ready by the first of the year, Bradbeer said. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA