Preparations have been underway for the first day of classes at the Kenai River Campus all summer and students will notice a beautiful landscaped facility, clean and shiny classrooms and staff and faculty who are ready to make the upcoming semester the best ever at KPC.

Although there has been much in the media about the state of the university budget, and the Alaska state budget in general, the college has been preparing for an eventual downturn in funding for many years.

According to Director Gary J. Turner, planning for these lean times has been a part of leadership discussions at KPC for the last five years.

“We have been growing at an unprecedented rate for several years and we knew that couldn’t continue forever,” Turner said. We expected and have been preparing for a leveling off plateau in growth. Our Leadership Team has worked with the campus community to come up with contingencies that have been vetted by our Executive Committee to develop a cohesive plan that will help us weather this storm. Our college is strong and will continue to be,” Turner said.

Enrollments to date across the KPC system are down somewhat down compared to the same time last year, but are expected to settle out just slightly down or flat by the end of the late registration period, open until the end of the first week of classes.

This year’s summer semester enrollment was the largest in the college’s history.

“We had more students this summer than ever. We were up eight percent at the close of the semester compared to last year. Summer semester is very popular at KPC.” Turner said.

Even with the leveling off of KPC enrollments, the college is the third largest in the University of Alaska system, behind UAF and UAA.

Third annual Set Up For Success event scheduled

KPC’s Kenai River Campus will be hosting another installment of the annual event designed to provide the background necessary for a successful first semester at the college.

The Set Up for Success event for new students or those who want more knowledge to navigate the system will be held from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on Sept. 8 in rooms 102 and 104 in the Ward Building.

Students who attend this event will learn about the many tools that they must use throughout their college experiences. It is vital to be familiar with Blackboard, the University of Alaska’s online learning management tool, UAOnline, the software interface that manages enrollment, admissions and registration processes and DegreeWorks, an electronic tool that allows students to monitor progress toward their degree and provides advising to ensure timely degree or certificate completion.

Another important take-away students will benefit from is learning what financial aid options are available to them.

Students will be encouraged to pursue scholarships and grants and to carefully consider the implications of student loans and the resulting debt that must be repaid.

Free pizza will be served and participants will be entered into a drawing to win an iPad Air 2.

Students must reserve their spot and be present to win the iPad Air 2. Students can RSVP by calling KRC Campus Services at 262-0330 or by signing up for the event from the Kenai Peninsula College Facebook page.

Labor Day closure

All KPC locations will be closed from Sept. 5-7 in observance of the Labor Day holiday. In addition, there will be no classes held on Monday, Sept. 7 or Tuesday, Sept. 8.  

All locations will re-open at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 8 and classes will resume on Wednesday, Sept. 9.