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TSAILE, Ariz. – Officials at Diné College are excited about enrollment numbers this fall as more students than expected have registered for classes despite challenges stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.
Provost Geraldine Garrity initially thought the limitations of internet access and connectivity on the Navajo Nation might affect numbers.
“But I think students found a way and prepared for the fall semester, and it’s good news for the students and the college,” she said in a statement.
The college reported that fall enrollment reached 1,348 as of Monday. That’s 50 students fewer than at the same time last year and about 300 more than what was expected. The overall enrollment figure will end up growing when dual credit numbers become final, officials said.
The college also is seeing more transfer students and full-time students outnumber part-timers this year.
Priscilla Leonard, the college’s director of enrollment, suggested that one of the reasons for the positive enrollment numbers is that parents wanted their children to stay home rather than return to cities elsewhere.
School officials also said enrollment numbers were likely helped by a 50% reduction in tuition, the creation of a laptop lending program and the range of online courses that are being offered. The school also placed TV advertisements in the Phoenix and Albuquerque markets and promoted the school on social media.
The campus is closed to the general public as a precaution during the pandemic, and in-person classes will transition to online instruction after the Thanksgiving break. Student internships will be done virtually.
At the college’s library, a special ultraviolet machine is used to disinfect books and curbside checkout is being provided for students.
Diné College is the first college established decades ago by a Native American tribe in the United States. It has six campuses around Arizona and New Mexico and primarily serves Navajo students.
