NC Central says 38% of students have housing: 'A big deal for us'
DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Freshman students started moving onto North Carolina Central University's campus Thursday for the start of a new school year, and the rest of the student body will be bringing items through the weekend.
Monday is the first day of classes.
Jaiel Curry is a 17-year-old freshman majoring in political science and hoping one day to become a lawyer.
She's among the thousands of students attending NCCU this year.
"It's really exciting to be here. I feel very honored. I worked extremely hard throughout my years of elementary school, middle school, and high school," said Curry.
Chancellor Dr. Karrie Dixon said enrollment is the highest to date. Online learning is up 22%.
NC Central launched its five-year strategic plan last month, which will focus on enrollment growth, housing solutions, and research expansion.
There are still challenges, especially as federal funding cuts are being made in higher education.
Dixon said NCCU is losing out on a little more than $2 million. She said that thankfully, the cuts haven't greatly affected the university, and the school has been able to pivot some staff positions.
"We're very happy to see that," said Dixon. "We still were able to maintain the talent and to keep some initiatives going forward."
The Chancellor told ABC11 that some strides have been made during the summer for student housing.
Dixon said the school invested $2.9 million in deferred maintenance to upgrade housing facilities, and staffers continue looking for more options.
"To be able to say that we are housing 38% of our students is a big deal for us," said Dixon.
Dixon said the school is now housing more students than the UNC System average of 29%.
Housing is guaranteed for freshmen.
Dixon said all first-year students who met the May 30 deadline have a place to go, and the university is still working to find a place for those who missed the deadline.
"We have some partnerships in place that we were very aggressive in going out to local apartment complexes and building the partnerships so that those students have other options," said Dixon.
There were protests last spring on Central's campus. Upperclassmen told ABC11 that they have struggled to find a place to live.
ABC11 asked whether there were any efforts to purchase nearby land to build more housing.
Dixon said that is part of the university's five-year strategic plan.
"As we think about expansion, what does that look like? What does the investment look like? Those are things that we are researching as part of the plan now," Dixon said.
