Some 2,000 students or more will trek up Second Street North Sept. 7 to begin or start another year at the College of the Rockies and they will be greeted by a facility that looks considerably different from last year.

Workmen have been swarming all over the community college buildings all summer and some construction is still going on as part of the $12.7 million construction upgrade project.

“It’s been an exciting year for us watching the construction and interior renovations proceed, but there is still some work to be done,” said COTR President and CEO Nick Rubidge.

The new Grand Entrance Foyer with its laminated, curved trusses won’t be completed until mid-October but they’re in place now and will give students a good idea how spectacular the entrance will look when the foyer is completed, said COTR Executive Director of College Relations and Marketing Donna Kraus-Hagerman.

“We never really had a signature entrance before,” she said, adding when the new foyer opens it will house the admissions, reception and registration departments. Seven new classrooms are also nearing completion as the construction program winds up, she said.

And when students get settled in, they have a lot to look forward to, added Rubidge. “Residents in the East Kootenay are very fortunate to be able to attend a modern post-secondary institution in their region for either their first two years of university courses, or for certificates or diplomas in many of the other programs we offer.

“The College was extremely pleased to announce its first, very own degree program in May: the Bachelor of Business Administration in Sustainable Business Practices, which will see its first intake on Sept. 7. COTR also has several partnership degree programs with other institutions across Canada and with Griffith University in Australia,” he said.

Rubidge said many people in the community don’t realize how many of COTR’s instructors hold PhDs or Master’s degrees. “Our faculty is very qualified and this is recognized across the province. Our support staff is knowledgeable, helpful and truly professional in every way. We are extremely fortunate to have such dedicated faculty and staff whose sole purpose is to help students succeed.”

Enrolment at COTR has been steadily growing despite the economic tough times. And this is the case for both university transfer programs and trades training, said Kraus-Hagerman. “All our trades are full with waiting lists, but we still have room in some of the university transfer programs.”

It won’t be possible to give secure enrolment figures until mid-October, but if the numbers follow the same trend as the 2009 – 2010 academic year there should be more than 2,000 full time equivalent (FTE) students enrolled at the college this year along with more than 600 trade and apprenticeship students, she said.

The enrolment figure includes University Studies, Career/Technical, Trades, Vocational, International Education and Adult Upgrading courses and programs at five campuses in the East Kootenay with the main campus at Cranbrook

Tuition will be up two per cent in the 2010 – 2011 academic year, but this is only an inflationary increase, Kraus Hagerman said. “Our tuition is very competitive with other colleges around the province and so are our class sizes,” she said.

This is a big advantage for local students as well as the college’s international students because if gives them a more personal education in a secure setting which greatly benefits them when they go on to their next level of post-secondary education, she said.

“Statistics show that transfer students do better at university,” she said.

International students are already arriving at the college and will go through an orientation program before classes begin. The week of Sept. 7 is “Welcome Week” with a whole raft of activities to promote camaraderie at the campus and to break students into a new school year.

Socialization is an important aspect of the university experience, said Kraus-Hagerman. “What you feel socially affects how you feel academically, which is why we do these kind of things to break the ice.”