Clark State Community College continues to successfully increase the number of students enrolled in the College Credit Plus (CCP) program. In 2017, College Credit Plus, formerly known as the Post-Secondary Enrollment Option (PSEO) program, increased enrollment by more than 11 percent over 2016.

“Enrollment for CCP continues to increase daily as students register for the next semester. As of today, there are 1,012 CCP students enrolled for spring 2018 semester,” said Kristin Skiles, director of enrollment management for Clark State. “This alone is an increase of three percent.”

Skiles said in the 2016-17 academic year, College Credit Plus students earned a total of 18,695 credit hours; a savings of more than $2.6 million in tuition costs. Since the inception of College Credit Plus in 2013, Clark State has saved students and families more than $10 million.

Skiles said there are about 15 students on track to graduate with their associate degree along with their high school diploma in spring of 2018. One of them is Kolesen McCoy. McCoy, a senior at Global Impact STEM Academy (GISA) in Springfield, took his first College Credit Plus classes in the fall of 2015: English I and Spanish I.

“It has been most convenient for me being that Clark State was very close to my high school and partnered with GISA,” he said. “I am on track to graduate with honors from Global Impact. I wanted to focus on taking the majority of my general education courses so when I am in college, I can focus on classes related directly to my major.”

McCoy said being a full-time college student at Clark State and having the responsibilities and commitment as a high school senior can become challenging.

“I have always enjoyed a challenge, and I know the difficulty is definitely worth the reward,” he said. “I have never had any regrets since beginning the program, and I have learned to adapt to handling this busy schedule!” 

McCoy encourages high school students to explore CCP opportunities. “It is an amazing program to get a head start on your college career and your life in general,” he said. “Try various classes and take hold of all of the opportunities the program offers. You will not only get a feeling of what college is like, but by the time you are completed with CCP, you can begin to move onto courses that really focus on what you plan to do later in your life.”

Currently, McCoy is enrolled in American Sign Language III, which meets on Clark State’s campus, and two online classes: Microeconomics and Interpersonal Communications. He said CCP has taught him numerous life skills beyond just the material covered in courses, but more importantly, in relation to educational goals, his time in the program taught him what areas were of interest to him.

“Kolesen is an outstanding student and young man--and a perfect example for how CCP benefits students and families,” said Dr. Jo Alice Blondin, president of Clark State. “He has also taken on national leadership responsibilities because of his academic path--and CCP has played a large part in that. I am truly honored that Kolesen will be a Clark State alumnus and a high school graduate at the same time!”

McCoy also serves as state secretary of the Ohio FFA Association. He plans to attend The Ohio State University and major in agribusiness and applied economics and will minor in political science or agricultural communications.

“Collectively, I have completed 53 total credit hours with College Credit Plus,” said McCoy. “After calculating the total cost of books and general course fees--if I were to transfer to OSU--I am looking at up to two years of tuition saved not including room and board.”

Skiles said school districts are required to hold an event to provide information to parents and students about College Credit Plus, however Clark State will host a county-wide College Credit Plus meeting tonight, Tuesday, December 12 at 6 p.m. at the Hollenbeck Bayley Creative Arts and Conference Center, 275 South Limestone Street, Springfield.

There will be an opening session for all parents and students discussing CCP policies and procedures as well as some of the risks and benefits of participating.

Following the general session, each school district will have the opportunity to speak with parents and students directly about what CCP courses offered at their high school and their internal procedures.