Barton Community College has seen steady growth for seven years. The institution as a whole drew more than 4,300 full-time-equivalent (FTE) students in 2014-15, which is a 1.04 percent increase over last year, and a 47 percent increase since the growth trend began in 2007-08, according to the FTE data gathered at the close of the spring semester. Note: Figures subject to slight changes until data “freeze” date in August. This information is a reflection of the current outlook.
About FTE
FTE is the most widely accepted metric to measure enrollment. This is calculated by taking the total credit-hours provided and dividing by 15 credit-hours per semester, which is the average course load for a full-time student. This standard allows Barton to see how it’s doing relative to other colleges and past semesters. While the FTE formula reveals more than 4,300 full-time students, the total number of students who took at least one course with Barton in the 2014-15 school year was more than 17,200. This number is up from about 16,500 students the previous school year. The FTE increase was one percent, but Barton’s total student body grew by 4.2-percent.
Sources of growth
The average growth rate (FTE) since 2007-08 has been nearly 6 percent per year.
As has been the trend in recent years, BARTonline, Barton’s online learning component, was responsible for a bulk of the growth, contributing 140 additional students (FTE) and more than 4,000 additional credit hours.  BARTonline has grown by leaps and bounds each year with an impressive 229 percent increase since 2007-08. It now serves nearly 1,800 students (FTE) across the state and beyond.
A total non-duplicated headcount reveals about 7,800 individuals enrolled in BARTonline classes in the 2014-15 school year. The growth of BARTonline remains steady, attracting an average of 1,154 new students (FTE) per year since 2007-08.
“Thanks to considerable hard work and the outstanding customer service of our faculty and staff, Barton is celebrating another year of upward enrollment.  We believe the trend will continue as we move into the 2015-2016 academic calendar year,” Barton President Dr. Carl Heilman said. “Furthermore, continued growth, coupled with careful fiscal planning, allows the college to maintain the current mill levy and minimize the tax burden to local citizens. Maintaining the current mill levy rate can be accommodated despite state funding that has been stagnant for the past several years and is in fact at a pre-2010 funding level.”
Barton County Campus
The Barton County campus has showed slight drops in credit hour production in recent years, at about 3 percent per year. The campus dropped 5.6 percent from last year (FTE). However, the total number of students enrolling at the Barton County Campus climbed by more than 10 percent.
These numbers fit the trend of Barton’s own traditional students taking regular coursework online rather than face-to-face.
Barton’s many career and technical programs are also growing in popularity. The college currently offers more than 25 career programs.  Among the most recognized are numerous medical-oriented programs like Nursing, Medical Laboratory Technician, Medical Coding and Medical Assistant and other industry-specific programs like Automotive Technology and Natural Gas Transmission and Distribution. Barton anticipates Welding will rise quickly in popularity as a new offering in the 2015-16 school year.
The Workforce Training and Community Education division has been a progressive and proactive asset to the college, adding new programs each year based on the needs of local industry and the workforce.
Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth campuses
Barton has offered classes to servicemen and women and their families through its Fort Riley campus since 1984, and is the prominent higher education provider on post.
The Fort Riley campus has historically been one of Barton’s largest sources of enrollment, producing an average of about 1,200 FTE per year, which is about the same as the Barton County Campus. This year, the campus showed a slight drop in FTE of about nine percent.
Dean of Military Academic Services for Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth, Ashley Arnold, said this dip is just part of the ebb and flow of the military and the turnover of soldiers at Fort Riley.  
Two brigades were deployed in the last year, in addition to Division Headquarters, leaving only two brigades at Fort Riley, which Arnold said is the primary source of reduction in FTE.
The Fort Leavenworth campus is a new addition to the institution. It began in the 2011-12 school year with 14 students (FTE). Enrollment increased dramatically the first year. This year is no different, as the campus showed an increase of 29 percent over the previous school year, bringing the total to 288 students (FTE) in 2014-15.
OSHA Training, Hazardous Materials & Emergency Services Training Institute
Barton’s Grandview Plaza campus, located near Junction City, showed an increase in participation, generating almost 200 more credit hours compared to last year, or roughly seven FTE.  
However, enrollment isn’t necessarily the primary measure of success for the Grandview Plaza location. Many of the courses and programs offered are non-credit continuing education opportunities. The satellite location drew 114 non-credit students in 2014-15, up 22 from last year.
A great deal of attention has been devoted to the campus’s recent designation as an Occupational Safety & Health Administration Training Institute Education Center and the opportunities that affords.
The Hazardous Materials and Emergency Services training options are made available across the state and have been utilized for years by dozens of municipalities and state government organizations for training employees on emergency management and handling waste safely.
These services are also offered to the military at almost a dozen forts across the country, from Fort Leavenworth and Fort Riley here in Kan., to Fort Knox, Ky. and other major military installations.