HARRISBURG - HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, starts the fall semester Monday with a full contingent of programs at the new Midtown site at Third and Reily streets.

By moving the expanding technology and trade programs - building and construction, computers and engineering and architecture - from the main part of the Harrisburg Campus, students can complete their studies in one location.

Additionally, with steady enrollment this fall, the Harrisburg Campus will put the available classroom space to good use. At the start of classes there are nearly 8,400 students enrolled at the Harrisburg Campus and a collegewide enrollment of 17,986 - a 4.4 percent increase overall. Students can continue to enroll through the first week of classes.

"The steady growth in enrollment at HACC’s campuses is testimony that we are meeting the needs of our students and demands of the area’s workforce," says HACC President Edna V. Baehre, Ph.D.

"Central Pennsylvania’s Community College remains a vital component in the economic health of the region," says Baehre, adding, "Our students represent a microcosm of the cultural, economic and social makeup of Pennsylvania’s population."

At the Midtown site, about 1,000 students have enrolled, said Sheila Ciotti, administrator at Midtown.

"We’ve built a schedule where we hold all the classes in the technology programs here and we’ve added general education requirements too," said Ciotti. "We’re working toward being a full service site, meeting the needs of Midtown students at one location."

Midtown already provides student services like tutoring, advising, registration and financial aid in the newly refurbished facility. A computer lab and library are on site too, along with the Midtown Café, student gathering areas and ample parking.

At HACC’s other regional campuses, the York Campus has shown the highest enrollment increase of 20.2 percent with 2,062 students.

HACC’s Virtual Campus again begins the academic year with a major enrollment increase of more than 15 percent with 4,138 students taking advantage of the global connections no matter where they are in the world, from Baghdad to central Pennsylvania.

"The Virtual Campus fits into everyone's lifestyle, offering the most flexible way of getting an education," says Larry Adams, Ph.D., dean of the Virtual Campus and Instructional Technology. "In addition, HACC students enrolled at any of the regional campuses can choose online classes as well to meet their individual needs."

The Lebanon Campus had a nine percent jump in the number of students attending. Enrollment is closely approaching 1,000. HACC begins offering the college’s nursing program this fall in an arrangement with Good Samaritan Hospital and the Francis J. Dixon Foundation.

In Lancaster, HACC’s local campus is 2.4 percent ahead over last fall with 4,267 students. New this year is a fast-track business studies associate degree, an intensive program that fits full semester-long classes into just eight weeks.

This fall marks the start of HACC courses offered in downtown Lancaster at the Hotel Brunswick. The hotel is the second "neighborhood" site to host HACC courses. Evening credit courses in math, English and other general education subjects also will be offered at Bright Side Opportunities Center, 515 Hershey Road in Lancaster.

At the Gettysburg Campus, where nearly 1,600 students will begin classes, an extensive $18 million renovation is under way that will encompass the entire North Gettysburg Shopping Center. A portion of the project will be complete in time for start of classes of Sept. 2, the only one of HACC’s five regional campuses to start classes after Labor Day. The later start allows more time for workers to finish phase one of the expansion. The new section houses library resources, instructional technology, academic support services and rooms for group study. Completion of the entire project is scheduled for January 2009.