Despite the year’s challenges, ETSU Sevierville is experiencing significant enrollment growth and development. 

Current enrollment at the satellite campus totals at 321 students, an increase of over 20% compared to fall 2020. This semester has seen the program grow larger than pre-pandemic levels and begin to approach the location’s previous peak of 335 in fall 2017, before several programs split off into their own counts. 

ETSU Sevierville Campus Enrollment. (Contributed/ETSU)

“We do recruitment for our area, we work with student life and enrollment as far as advisement,” said Jenn Butler, coordinator at ETSU Sevierville. “So we have a really close relationship with Walters State, the Sevierville campus, so we actually set up over there twice a month to talk to students, cause you know since we have been here for almost five years now word has kind of gotten out that we’re here. People know the programs that we offer.”

In addition to traditional community outreach, a large part of Sevierville’s enrollment growth is attributed to transfers from ETSU’s main campus and Walters State Community College. Encouragement of WSCC transfer is largely done through the Partners in Progress Scholarship, where residents of Sevier County can apply for up to $2,000 in financial aid per semester at ETSU Sevierville. 

“It has always been our goal to, I mean it’s the reason why we’re here, is to serve the needs of Sevier county and the surrounding counties as well,” said Butler. “So, we would love in the future to be able to increase our program offerings as long as we have the adequate space to do so.”

ETSU Sevierville Campus. (Contributed/East Tennessean)

The program currently only offers junior, senior and graduate level courses, with one student enrolled in the master’s-level social work program. Fees and tuition are identical to main campus courses, and border county tuition waivers still apply for eligible students.

Butler mentioned the possibility of expanding the location’s offering of business programs, though she said the conversation has been on hold while universities weather COVID-19. In the wake of the pandemic, ETSU Sevierville moved nearly every course online aside from a handful of nursing labs.

For more information on the programs and partnerships offered by ETSU Sevierville, visit https://www.etsu.edu/academicaffairs/scs/seviercenter/

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  • Benjamin Gilliam

    Benjamin Gilliam is a junior in the Media and Communication B.A. program majoring in Radio/TV/Film and Journalism with a minor in International Affairs. A Kingsport native, he has experience in many areas including wildlife photography and TV news.

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