By Lake Area Technical College President Tiffany Sanderson addressed the Watertown School Board at their Oct 14 meeting, presenting the college’s enrollment numbers for the 2024-24 academic year. Sanderson reported the largest enrollment ever at the Technical College; 2,312. This number is 6.1% higher than last year and represents traditional degree-seeking students, those online, high school students enrolled in dual credits. Sixteen programs grew at Lake Area this year, while nine declined. Six programs remained level from last year. This year’s Student Body is 52.96% are male and 47.13% are female. 20.1% are considered first generation college students, meaning their parents did not complete a degree.
The 2024 freshman class is “exceptionally large,” at 13% larger than the class of 2023. Of this year’s freshmen, 23% came to LATC having taken dual credits. 133 students are transfers. If current trends continue for Lake Area, the College is predicted to surpass the 2,500-enrollment mark in 2028, and by 2030 should have an enrollment of 2,649.
If current trends continue, Lake Area will have an enrollment of over 2,600 by 2030
The exponential growth of Lake Area brings with it challenges, particularly in the area of housing. Sanderson said “Over the summer, we heard from more incoming students and their parents than normal that finding affordable, safe, and available housing was a challenge.” The college has undertaken a housing study, in partnership with the City of Watertown. 781 students live in Watertown on a temporary basis and 428 students are commuters, generally coming from within an hour of Watertown. Lake Area and the Watertown School Board, are specifically barred from building dormitory builds in state law, so Lake Area students must either commute or pay for rental units. The law also applies to the three other technical schools in the state.
Sanderson sees the housing study as an invitation to college and community collaboration: “Students and those seeking affordable rentals often compete for the same properties. Our student housing study is the first step in understanding where LATC students live while they’re enrolled in college and if there is an opportunity for private developers to add some kind of student housing (apartments, suites, etc.) that would free up some of the single family and low-density multi-family housing in Watertown that could then be rented to individuals and families looking for those options.”
The School Board later approved Sanderson’s request to purchase a property at 1203 1st Avenue northeast. This property is just west of the large Lake Area Technical College sign at the corner of 13th Street and 1st Avenue northeast. Currently, Lake Area has no plans for the property, which was most recently a group home for the Human Service Agency. The 12 residents will move to a newly constructed building on Bogue Avenue in Watertown.
