ORANGE PARK – The bustle at St. Johns River State College’s largest campus was back on Monday with common rooms, hallways and classrooms slowly filling up with students on the first day of the new semester.

College officials handed out free supplies and introduced themselves. President Joe Pickens likened the first day to Opening Day in baseball, calling the campus energetic.

“Hope springs eternal, everybody is wide-eyed and bushy-tailed,” Pickens said. “It’s a really exciting time.”

Pickens said students who may have lost a year of high school due to COVID-19 can try to have a normal school year. Students have the option to wear masks and the school also has office barriers left over from COVID-19.

“We’ve found it doesn’t impede service and gives the employees a comfort level,” he said. “It very well may prevent the spread of the flu that we’re used to having around.”

The pandemic made online classes spike. The “new normal,” Pickens added, is that more than 50% of students take most or full-time online classes, though the in-person population is still high. At the height of the pandemic, close to 90% of students were predominantly online.

“Now it’s back down to about 55%,” Pickens said of the students taking virtual classes.

In the past decade, the college has put about $20 million into Orange Park’s campus’ library, the Viking Center, an administration facility, new offices and new classrooms. Academically, the clinical programs, such as nursing-type fields, have requirements to enter and are limited.

“The Legislature expects the state college system to be a major player in meeting that shortfall,” Pickens said. “We have a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, you’re reading all over there’s a teacher shortage. That’s one of the reasons why we have a bachelor’s in early childhood education because there’s a need for it.”

The school’s fleet readiness and engineering bachelor’s degree programs are unique to the area, but most students are attending to earn an associate’s degree.

“Each campus is definitely unique to the county,” he said. “This campus is similar to St. Augustine. The Palatka campus is unique because it’s more rural.”

Pickens, a former state representative, said community college enrollment is largely shaped by the economy. Enrollment rose sharply during the Great Recession and was high statewide. The natural process is that from the height of 2010-2012, he said, there was going to be an enrollment decline as trained students entered a better job market.

The situation could occur again following the COVID-19 pandemic’s large-scale effect on higher education, he said. Pickens estimated there could be older students attending in the future if they delayed attending due to the pandemic.

“Our job is to make post-secondary education as easily obtainable for them as possible, cost-wise and frankly, the availability,” Pickens said. “We want them to be pleased, we want them to obtain whatever it was they were seeking when they got here. If they are not sure what they’re seeking, we help them find it.”