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Martin Davis, Program Chair for Nunez Community College’s new Cybersecurity program, contributed to historic enrollment numbers at the college for Fall 2025, registering more than 40 students for the program’s first semester. Multiple enrollment metrics show the Fall 2025 semester as one of Nunez’s best on record.
Fall 2025 enrollment numbers point to a historic semester for Nunez Community College in Chalmette.
On the heels of its largest graduating class in college history in Spring 2025, Nunez welcomed its largest freshman class since 2018 this semester. The historic number is helped by an equally impressive 31% increase in first-time freshmen over Fall 2024.
Overall, enrollment among traditional students is up significantly at Nunez, which saw its total headcount increase by 13% over 2024. More importantly, students are maximizing their time at Nunez by enrolling in more classes per semester, leading to a 14% increase in student credit hours.
The total figures climb even higher when factoring in 1,200 Dual Enrollment students earning college credit through Nunez while still in high school, accounting for an additional 2,800 credit hours this fall.
“The most significant thing about our enrollment increase is that these percentages are not just numbers, they are people. The numbers reflect individuals that are enrolling in our programs that will change the quality of their lives,” said Dr. Tina Tinney, Nunez Chancellor. “During a time of declining enrollment in higher education, Nunez is experiencing quite the opposite as a result of delivering impactful programs that lead directly to high-wage, high-demand jobs.”
Cybersecurity Starts Strong
The enrollment gains also owe to the strength of more than 40 students enrolling in the very first semester of Nunez’s new Cybersecurity program. Program Chair Martin Davis recruited heavily through the summer, touting the program’s commitment to innovation by staying ahead of emerging trends in both education and the labor market.
“I’m very excited about our enrollment numbers, considering this is the first year of our program,” said Davis. “We want to build on this early interest and ensure we are delivering a great learning experience for our students.”
Students coming out of the Cybersecurity program will be prepared to enter immediately into full-time careers in the field or move on to a four-year institution. And many are likely to do both simultaneously.
Davis and Nunez administrators designed the program to provide students with a unique industry-based credential at the end of each semester. Those stackable credentials, along with mentoring by a faculty with more than 70 combined years in the field, will make students work-ready as soon as they finish their time at Nunez.
While all of Nunez’s career-technical programs are designed to prepare students for high-wage, high-demand careers, Cybersecurity joins a growing list of truly innovative programs at the college.
Leading Innovation
Wind Energy Technology prepares students for one of the fastest growing industries in the world, maintaining wind turbines, with a curriculum that meets Global Wind Organisation standards.
In Process Technology and Instrumentation, students will soon be training for careers in liquified natural gas (LNG) in addition to traditional refinery operations thanks to the pending arrival of a $1 million LNG training module. The LNG trainer, acquired with a Department of Labor grant, positions Nunez to provide a workforce for the multi-billion-dollar LNG terminals coming online in Plaquemines Parish.
One of those LNG partners, Venture Global, remains committed to a years-long workforce development program—Will To Skill—which offers short-term training at no cost to Plaquemines Parish residents, with instruction provided by Nunez.
The Aerospace Manufacturing Technology program—the only program of its kind in Louisiana—continues to place students with the premiere companies in spaceflight and aviation, both locally and nationwide.
Coastal Studies and GIS Technology is training students in geographical research and engineering, repeatedly drawing the attention of media and scientific organizations for its contributions and innovative approaches to coastal conservation.
Meeting the Moment
Beyond its established career-technical programs, Nunez is developing programs like the forthcoming Maritime Operations certificate while offering recurring high-value, short-term workforce training in fiber optics, heavy equipment, commercial driver's license, and more. Nunez is also extending its training in new directions, reaching out to incarcerated individuals to provide job skills like welding that reduce recidivism, and inviting the community onto campus with leisure classes for adults and robotics programs for students in grades 4-12.
Dual Enrollment courses offered on the Nunez campus and at area high schools acclimate young students to college-level instruction while equipping them with industry-certified, job-ready skills. Nunez is currently working to expand Dual Enrollment offerings to homeschooled students.
