In 2007 West Virginia Northern Community College began offering classes to train dealers in roulette, poker, blackjack and craps because there was a great need for dealers at the local racetracks. Since that time the college has grown so much that it has been ranked as one of the top fifty fastest growing public two year colleges in the United States.

West Virginia Northern was ranked on the list as number 32 and is the only type of institution in West Virginia to make it on the list. The Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort and the Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack were in need of dealers for roulette and the other table games they offered so the WVNCC began offering classes. This resulted in a large increase in enrollment.

The first class of dealers had three hundred and twenty people enrolled and they graduated in August 2007. The college also decided to offer health classes which helped growth as well, though the majority of the growth was due to dealer classes.

The president of the college, Martin J. Olshinsky commented: "West Virginia Northern has had several years of enrollment growth now, and it's gratifying to be recognized as one of the fastest growing by such a reputable publication. We expect our enrollments to continue to grow, particularly because of our emphasis on providing more online courses and because of our highly affordable tuition and fees. Table gaming gave us a spike in our enrollment for sure. The demand for those courses comes and goes with the need at the racetracks for dealers.”



- 2009-01-08