WCC: Early tally is lower
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on September 4, 2014 1:46 PM
After several years of record enrollments, early tallies at Wayne Community College show student numbers are down about 300 for the same time last year.
Overall, 3,450 curriculum students enrolled for the fall semester, which began three weeks ago.
But that doesn't tell the whole story, officials say. In addition to the semester courses, additional students are expected in the coming weeks -- including those enrolled in eight-week courses, military students on the base and those who are taking four-week developmental courses.
"I would like to see us get at least 3,800 by the end of the fall semester," Dr. Kay Albertson, WCC president, said Tuesday. By fall semester's end last year, enrollment topped 4,000.
For the past few years, the college has boasted spikes in enrollment, in stark contrast to the economic decline. Officials have said that is a normal progression at the community college, as students seek additional job skills or training.
It would be easy to blame the dip in student numbers on money.
The state community college system experienced a recent tuition hike dictated by the General Assembly. Effective with the fall semester, curriculum students are being charged an additional 50 cents per credit hour, up to a maximum per semester of $1,152 for in-state residents and $4,224 for non-residents, based upon 16 credit hours of instruction.
WCC also announced in the spring that it would no longer offer direct student loans and instead introduced a deferred tuition payment option in time for the fall semester.
"It's a conundrum when you start to look at this (enrollment) number but we were already projecting that our numbers would be down, not just because we were not going to be engaged (in the loan program)," Mrs. Albertson said. "There's a slight uptick in the economy. When the economy is at its most sluggish, we have the highest numbers."
Since 2000, some of the grants and scholarships, as well as federal programs providing funding, have dissipated, she said. To offset some of that, the WCC Foundation has worked diligently to generate money for student scholarships.
While its role is to educate, colleges must also look at how it does business -- and that is reflected in registration and enrollments.
"Beginning last week, which was the beginning of looking at the whys, because we had to get through that first week with our enrollment numbers, looking at what data we need, why the numbers are fluctuating," Mrs. Albertson said. "Obviously loans, the uptick in the economy, the numbers are down across the system. We had been at a high for the last three or four years."
WCC was actually among the more successful at drawing and retaining students during the bleak economic time compared to many others in the state's 58-member community college system.
Community colleges operate in arrears. Last year's numbers determine this year's state budget. By that calculation, the college might operate comfortably for the time being but the current decline in enrollments will be felt come funding time next fall.
For now, though, there are still other variables contributing to the final tally.
"We don't have total numbers but our military numbers are shifting a bit. We have lost military during the late spring, early summer. Wayne County Public Schools have lost some military numbers, too," Mrs. Albertson said. "I believe we as well as they will gain numbers as this fall semester goes on."
Among the efforts officials will look at moving forward are programs of study at the college -- from the revamped dual enrollment program for high school students and its 75 associate degree programs to reviewing workforce development efforts and shoring up student success.
"We don't know how to predict enrollment, but we know that we can do some things better," Mrs. Albertson said.
"We're talking about our numbers are down. But what we do have, the students that are here is more important. We really do serve our students as an institution, as individual employees, and I think with the rigor and relevance in the classroom."