The Virginian-Pilot
©
NORFOLK
Even Tidewater Community College President Deborah DiCroce was shocked by Monday's news: Her school's fall enrollment is up more than 20 percent over this time last year.
The school is forecasting that the final growth figure, calculated later in the semester, will be in the 15 to 18 percent range, with a head count surpassing 30,000; last fall's was more than 26,000. Classes begin Thursday.
The president said it isn't unusual that community college enrollment goes north when the economy goes south.
However, "I have not seen anything like this," said DiCroce, who came to lead TCC in 1998 and has seen record enrollment each year. "There's no way that it is not a result of the economy."
When it comes to full-time equivalent students, which is defined as a student taking 15 hours a semester, those figures are 25 percent ahead of forecasts. TCC had projected about 6 percent growth in full-time equivalent students.
The principal driver is people signing up for shorter-term career and technical programs or students looking for a cheaper way to begin their four-year degrees. DiCroce listed other contributing factors: the military taking advantage of the
post-9/11 GI Bill and the national focus President Barack Obama turned on community colleges last month when he proposed a $12 billion initiative for the schools. DiCroce said she also believes people are taking TCC more seriously.
About 46 percent of all South Hampton Roads residents who were enrolled as undergraduates in a Virginia college or university last fall were TCC students, DiCroce said.
The enrollment figures are up across all four campuses and in all categories - full- and part-time students, female and male, minority and white, older returning adults and traditional-age students.
About 25 percent of the college's growth is in the 18-24 age range, lowering the average age of a TCC student to 27 from 29 in 1998.
TCC is adding more classes and hiring adjuncts to handle the load.
"We're committed to responding to that demand," DiCroce said. "We want to be part of the solution.... A strong, skilled, educated work force is a critical component of the solution."
Denise Watson Batts, (757) 446-2504, denise.batts@pilotonline.com
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I will be there, Aug
I will be there, Aug 20th..so excited!
Good for you!
Good for you! You will never regret an education. Hey, if you think the cost of an education is expensive, try ignorance.
Enrollment Up, Funding Down
The economy does funny tricks here. People lose jobs, so people decide they need to polish their resume by going to college. However, with the increasing unemployment comes reduced money in the state's coffers therefore less money is used to fund college expenses. So, as enrollment goes up the funding for the colleges goes down. Hence, do more with less. Perhaps ODU should have rethought starting a football program.
Where can I buy stock?
Any business would relish those increase in numbers. Incredible.
So it goes with the education "industry" today.
Some people's lives will be changed, I hope.
coincidence?
Post-9/11 GI Bill began on August 1st. Maybe a crackerjack reporter could ask a question or two.
Who cares?
Coincidence or not...the fact remains that people are opting to educate themselves, perhaps creating more opportunities for their future. Does it really matter if a "crackerjack" reporter asks why a student decided to attend college? What is important is that they are!
i care
I read an article about increased enrollment. It included a statement that implied increased enrollment must be a result of the economy. I think there could be other reasons, and that a 'crackerjack' reporter might ask about them. If people are losing jobs, how can they afford to be full time students? Inquiring minds want to know.
BTW, when I made my original post yesterday the online article included much less information.
Not sure that matters at TCC
With the old GI Bill you could pay for an entire full time semester with one month of benefits (in-state tuition rate). If using your benefits to the max is the goal, then a veteran is better off with the old GI Bill, if getting the extra 80-100 a month is the goal then post 9-11 is better.
old vs new
MGIB cost $1200, new GI Bill has no buy-in. Lots of people who didn't pay in to the old GI bill are taking advantage of this new benefit - including me. Don't know if it's responsible for the increase in enrollment, but believe it's worth a look in such a story.