Community colleges see record enrollments

A record number of students started classes yesterday at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, an enrollment upswing that college officials attribute to the economic downturn.

As of Monday morning, 11,878 students had signed up for classes compared with 10,600 at this time last year, "and we're not finished," said Diane F. Brasington, associate vice president for policy and institutional effectiveness.

Reynolds will continue enrolling students through Friday, but latecomers likely will find popular classes already full.

John Tyler Community College also expects record enrollment this fall, spokeswoman Holly Walker said. The college, which had 8,776 students enroll last year, expects more than 10,000 this year.

Similar enrollment gains are being seen at other community colleges across the nation. The American Association of Community Colleges says the schools are the fastest-growing segment of higher education.

In Virginia, preliminary counts show increases of 10 percent to 12 percent across the 23-college system for the fall semester, said Jeffrey J. Kraus, assistant vice chancellor for public relations for Virginia's community colleges.

The growth comes as the system awaits word on how much more it will need to cut its budget to help make up for a state revenue shortfall of $1.5 billion. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has told state agencies to prepare to pare their budgets between 5 percent and 15 percent.

"We're dealing with double-digit increases and potentially double-digit cuts," Kraus said. The impact of those cuts could be felt by students next spring in the form of fewer course offerings.

Reynolds used income from a new tuition surcharge to add two additional full-time faculty members, Brasington said.

It also has increased class sizes, especially for humanities courses, she said. The average class size is 18.4, up from 16.8 last year, but the size can range from eight students in a nursing course to 50 in a history class.

Growth in demand for online courses also has helped the college accommodate the highest enrollment in its 37-year history.

Brasington said the increase didn't catch the college by surprise. Enrollment for the summer term was up 8 percent, and the first day of early-bird enrollment was 30 percent higher than last year.

"We feel it has to be an indication of the economic situation and so many people out of work," she said.

Another reflection of the recession is the number of full-time students, she said. For years, that number has been only about 25 percent, with most students holding jobs and attending part time.

Now, 35 percent of students are enrolled full time.

Also increasing is the number of students who are out of work and are referred to Reynolds by the Virginia Employment Commission.

"They're using this opportunity to get a new set of skills," she said.

But some students have other reasons for attending.

Adam Traub is taking a semester off from Randolph-Macon College, where he's a senior. The Spanish course he needed wasn't available at R-MC in the fall semester but was at Reynolds, he said.

The cost difference for the two courses he's taking at Reynolds is "definitely a help. I would call that more of a bonus than a requirement."

Melissa Lauer, who is starting her second year at Reynolds, viewed community college as a better transition from high school.

"It's halfway between high school and a four-year college," she said.

But the economic savings were definitely a factor for Matt Blanchard, a Douglas Freeman High School graduate whose twin brother enrolled at Radford University this fall.

"I wanted to save my parents some money," he said. Another incentive: His parents agreed to buy him a car in exchange for staying home.

He plans to transfer to a four-year school but thinks attending Reynolds makes good economic sense for now.

"It's the same education, but you don't have to pay that much for it," he said.

Karin Kapsidelis is a staff writer at the Richmond Times-Dispatch.