Cuts, Economy Make Life Hard For N.C. Community Colleges

The N.C. community college system will have its budget cut by about $22 million under the proposed House budget, while the Senate's proposed cuts go as deep as $27 million.

"It's sort of the death of a thousand cuts -- a little bit here and a little bit there," said N.C. Community College system President Martin Lancaster.

The House and the Senate will have to reach a consensus on the budget -- including community college funding --in upcoming Appropriations Conference Committee meetings.

But impending cuts are not the primary factor straining North Carolina's community colleges.

Lancaster said two-year colleges' main struggle is to absorb incoming students as the institutions are already operating at full capacity.

Displaced workers have caused a surge in community college enrollment at the same time that many students are transfering from four-year universities to two-year campuses, Lancaster said. "We always see an increase in transfer students when parents have lost jobs."

Lancaster said legislators have made a concerted effort to fund enrollment growth at community colleges.

"We are encouraged and pleased with their efforts," he said.

Both legislative chambers have slated more than $50 million to fund community college system enrollment growth.

"That (funding) is critical if we are going to fulfill the role of educating the work force," Lancaster said.

But administrators at Durham Technical Community College are worried they won't receive the promised money because the slumping economy might prevent the state from gathering the necessary revenue. "Our biggest fear is that we will be funded for enrollment growth but not get the money," said Wanda Winslow, DTCC vice president of institutional support services.

DTCC is feeling the crunch caused by high enrollment numbers, Winslow said. Usually 2,000 to 2,500 students register during DTCC's early registration period. This year, the college enrolled more than 4,000 students in pre-registration. Normal enrollment at DTCC for the past five years has averaged 5,100 students. "We have been concerned that our numbers were going to be really high," Winslow said.

But more than 600 students were removed after pre-registration because they failed to pay tuition. Winslow said students were given several chances to pay but that many were unable to because of their economic situations.

Tuition increases might also have contributed to students' inability to pay for their education, Winslow said.

Both the House and the Senate have proposed a tuition increase of $3.25 per semester hour for in-state community college students and $17.50 for out-of-state students, bringing tuition to $34.25 per semester hour for in-state students and $190.75 for out-of-state.

"Many of those we serve are putting themselves through school," Winslow said. "Any tuition increase is going to hurt."

The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.