Community Colleges' Numbers Rise

As tuition at four-year institutions goes up, more parents consider sending their children to a community college for the first two years of their college careers, said Martin Lancaster, president of the N.C. Community College System.

The N.C. General Assembly approved as part of the state budget passed Sept. 20 an 8 percent tuition increase for in-state students enrolled at UNC-system schools and a 12 percent increase for out-of-state students.

The increase originally was requested by the UNC-system Board of Governors in March.

Lancaster said the NCCCS received all the money it requested from the N.C. General Assembly to fund enrollment increases. "We cannot complain," he said.

Wanda Winslow, a spokeswoman for Durham Technical Community College, said community colleges often are more appealing for their wide variety of options, including reduced price.

"The cost for attending is so much less than a university," she said. "We also have a very strong university transfer program."

DTCC experienced a 10 percent enrollment increase for the fall semester, Winslow said. "We typically see an increase in enrollment with a downturn in the economy," she said.

But Carl Peay, vice president for student services at Wake Technical Community College, said the budget has hurt state community colleges. "Our budget is the biggest negative impact since I've been in the system," he said.

WTCC -- which experienced a 6.5 percent enrollment increase for the fall -- attributed some of the increase to population growth in the Triangle area, Peay said.

But Triangle-area community colleges are not the only state schools that have experienced significant enrollment growth.

Mayland Community College in Spruce Pine saw enrollment increase by 10 percent this academic year.

John Gossett, Mayland director of research and planning, said unemployment is the greatest contributor to the school's student growth. "We've had, in the last two or three years, several major employers close," he said.

Unemployed older adults also look to community colleges to train them for the increasingly competitive job market, Gossett said.

But Mayland could be better off than the more urban schools when it comes to budget cuts because the area's unemployment began before North Carolina's budget crisis.

Gossett said that because the enrollment increase at Mayland began before the statewide trend, it is already being compensated for the extra students in their budget.

Sampson Community College in Clinton also will not be as adversely affected as officials originally thought, despite a 15 percent increase in enrollment, said SCC President Bill Aiken.

The number of traditional college-aged students enrolled has increased along with older students as tuition rises, Aiken said.

"Sampson has a growing number of high school students taking college courses," he said.

But some community colleges cannot provide resources for additional students.

Winslow said DTCC turned hundreds of students away for the fall semester. Peay said WTCC has also had to stop taking applications for some programs.

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