Editor’s note: This is the third in a series titled “The State of Community Colleges Today.” The series was created by Sarah Evans, director of communications at Elgin Community College in Elgin, Illinois.
Enrollment is increasing at Metropolitan Community College of Omaha, Nebraska, but online enrollment is growing more than twice as fast as the overall rate.
For Spring 2009, enrollment is up 6 percent, but online enrollment is up 13 percent, according to officials.
Officials say that two factors are driving this online growth: students are staying home because of the cost benefit of staying home, and students are taking online courses because they work around a job.
The fastest growing demographic at Metropolitan Community College is Asian/Pacific Islander — having seen greater than 7 percent growth two years in a row.
As with many community colleges, Metropolitan works to meet the challenges of state funding and remaining nimble enough to meet the needs of the community in real-time. But officials there said they are battling another challenge: faculty nearing retirement age.
Most people who work at community colleges are aware of “myths” about community college. Here are the four myths listed by Metropolitan:
Community Colleges are easier than four year institutions.
Community Colleges are not quality programs, for lower income, lower social status.
For those students who can’t make it in a “real” or four-year institution
An associate degree won’t get you anywhere/it’s not important to finish your degree at your CC before transferring to a four-year
Despite growing enrollment and shrinking funding across the nation, community college officials continue to reach out to improve the perception of their institutions.
“We have some of the same instructors as the four-year universities/colleges who teach of the same rigor here as they do at their other institutions” said Metropolitan’s Sheila OConnor, director of marketing and public relations. “We are not a second-rate institution.”
Community colleges today
There were 11.5 million students enrolled in 1,195 community colleges in January 2008, according to the American Association of Community Colleges. Of these students, 41 percent were enrolled full-time, and 77 percent held full-time jobs. Compared to their counterparts, two-year schools represent a bargain. Annual tuition and fees at public community colleges average $2,361, which is less than 39 percent of the $6,185 cost of the average public four-year school.
Photo credit: Photographs courtesy of Metropolitan Community College, Omaha, Neb.
I'm a cognitive scientist and communication scholar who manages a psychophysiology lab at Texas Tech. I teach courses about the cognitive processing of media messages and research methods.
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Congrats, Metropolitan, on your enrollment increase – especially the rise in your online courses! Plus, great to see your minority student growth. Thanks for your input on the State of Community Colleges Today.
The myths you mention about CC are very damaging yet so hard to dispell. The “prestige” that comes with the four year degree seems to cloud the judgment of otherwise logical people. To be honest, students at a four year institution not only pay much more but they are not guaranteed to learn anything they wouldn’t at a CC. You get out of it what you put into it, and many BA or BS students aren’t willing to put much into it. But again the four year degree holds this prestige in the minds of so many people…
I’m LOVING how the series is shaping up. Getting Elgin Community College’s information ready for you!