NWACC Board Looks At Enrollment Numbers

BENTONVILLE — A 3 percent decrease in preliminary enrollment numbers at NorthWest Arkansas Community College is on par with what other colleges around the country are seeing, college President Evelyn Jorgenson told the board of trustees on Monday.

Jorgenson cited several national newspaper articles looking at the trend of falling college enrollment numbers as the economy picks up and people return to work.

“The economy is recovering, and many other schools have had enrollment declines,” she said. “None of this is out of the norm, but it is something we want to address.”

The community college’s preliminary enrollment figures showed the school is down 316 students from last year, a decrease of 3.8 percent. Credit hours are down 3.7 percent. The numbers reported Monday are from the 11th day of enrollment and are not official. The school’s official enrollment totals will be reported to the state in October.

Jorgenson said there is a close correlation between students, particularly community college students, and the economy. When times are tough, people may be looking to learn a new skill set or improve their odds of advancement in their current field. Community colleges often fill that role for returning students, she said.

Board member Mike Shupe pointed out that the largest enrollment increases for the college came when the economy was in a downturn.

“The times we had 10-plus percent increases was during the horrible time in the economy, the crash,” Shupe said. “This is probably a normal cycle.”

While overall numbers are down, there are a few bright spots in the enrollment figures. Registration in online classes is up 5 percent and enrollment in courses at The Jones Center in Springdale is up 17 percent. A center on White Road in Springdale is up 3.6 percent, and the number of first-time freshmen attending the college also is increasing.

“There are opportunities there for us to maintain and grow those increases,” Jorgenson said. “We are looking closely at online enrollment — how can we make it easier for them and improve the processes for those students.”

Board Chairman Ric Clifford said he discussed with Jorgenson the possibility of board members using iPads for meetings instead of having large packets mailed each month. He said he was concerned that use of the college’s iPads would remove them from circulation among students.

“I rejected the notion of taking them out of service for students,” Clifford said.

Instead, he asked board members to decide if they would rather have the packet emailed for download on their own personal devices or continue receiving the paper copies. Half the board opted for digital packets, while half chose paper copies.

“Let’s see if we can save a sapling,” he said.

Upcoming Events