NWACC's Spring Enrollment Down

STAFF PHOTO FLIP PUTTHOFF 
The spring semester is well under way at Bentonville’s NorthWest Arkansas Community College.

STAFF PHOTO FLIP PUTTHOFF The spring semester is well under way at Bentonville’s NorthWest Arkansas Community College.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

— NorthWest Arkansas Community College’s enrollment is down 6.1 percent from what it was this time a year ago, something officials attribute largely to an improved economy and a new academic policy.

The college reported an unofficial preliminary count of 7,546 enrolled Tuesday, the 11th day of classes for the spring semester. Eleventh-day numbers are used by the state to compare enrollment. The college’s count last spring was 8,036.

Student semester credit hours also have dipped from 73,434 last spring to 68,371 this semester, a 6.9 percent drop, according to the college.

This follows a fall semester in which enrollment fell 3.8 percent from the previous fall semester.

NorthWest Arkansas Community College is one of many two-year schools in the state and nation experiencing enrollment decline.

Two-year colleges in Arkansas saw a collective enrollment decrease of 6 percent last fall, according to the Arkansas Department of Higher Education. The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reported enrollment at two-year public institutions fell by 3.1 percent nationally.

Much of that has to do with the economy, according to Evelyn Jorgenson, college president.

“Traditionally, when there is an economic recession, more people enroll in two-year colleges to sharpen their job skills or to train for new careers,” Jorgenson said. “As the economy improves, they are able to return to the work force or to move into that higher-paying job they wanted, and college enrollments go down.”

Tuesday also was the 11th day of classes at Pulaski Technical College, Arkansas’ largest community college. Tim Jones, associate vice president of public relations and marketing, couldn’t provide an up-to-date enrollment figure, but said it was 10,104 Monday, about a 13 percent decrease from spring 2013.

A new academic policy at NorthWest Arkansas Community College has something to do with this semester’s enrollment decline. The policy requires students who took at least nine hours and had a 0.0 grade point average during the previous semester to sit out for the following semester. More than 300 students fit that classification, Jorgenson said.

At A Glance

College Students

NorthWest Arkansas Community College served 19,820 students during the 2012-13 academic year. These included:

12,140 unduplicated credit students (all students served throughout the year, not just one semester)

4,299 work force development students

3,134 adult education program students (such as GED)

247 personal education and enrichment students

Source: NorthWest Arkansas Community College

The break gives students and the college a chance to evaluate what must occur to succeed when they return to the classroom, said Todd Kitchen, vice president for learner support services.

After increasing every year for the first 21 years of its history, the college’s enrollment has fallen the past two years.

Ric Clifford, chairman of the board, said he’s confident the college is on the right track in terms of dealing with enrollment declines and their financial effects.

“This is no time for panic,” Clifford said.

The board heard the administration’s report on enrollment at its meeting last week. Jorgenson plans to have a budget summit with her cabinet in early February, something she has planned for months, Clifford said. A revised budget then will be presented to the board.

The budget for this fiscal year, which ends July 1, was based on an assumption enrollment would be flat for the year.

“Dr. Jorgenson is fiscally prudent,” Clifford said. “I think she is very pragmatically going through all of the areas where there are opportunities for the organization to run leaner and more efficiently.”

Students likely won’t feel the effect of budget cuts other than, in some cases, more students per class, Clifford said.

College officials have found at least one reason for cheer in enrollment figures: The number of high school students enrolled concurrently in college classes increased from 549 last spring to 572 now, a 4.2 percent increase.

The early college experience helps students to begin their college careers and gain confidence they can meet the demands of higher education, Jorgenson said.

The 11th-day enrollment figure of 7,546 is still preliminary. It doesn't include those students who may be auditing a class or who are enrolled in “late-start” classes that begin after the traditional 16-week term begins. The data is reviewed further for accuracy before being submitted to the state in late February, according to the college.