HCC In The News...

HCC SETS SPRING ENROLLMENT RECORD

BRIDGEPORT - Housatonic Community College, which now ranks as the Northeast’s fastest-growing community college with more than 1,000 students, has once again set a Spring enrollment record.

The college enrolled 4,343 students this semester, up from 4,271 last Spring. That represents a 2 percent increase.

According to the latest figures just released by the American Association of Community Colleges, HCC is the fastest growing community college in the Northeast among those 1,000-plus students. Those numbers cover fall enrollment from 1996 to 2001.

“ We’re delighted that we can continually provide educational access to an increasing number of students,” said HCC President Janis M. Hadley. “As educators, we’re committed to giving people the education and training they need to build a better future for themselves and their families,” she said, “and these numbers show how well we’re doing this.”

No Cost To Taxpayers

What’s also gratifying, she said, is that HCC is providing this access at no cost to taxpayers. “An economic impact study we completed last year shows that we put more money back into the state treasury each year than we take out,” she said.

“ The economists who completed the study confirmed the obvious: the more students we enroll in the college, the more money we put back into the state treasury and the greater the savings to the state.”

From the Fall of 1996 to the Fall of 2001, the period covered by the AACC’s statistics, Housatonic’s enrollment jumped from 2,653 to 4,247, a 60 percent increase. That increase resulted in HCC’s first place standing in the Northeast, which includes New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the six New England states.

According to enrollment statistics for this semester, 2,956, or 68 percent, of the students registered are women, while the average age of the students is 29.

Roughly 54 percent of the students registered are African-American (about 30 percent), Hispanic (roughly 21 percent), Asian (about 3 percent) or Native American (less than 1 percent). The African-American population has seen the greatest increase, reaching 30 percent this semester, up from 24 percent a year ago.

The average age of the degree-seeking student is 27.9. The average age of the non degree-seeking student is 36.6.

The economic impact study completed last year shows that Housatonic pumps more than $60 million into the region’s economy, the equivalent of 1,400 jobs. It also shows that:

_ Students enjoy a return of 27 percent on their investment of time and money, higher than the long-term return on US stocks and bonds.

_ The State of Connecticut benefits from improved health and reduced welfare, unemployment, and crime, saving the public some $1.4 million per year.

_ Taxpayers see a return on investments in Housatonic Community College of roughly 13 percent and recover all investments in 8.6 years.

Housatonic is not alone. According to the economists who completed the study, the state’s other community colleges also put more money back in to the state treasury each year than they take out. Their students enjoy a 12-33 percent return on their investment and taxpayers enjoy an ROI of 5-25 percent on their investment in those colleges.

HCC is located in a six-year old campus less than 150 yards off I-95 and Rte. 8 in downtown Bridgeport.