CONNECTICUT POST
Obama gives community colleges a financial boostPresident pledges $12B for community colleges
By Megan Oliver, staff writer
Updated: 07/14/2009 10:44:19 PM EDT
Community colleges have seen a marked increase in enrollment
in recent months and now they're getting a boost from President Barack
Obama.
Tuesday, the president announced his "American Graduation Initiative" with
$12 billion targeted to bolster the nation's two-year community college
system, which serves millions of students.
The colleges, less expensive than private and public four-year universities,
offer an affordable educational alternative for many, and that's why
students are flocking to them, college officials said.
In fact, Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport is seeing its highest
enrollment in the college's history with 5,152 full- and part-time
students according to HCC spokesman Anson Smith.
Smith said he believes the increase in enrollment is due in part to
the economy.
More and more students are getting their associate degree at community
colleges, where they only pay $110 a credit, then transferring to a
four-year program at another college. This can save students almost
50 percent on tuition compared to private schools like Wesleyan and
Sacred Heart, Smith said.
Gateway Community College, with campuses in New Haven and North Haven,
has had a 30 percent increase in early registration for the fall 2009
semester, said Evelyn Gard, director of public relations at Gateway.
When the economy goes into decline, enrollment at community colleges
goes up," added Mary Anne Cox, assistant chancellor of the Connecticut
Community College System.
She said enrollment of students taking 12 or more credits at Connecticut's
community colleges is up 8.7 percent from the spring 2008 semester
to spring 2009, and Cox said that has been a growing trend.
Over the past 10 years, Connecticut's schools have had one-third more
students attending community colleges.
The community college system has seen a 104 percent increase in full-time
enrollment in that time. However, most of the students attending these
schools are part-time students, according to Cox.
Gard said she believes enrollment is also growing, in part, because
community colleges are receiving recognition from the federal government,
especially by Vice President Joe Biden, whose wife is a professor at
Delaware Technical & Community College.
"You can get an excellent education at a community college," she
said. "It's becoming cool to go to one."
Gard said each state will receive the money from Obama's proposed program
and the state's government will determine which colleges need the money
the most. Because it is part of the federal stimulus package, the money
will most likely have its own set of guidelines as well, she explained.
Developing new programs, maintaining state of the art facilities and
up-to-date technology is what Gard said is important at Gateway to
get qualified workers into the work force.
Obama said the $12 billion, funded over 10 years, would be paid for
by ending wasteful subsidies to banks and private lenders of student
loans. "Time and again, when we have placed our bet for the future
on education, we have prospered as a result," Obama said.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Community colleges in Connecticut: Enrollment of students taking
12 or more credits at the state's community colleges is up 8.7 percent
from the spring 2008 semester to spring 2009. Housatonic Community
College in Bridgeport has its highest enrollment in the college's history:
5,152 full- and part-time students. Gateway Community College has had
a 30 percent increase in early registration for the fall 2009 semester.
Anson C. Smith, Public Relations Coordinator
Housatonic Community College
900 Lafayette Blvd.
Bridgeport, CT 06604
Tel: 203-332-5229, Fax: 203-332-5247
E-mail: asmith@hcc.commnet.edu