COMPARISON OF STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGES SHOWS BEVILL STATES ENROLLMENT LOSS ABOVE AVERAGE A report from the Alabama Commission of Higher Education on enrollment changes at 2-year colleges across the state shows that the average decrease from 2012 to 2013 was about 43 percent less than the decline at Bevill State Community College during the same period. At Bevill State, 6.7, percent fewer students were enrolled in 2013 than in 2012 as the student population at all four college campuses dropped from 3,728 to 3,480. The average decrease among all 26 community colleges in Alabama was 3.8 percent, according to the ACHE report. The only 2-year colleges with sharper declines in enrollment than BSCC from 2012 to 2013 were Calhoun State, Central Alabama, Lawson State and Northeast Alabama community colleges, according to the ACHE. During this same period, 11 of the 26 Alabama community colleges had increases in enrollment. Among community colleges in the counties that border Walker County, enrollment changes from 2012 to 2013 varied from an increase of just one student at Jefferson State in Birmingham to a 21.8 percent decrease at Lawson State, which also is in Birmingham. Bevill State’s enrollment has continued to decline since the study. The current enrollment for the spring semester is 3,177, according to the college’s website, which does not have the 2013 fall enrollment listed with the spring statistics. Bevill State President Anne McNutt, whose retirement was announced last week, cited increases in Pell Grant restrictions in 2012, recent economic improvements and decreases in state funding for higher education for colleges shrinking student body in recent years. Other state college officials agree that these factors have an impact on college enrollment, especially at community colleges. Kristen Holmes, director of Communications & Marketing at Wallace State Community College, said, “Community college enrollments are directly related to unemployment rates, so that as unemployment rates rise, enrollments rise because people are seeking retraining. As unemployment rates decrease, enrollment decreases because people are going back to work,” Holmes said. “Decreases in funding and the changes in Pell regulations have also had a significant negative impact on community college enrollments. The loss of Pell eligibility has caused many students to drop off the rolls of community colleges. Wallace State’s enrollment fell 4.4 percent from 2012 to 2013 according to the ACHE report. McNutt’s critics that include Jasper Mayor Sonny Posey and two anonymous BSCC instructors, believe these factors do not explain the depth at which Bevill State’s enrollment has declined. Posey, who last week questioned whether it was time for new leadership at the college, said, “If there were problems when I was in business, everyone looked at who was in charge to remedy those problems. Those problems are not being addressed.” One of the instructors who spoke out on Bevill’s problems said another indicator of issues at Bevill State is the number of credit hours being logged. As expected, the number of credit hours being taken by students has decreased along with enrollment. However during the last four years the average number of college hour credits per student enrolled has fallen by more than 10 percent, meaning not only are there fewer students at Bevill State, but students at the school are taking fewer classes. Even with continuous increases in the cost of tuition factored in, declining credit hours — down this semester to 32,661 from 47,255 four years ago — have resulted in a decrease in annual revenue by about $1.47 million; a decrease from $13.28 million per year to less than 11.82 million per year, the anonymous educator said. During the 2008-2009 school year , the cost of a 15-hour load for an in-state student, including tuition and fees, was $1,365 per semester. That cost today is $2,115, a nearly 56 percent increase in a 5-year period. During the process of selecting the next BSCC president, Alabama Community College System Chancellor Mark Heinrich will oversee the schools operations.
Posted on: Thu, 27 Mar 2014 14:29:36 +0000
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