Increasingly, the Choice for College is Community Variety

By Taryn Plumb, Globe Correspondent | April 9, 2009

The 45-year-old mother of three has a natural kinship with the elderly - she feels refreshed by their wittiness and their life stories.

So, a few years ago, she decided to return to school to study gerontology (the science of aging) and, eventually, pursue a nursing degree.

The problem was, she was limited by the usual commitments of midlife: jobs, bills, and a trio of teenage daughters.

Finally, like the widening rush of students of all ages feeling the vise grip of the economy, Donna D'Agostino did her research and went with her best option: a two-year community college.

"Having kids, being older, I have to look at convenience, the least disruption to my schedule," said D'Agostino, of Topsfield, who is studying at North Shore Community College. "I didn't want to go back to school for four years."

For D'Agostino and many others, community college has become a refuge against the recession. Students of all ages and backgrounds, whether postponing plans at more prestigious schools, minimizing debt, repositioning themselves for new careers, or battling back from layoffs, are increasingly turning to community colleges - often as their first option.

"We're increasingly becoming a choice, as opposed to a default," said Charles Diggs, director of enrollment services at Northern Essex Community College, where tuition is $117 per credit hour for state residents.

Enrollments at area community colleges - Northern Essex, North Shore, and Middlesex - are up anywhere from 4 to 7 percent this spring, according to officials. That continues a growth spurt from last fall, when the three schools saw increases between 4 and 8 percent.

The surge is evident everywhere: In an informal study performed by the American Association of Community Colleges, schools nationwide reported increases ranging from 5 to 26 percent.

In all cases, growth applies to every aspect of schools' diverse population: adults, graduating high schoolers, dual enrollment students, transferring undergrads. In some cases, this has meant substantial expansions - even as colleges nationwide face sheared funding.

The main reason for the spike, officials and students say, is obvious: price. The average annual tuition at two-year colleges across the nation is $2,400, according to Norma Kent, spokeswoman for the American Association of Community Colleges. This can factor out to a tenth or even a twentieth of the cost of four-year schools.

"Community college cuts back on cost," said Valerie Kozdra, a dual enrollment student at Northern Essex, who puts in 15 to 22 hours a week bagging and cashiering at Crosby's Marketplace to pay for her studies.

Right now, the 17-year-old is splicing classes at Pentucket Regional High School with two online college courses. Next year, she'll continue at NECC - or what she calls "Necco," like the candy wafer - then transfer to a four-year school to pursue nursing or criminal justice.

Beyond the price, a two-year school helps to ease the college transition, Kozdra noted. "I'm not moving and changing my entire lifestyle," she said. "It's a good place to start."

Others agree.

This spring, Northern Essex has seen a 7 percent increase in students age 25 and younger, building on a five-year trend that shows a 25 percent increase in this demographic. Similarly, at North Shore Community College, enrollments for incoming students planning to transfer after a year or two are up 10 percent, said John Duff, director of the school's enrollment and records.

"We're a good place for figuring things out," said Diggs, noting that students like Kozdra can fulfill general credit requirements while they map out their career goals.

The flexibility draws others: Classes are available online, in the early morning, late at night, and on the weekend.

"It's very accommodating," said D'Agostino, a caregiver and personal trainer who completed her gerontology/human services associate's degree in December and is now waiting to be accepted into NSCC's nursing program.

Most of all, at community college, she feels comfortable behind a desk - despite her age.

"The diversity is wonderful," she said. "You can have someone in their 20s and someone in their 60s in the same class. I don't feel out of place."

And with new torrents of students of all backgrounds streaming in, courses all over the clock and the calendar are filling up faster than they ever have, officials say.

To meet the demand of nontraditional schedules, Middlesex has ramped up its weekend offerings. Thirty-five sections are available in various disciplines this semester, and 75 will be rolled out in the fall.

"Every bit of research that we had told us that people needed weekend courses, that they needed other alternatives," said Lois Alves, vice president for the school's enrollment services, research, and planning.

Most colleges are also making available an extended list of accelerated programs; with much more class time per week, these allow students to complete their degrees faster.

Online classes, meanwhile, continue to mushroom.

In response, Middlesex added 20 additional online sections - totaling 100 - to its fall offerings, according to Alves. Similarly, 70 Web sections will be available this summer, twice the typical lineup, she said.

NSCC, for its part, has experienced 12 percent growth in its online programs this spring. "Students enroll in them as quickly as we can provide them," Duff said.

To complement the needs of the job market, colleges are expanding their catalogs, as well. NECC added an associate's degree in science that includes a concentration in environmental science; NSCC recently developed an energy utility technology program and is looking for other opportunities in green energy, organic food, and horticulture, Duff explained.

But although administrators celebrate the growth pattern, they say it can clash with lagging state and federal funding.

NSCC president Wayne Burton called community colleges "counter-cyclical." That is, when the economy goes down, enrollments go up. But funding works just the opposite, he said.

Kent described a "severe" lag in state funding at the country's 1,195 community colleges, which derive about 60 percent of their budgets from state and federal sources.

If things continue this way, Kent warned, community colleges might lose their all-inclusive reputation.

"We try to take everyone who comes to us," she said. But "the truth is, if you don't have enough resources to serve the students, sooner or later they are going to be turned away."

Questions or comments to news@northshore.edu.