DSCC enrollment up, funding down

A total of 3,416 students enrolled in DSCC's 2009 fall semester, a full-time equivalent of 2,234. This January, 2,857 students were enrolled, a head count of 751 more than January 2009. This semester's full-time equivalent is 1,948.13 students compared to last spring's 1,422.53.

"We always drop off some in the spring semester, but we are coming back pretty hard this year with 2,800," said DSCC President Dr. Karen Bowyer. "A lot of people are getting serious about getting their degree, whether to help them in their job or help them change careers. We have many students who are interested in health care jobs that seem to be more stable. A lot are interested in the nursing or other health care fields. There are many who are interested in education, criminal justice and law enforcement."

Bowyer said increased dual-enrollment opportunities for high school juniors and seniors are also reasons the college is serving more students.

"Junior and senior high school students have the opportunity to have as many as 12 hours paid for on their graduation," said Bowyer, who said state grants are available for dual-enrollment opportunities.

But as economic conditions encourage more and more local residents to return to college, funding to provide faculty and courses continues to decline.

Bowyer said shrinking funding cost the college $1.1 million from the 2007-2008 academic year to the 2009-2010 academic year. Funds set aside in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and money required by the state for 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 academic years will offset the loss for now, but strict spending requirements accompany the extra funds.

"(The ARRA and state funds are) one-time money, which you can't use to provide faculty because that money will not continue," said Bowyer. "(By 2011-2012,) we will have lost $1.6 million. The thing that's saving our neck is this enrollment increase."

But Bowyer said even the larger number of students does not bring the same funding as it has in years past.

"We charge $3,000 for one-year, full-time tuition," said Bowyer. "(In the past,) the state gave $4,500 per student. That's the plan since I have been here. We are supposed to have $7,500 to educate a full-time student. But since 2007, (we have received) no money for new students from the state, so we are having to educate these students with three-sevenths of the money. The way we do that is to hire adjunct faculty."

Bowyer said the drawback to hiring adjunct professors is that they are part-time employees and possibly unavailable to teach a class at a time students need it.

"Many times, because they are part time, they have other jobs and are unavailable when we need them to teach," said Bowyer. "Those are the kinds of problems we are having."

Another way that DSCC officials are tackling the problem of educating more students on less money is to enlarge class sizes.

"(In the past,) we have had 16 to 18 in our average class size," said Bowyer. "So, instead of hiring another professor, we now have an average class size of 23 per class. That's a goal we are shooting for. (But you can only use) the same money to educate to a certain limit. When you grow 28 to 30 percent, you need more sections."

Lack of funding also limits services available to DSCC students.

"Students want more tutoring, more financial aid counseling," said Bowyer. "They want more services than we have the money to provide."