Post by title1parent on Aug 28, 2009 5:31:54 GMT -5
www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/1739401,2_1_AU28_WCC_S1-090828.article
Community college enrollment climbs
Waubonsee sees 15 percent bump
August 28, 2009
By ERIKA WURST ewurst@scn1.com
The Waubonsee Community College campuses were a bit more crowded when students returned for classes this semester.
According to Jeff Noblitt, director of marketing and community relations, enrollment numbers are up almost 15 percent from this time last year.
More than 1,000 additional students were added to Waubonsee's fall roster, Noblitt said. This equates to an increase of 16.3 percent in total semester hours taken at the Sugar Grove and Aurora campuses.
To Noblitt and his staff, these numbers come as no surprise.
"We are really in a period of unprecedented growth," he said. "Every year, growth is like we've never seen. We're looking at the growth being attributed to many different factors, but right now the most prevalent is the economy."
Waubonsee is not alone. In February, The Associated Press reported that a national group representing community colleges said the average increase from spring to spring is dramatic, in the range of 4 percent to 19 percent.
Nationwide, the average annual cost of community college is $2,402, compared to $6,585 in tuition and fees at in-state public four-year schools, according to the College Board. Average tuition and fees for private four-year schools: $25,143.
Factoring in financial aid, the College Board estimates the average net cost at community colleges is only about $100.
As more and more people in the work force are losing their jobs, they are looking for ways to get their careers on track. Noblitt said the best way to do that is to upgrade your education, and older students realize they can do that conveniently at Waubonsee.
"On the flip side, other students who would have started at a four-year school have begun to realize there's money to save right in their back yard," Noblitt said. "They can save significant amounts of money and still get a great education with small class sizes before moving on to a four-year university as a junior."
Noblitt said across the nation there has been a heightened emphasis placed recently on the value of community colleges and the education they can offer. The support of the community, which passed a referendum in both 2002 and 2003, has helped WCC prepare for growth, Noblitt said.
In July, President Obama proposed a $12 billion investment in community colleges in an attempt to bolster community college graduates.
Noblitt said WCC's new downtown Aurora campus is expected to open in the fall of 2011. This campus will enable students to earn a complete associate's degree and also will feature work force development and adult education programs and services.
A Plano campus will open for spring classes of 2011 on Route 34 just outside Yorkville. The 33,000-square-foot building will house general classrooms, science labs, computer labs, an interactive television classroom, and a certified nurse assistant lab where students can worked toward their associate's degrees.
"We've been preparing for this," he said. "We are able to offer students world-class, top-flight, state-of-the-art facilities, and students know by staying close to home they're not shorting themselves on getting good education."
Community college enrollment climbs
Waubonsee sees 15 percent bump
August 28, 2009
By ERIKA WURST ewurst@scn1.com
The Waubonsee Community College campuses were a bit more crowded when students returned for classes this semester.
According to Jeff Noblitt, director of marketing and community relations, enrollment numbers are up almost 15 percent from this time last year.
More than 1,000 additional students were added to Waubonsee's fall roster, Noblitt said. This equates to an increase of 16.3 percent in total semester hours taken at the Sugar Grove and Aurora campuses.
To Noblitt and his staff, these numbers come as no surprise.
"We are really in a period of unprecedented growth," he said. "Every year, growth is like we've never seen. We're looking at the growth being attributed to many different factors, but right now the most prevalent is the economy."
Waubonsee is not alone. In February, The Associated Press reported that a national group representing community colleges said the average increase from spring to spring is dramatic, in the range of 4 percent to 19 percent.
Nationwide, the average annual cost of community college is $2,402, compared to $6,585 in tuition and fees at in-state public four-year schools, according to the College Board. Average tuition and fees for private four-year schools: $25,143.
Factoring in financial aid, the College Board estimates the average net cost at community colleges is only about $100.
As more and more people in the work force are losing their jobs, they are looking for ways to get their careers on track. Noblitt said the best way to do that is to upgrade your education, and older students realize they can do that conveniently at Waubonsee.
"On the flip side, other students who would have started at a four-year school have begun to realize there's money to save right in their back yard," Noblitt said. "They can save significant amounts of money and still get a great education with small class sizes before moving on to a four-year university as a junior."
Noblitt said across the nation there has been a heightened emphasis placed recently on the value of community colleges and the education they can offer. The support of the community, which passed a referendum in both 2002 and 2003, has helped WCC prepare for growth, Noblitt said.
In July, President Obama proposed a $12 billion investment in community colleges in an attempt to bolster community college graduates.
Noblitt said WCC's new downtown Aurora campus is expected to open in the fall of 2011. This campus will enable students to earn a complete associate's degree and also will feature work force development and adult education programs and services.
A Plano campus will open for spring classes of 2011 on Route 34 just outside Yorkville. The 33,000-square-foot building will house general classrooms, science labs, computer labs, an interactive television classroom, and a certified nurse assistant lab where students can worked toward their associate's degrees.
"We've been preparing for this," he said. "We are able to offer students world-class, top-flight, state-of-the-art facilities, and students know by staying close to home they're not shorting themselves on getting good education."