Community colleges expecting to see increased enrollment

As community colleges in southeast Iowa prepare for the fall semester, many are expecting an uptick in enrollment

Just how much of an uptick is still a guess.

Kirkwood College Associate Marketing Director Justin Hoehn said community college enrollment historically has been the 'inverse of the economy.”

'When the economy is booming, enrollment is down a little bit. People are working and not needing to get retrained or look for a new degree,” he said. 'When the economy tanks a little bit, at that point you see a lot more people come back … there's a good possibility that will happen.”

Hoehn added it's still a little too early to tell for Kirkwood, which generally sees the bulk of its students enroll in August. Additionally, the pandemic is a completely new situation and could play out in different ways, Hoehn said.

Depending on when a vaccine is available as well as whether the economy bounces back as the virus begins to recede can have implications on enrollment down the line.

Jeff Ebbing, director of marketing and communications for Southeastern Community College, said many people seem to be waiting to hear what four-year institutions are doing before making a decision on where to enroll.

'I read somewhere that said people are lining up but not signing up. People are delaying their decisions. Typically we have more people in the system than we do now,” Ebbing said.

Echoing Hoehn's sentiments, Ebbing noted there are many factors that contribute to whether people will decide to enroll in community college for the upcoming semester. Layoffs and financial hardships due to the pandemic may push people to continue to look for work instead of returning to school. Additionally, Ebbing noted many people will wait to see what K-12 schools will do before making a decision.

'Parents will need to decide if they can do their own school or if they need to help their kids. There are so many things - so much is in limbo,” Ebbing said.

Still, Ebbing ultimately expects to see an increase in enrollment, but isn't sure 'how much or whether it will be one that necessarily materializes.”

Executive Vice President Matt Thompson at Indian Hills Community College said the college has been 'watching enrollment very closely,” and is seeing a substantial uptick in new students and direct-from-high-school enrollment but is seeing a substantial lag in concurrent enrollment for students still in high school.

'Area high schools have been out since the middle of March, which is usually the prime time to be enrolling. Hopefully when school counselors and staff get back in the month of August, we'll be working closely with them,” Thompson said.

Thompson added with various four-year institutions deciding to go with remote learning as well as financial impacts due to the pandemic, students and families will be looking at affordable education options like community colleges.

'Families who have recent high school grads may also be worried about sending students off to a large university at this time,” Thompson said about health and safety concerns people may be considering.

All three community colleges recently made their return-to-learn plans available for returning and prospective students. The colleges are offering face-to-face as well as virtual learning opportunities to meet the needs of students.

Thompson noted Indian Hills is converting at least 37 classrooms into live virtual classrooms to provide a more hybrid style of delivery that will allow students to participate from home if needed.

Similarly, Southeastern Community College is expanding its hybrid offerings, which would see students come into the classroom for certain activities but learn remotely for lectures and less involved things.

'We're really focusing on delivering education in ways that make it most convenient and most comfortable taking,” Ebbing said.