The long enrollment boom that boosted American colleges may be over. College enrollment in the U.S. fell by almost a half-million students in 2012, after rising steadily between 2006 and 2011, according to a Sept. 6 U.S. Census Bureau report.
The National Student Clearing House Research Center says college enrollment fell 2.3 percent during the-2012–13 academic year, with the college-age population dropping after a decade of marked growth. Researchers say many adults who opted out of the declining job market to make a return to school during the recession are once again back at work thanks to the nation’s continued economic climb.
“When employment is down, traditionally enrollment is down and when the economy is soft, enrollment rises,” said Joel Doepker, Ozarks Technical Community College director of communications and marketing. “Knock on wood, the economy is recovering, but that means we are not going to see the sizable growth we have seen since 2008.”
OTC’s enrollment slipped 2.1 percent this semester, down to 14,798 students from 15,123 last fall. The drop represents a sharp turn for the Springfield community college ranked 2012’s fifth fastest growing in the nation for its size category by Fairfax, Va.-based Community College Week.
OTC wasn’t alone during the Great Recession’s enrollment boon. Enrollment in degree-granting institutions increased by 11 percent between 1990 and 2000, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Between 2000 and 2010, enrollment increased 37 percent, from 15.3 million to 21 million nationwide, with much of that growth in full-time enrollment. The number of full-time students rose 45 percent, while part-timers increased by 26 percent.
Table Rock campusWhile enrollment is down, Doepker said OTC’s newest campus has recorded a 25 percent increase in student numbers compared to its former location.
Completed for the start of the fall semester, the $12-million Table Rock campus in Hollister has around 600 students, with a capacity for 2,500.
“Our starting enrollment numbers exceeded my expectations,” said Jeff Jochems, interim president of the Table Rock Campus and president of OTC’s Richwood Valley campus in Ozark. “There is always a draw with a new building, but I think a lot of it has to do with added class offerings.”
Replacing the OTC Branson center in the Shoppes at Branson Meadows, leased space the college opened in 2001, the Table Rock campus has 12 classrooms capable of holding 24 students, up from 18, and additional science labs.
“We can now have a second science offering enabling students to complete all their science courses here, rather than having to drive into Richwood or Springfield for a lab course,” Jochems said. “That’s huge for us. That’s huge for the students.”
OTC purchased 8.25 acres between highways 65 and 165, including the former Crockey’s Restaurant, in December 2010 for the new campus. In addition, the city of Hollister donated a contiguous 0.83 acres, bringing the total owned by the college to 9.08 acres, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.
While classes are already in session, infill isn’t complete at the four-story building. Jochems said the college built room to grow into the new facility.
“The third floor is about 40 percent complete right now and we won’t finish it until there is a need for more classrooms,” he said. “The fourth floor is finished off, but not in the form of classrooms; it’s currently one big open space. This enables the community to use the floor for meeting and events space.”
Jochems said the college would continue to work with business leaders to develop specific programs needed to train workers for the area.
Around the OzarksEnrollment numbers across the Ozarks are a mixed bag this semester. Missouri State University edged up just 739 students to 21,798 at the Springfield campus. Including the West Plains campus, the unduplicated student head count set a new system record at 23,838, up slightly from 23,071 in fall 2012, and surpassing the 2010 record of 23,092.
College of the Ozarks also posted increased enrollment, up to 1,497 this semester from 1,376 in 2012. Public Relations Director Elizabeth Hughes said the increase occurred because the college added a men’s residence hall this semester.
The student headcount is up at Evangel University this semester, partly because of the school’s consolidation of Evangel, Central Bible College and the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary. Enrollment rose 9 percent to 2,164 students, up from 1,967 last year, with 224 students transitioning from CBC, almost 100 more than the school’s 130 student projection. Including Assembly of God Theological Seminary students – who are currently enrolling – officials expect enrollment to hit about 2,500.
New Evangel President and CEO Carol Taylor said the school would work to ensure CBC students make the transition.
“The launch of the first school at Evangel being the School of Theology and Church Ministries is a tangible indication of our commitment to provide preparation for ministers, which was the primary focus of CBC,” she said via email. “These students will continue to be well served.”
Private liberal-arts college Drury University appears to have taken a dip this semester. While official internal numbers have yet to be released, Director of Media Relations Mark Miller said the school’s head count for the week of Sept. 9 was 4,626, down 602 students from the official fall 2012 count of 5,228.
Miller said Drury’s decline is on par with national trends, noting students older than 24 – who typically make up the College of Continuing and Professional Studies and graduate students – saw a decrease of 3.4 percent in fall 2012 compared to 2011.
Miller said declining high school graduation numbers also have contributed to enrollment declines. According to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, the number of high school graduates in Missouri topped out at 70,000 in 2010 and since then, high school graduate totals have declined to about 65,000 students. Miller said about 75 percent of Drury students are from Missouri.
OTC’s Doepker said the problem should correct itself within the next few years.
“There is a bubble of students coming in sixth, seventh and eighth grade right now,” he said. “As the economy continues to rebound, I think colleges are going to maintain growth, but see a more normal 3 to 4 percent pattern. These past few years have seen numbers skyrocket and everyone knew that wasn’t retainable for long.”
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