East Central Community College started the Fall 2019 semester with 181 students less than the previous year, but president Billy Stewart said there is no cause for alarm.
“This is part of a national trend,” he said. “Colleges all across the country are seeing enrollment decline.”
Part of the issue in enrollment is due to the low unemployment rates, 5.1 percent in Mississippi and 3.7 percent nationally per the U.S. Department of Labor. Stewart said East Central isn’t seeing as many adults come back to school or attend night classes because they have good-paying jobs and don’t feel the need to continue their education.
At East Central, Stewart said the college has seen a 6.9 percent decrease in headcount and a 5.9 percent decrease in credit hours, which translates to a loss of more than $100,000. However, he said that is not because of recruiting issues or the increase of dual credit courses offered in area high schools.
“People will say that area high school seniors are not coming to East Central Community College. That is not true,” he said. “In fact, there are more this year than there were last year.”
Enrollment of true freshmen, students directly out of high school, did, in fact, rise from 681 students in Fall 2018 to 740 in Fall 2019.
After analyzing enrollment data from this year and previous years, Stewart said the decline in enrollment is highest among returning sophomores, which is, at least in part, a good thing.
Several years ago, ECCC revised several of its degree and certificate programs to make it easier for students to graduate in two years. The college also increased the number of credit hours needed to be considered a full-time student from 12 to 15 hours to help reduce the number of super-sophomores and help students graduate on time.
And, Stewart said, it worked. The annual graduating class from East Central Community College has grown from 381 students in 2013 to a record 599 in 2016. Of the 181 students the college lost from the past year, he said about half did not return because they graduated.
“That’s a good thing,” he said. “That’s what we want.”
The other 90 students who did not return left for not-so-good reasons, Stewart said. Those students left due to academic probation or difficulties managing the rigorous college-level courses East Central offers.
While ECCC offers tutoring, advising and other assistance to students, Stewart said he wanted to further investigate the needs of students struggling with their classes and see how the college could do more to support them. Whether they need to add a support program or do better at advertising the help already in place, he said the administration and instructors at the college wanted to do everything in their power to help students avoid dropping out.
In addition to student support, Stewart said East Central is seeing a change in how students take classes. In 2013, he said, 66.9 percent of students received face-to-face instruction. In 2018, that number was 51.9 percent.
Next year, East Central Community College will finish it’s 5-year strategic plan, 2020 Vision, and begin developing a new plan for the future. In that plan, Stewart told trustees, the board must address the changing landscape of online versus physical classes, student support and credit delivery methods to help guide the college through the next five years.
