The War on Our Youth: More Youth are Going to College

As I continue to highlight the issues both good and bad about our youth, it seems as if college enrollment is up mostly at 2 year schools. This is a good sign for our youth, I would say, wouldn’t you. Some are there because of the recession, and others despite it. Regardless, more young Americans than ever are in college — especially community college, according to a new report. A record high of about 11.5 million Americans age 18 to 24, or nearly 40 percent, attended college in October 2008, according to a study of Census data released last week by the Pew Research Center. Virtually all the increase of 300,000 students over the previous year came at two-year schools, while attendance at four-year schools remained flat.

Community colleges almost certainly saw attendance go up at least that much again this year, though final figures are not yet available. The American Association of Community Colleges reports growth rates of 10 percent and higher have been common this fall on many campuses. Overall college attendance has been going up for about 30 years; what's new is the sharp uptick at community colleges, driven in large part by recessionary bargain hunting and closer ties between two- and four-year colleges that give students more confidence they'll be able to transfer. "It's not just middle-aged people coming back to school and very poor people any more," said Mike Grace, 24, a student at Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh, N.C., who plans to transfer to nearby North Carolina State next spring. "I'm seeing what I would consider to be relatively rich kids coming to school."

As a broader range of traditional-age college students choose a community college, "it doesn't have the stigma it once did," Grace said. Last year, nearly 12 percent of all 18- to 24-year-olds, or 3.4 million, were enrolled in community colleges, up from 10.9 percent the year before. The relative economic advantages of at least starting a degree at a community college have widened as prices at four-year colleges have shot up much faster. Average tuition and fees at public two-year colleges ran just $2,372 this year, according to a study released last week by the College Board, compared to $7,020 at public four-year colleges and more than $26,000 at private ones. Once government grants and other aid are factored in, community colleges are essentially tuition-free to the average student, though living expenses and books remain.

"People have less money," said Hope Davis, a spokeswoman for the Community College of Baltimore County in Maryland, where enrollment is up about 14 percent this year. "If you can go to community college and pay $2,500 instead of $25,000 and get your general education credits out of the way and then transfer, it makes more sense.” For Grace, Wake Tech is about one-third the price of a public four-year college. By saving money up front, he hopes to stretch out his Montgomery GI Bill benefits long enough to cover a master's degree, too. Wake's enrollment is up 11 percent this year, on top of a 14 percent increase in 2008. Classes are crowded, but rigorous. Grace thinks some are harder than at N.C. State because the community college is determined that its graduates succeed after they transfer. Grace's sister tried to persuade him he'd be missing out on dorm life and other experiences at a commuter college, but he disagreed. "I've lived in barracks before," said the Afghanistan veteran. "I don't want to party my way through school. I just want to go through school and get my degree.”

Richard Fry, the report's author, said another factor behind community college growth is the steadily increasing proportion of young adults who have completed high school, which hit a record high of nearly 85 percent last October. That means more students are eligible to pursue higher education, but most of the growth is coming from students whose academic qualifications make them more likely to start at two-year school. While it's good news more students are enrolled in college, the Census figures say nothing about whether overcrowded two-year institutions will succeed in getting students the credentials they seek or helping them transfer to bachelor's degree programs.

Many are bursting at the seams, cutting some courses to meet budgets and holding others late at night. It's impossible to say how many have been turned away for lack of space (California estimates about 200,000 in that state alone). Baltimore County colleges have turned student lounges into classrooms and asked students to take classes during more unpopular time slots — early mornings and Friday nights, for instance. At least one college, Bunker Hill Community College in Boston, is holding some classes between midnight and 2:30 a.m.

President Barack Obama has made community colleges the centerpiece of his goal for every American to have at least some higher education credential by 2020, and earlier this year proposed spending $12 billion over the next decade to help community colleges graduate an additional 5 million people. The House responded last month by passing a student aid bill that included about $10 billion in initiatives directly focused on community colleges. The Senate has not yet taken up the proposal.

Still some question if President Obama’s proposal for community colleges is enough. Arthur Call commutes three hours roundtrip to his anatomy class at community college because similar courses on campuses closer to his Indianapolis home are packed this semester. “Classes around the state were just full,” says Call, a full-time student who takes the rest of his classes in Indianapolis. “Thank God it’s only Tuesdays. I just have to drive there once a week.” President Barack Obama wants to invest some $12 billion in community colleges with the aim of seeing an additional 5 million students graduate by 2020. This goal comes while many schools are already bursting at the seams with droves of displaced workers hit by the recession competing with traditional students seeking an education bargain.

“All community colleges are not prepared to take on those potentially large numbers of students,” said Debra Bragg, a professor and director of the Forum on the Future of Public Education at the University of Illinois. The Obama administration notes that 5 million more community college graduates doesn’t necessarily mean there will be that many more students — schools could increase graduation rates to reach the goal. And the administration says money from the 10-year initiative to rebuild aging facilities and establish online classes would help schools handle the extra students.

Bragg says the schools’ ability to deal with more students largely comes down to cash. Much of the money for the nation’s 1,200 community colleges comes from local and state sources. That funding has been hard to come by during the economic downturn, even as enrollment booms. In California, community colleges are struggling to cope with $840 million in budget cuts while enrollment is expected to climb. Obama’s 10-year initiative would provide a welcome infusion of cash, but some fear it would not sustain community college programs. “They will be constrained by funding,” says Bragg. “It could be potentially extremely challenging if there’s not increased funding at the federal, state and local level to make that happen.”

The conundrum comes at a time of intense growth for the more than century-old community college system, which already educates more than half the nation’s undergraduates. And more young Americans than ever are going to college, particularly community college. A record high of about 11.5 million Americans age 18 to 24, or nearly 40%, attended college in October 2008, according to a study of Census data recently released by the Pew Research Center. Almost all of the increase of 300,000 students over the previous year came at two-year schools.
About 12% of 18- to 24-year-olds were enrolled in community colleges last year, up from 10.9% in 2007. Enrollment numbers are not yet available for the fall 2009 semester, but the American Association of Community Colleges estimates enrollment is up at least 10% over 2008. Some schools have reported increases of 25% to 30%.

Michael Hansen, president of the Michigan Community College Association, says classes in popular fields such as nursing require low student-to-faculty ratios and expensive equipment. He is concerned it will be difficult to meet new demand without yet more funding. “It’s a little bit of a bittersweet pill,” Hansen said. “It’s great that people are coming back to community colleges to get trained, but a student only brings about a third of the cost of their tuition.” Ivy Tech Community College President Thomas Snyder says his school can handle more growth in part by finding savings internally and relying on philanthropic and community donations. The school will not expand too much and find itself with empty classrooms if an economic turnaround slows future enrollment. “We’re cautious in making sure that we don’t make expenditures on staffing, for example, or other critical areas that we can’t sustain,” Snyder says.

While officials wait to see whether Obama’s plan will become reality, community colleges are turning to creative — though not always convenient — ways to cope with already large crowds. Bunker Hill Community College in Massachusetts holds graveyard shift classes that end at 2:30 a.m., while the Community College of Baltimore County in Maryland has converted a student lounge and locker room space into classrooms. Parking shuttles and weekend classes are popping up across the country. Call, the commuter, could not squeeze into the anatomy class in Indianapolis but was happy to get in at Peru, about 70 miles north of the city. The Army veteran is trying to get his grades up before deciding whether to switch to a pricier four-year school or stay at Ivy Tech. “I have to take that class,” says Call, who passes the time on the road listening to music. “It’s definitely worth it.”

Thus with more youth going to college, now is the time to look to prepare our youth for the future by making sure they have the skills that our future will need. This is one key to winning this war on our youth and the other key to winning the battle on higher education is to find the funds and resources for our youth to continue to further their education beyond just two year institutions.