By Luke Guertin | Observer Contributor
Enrollment numbers at community colleges across Massachusetts have plummeted, with many factors — including the COVID-19 pandemic — contributing to the decline. The Mount is no exception. “We are down, like every community college,” said James Vander Hooven, President of Mount Wachusett Community College. “I know we are in a challenging time.”
According to The Boston Globe, from the fall semester of 2019 to the beginning of the fall in 2022, 13,000 dropped out of community college, and it is feared most of those students will not return. The article also states that most of those students were parents who are unable to attend school while also caring for their family. The largest drop in all community colleges came between the fall of 2019 to 2020, when 8,600 dropped out to work or take care of family. The number of students who enrolled from 2012 to 2022 fell 37%, which has left roughly 6,000 students in the state left attending community college. Data from the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education indicates that MWCC is smaller than most other community colleges, so even as all other community college enrollment numbers decline, the impact on the Mount is especially noteworthy.
Community colleges all across the state are working to bring students back to school. For example, North Shore Community College gave students $500 credited to their student account if they enrolled in 9 credits before December 30th of 2022. They are also holding enrollment events on weekends to allow more people to attend.
Cape Cod Community College is returning to visiting nearby high schools after the pandemic ended them. The visits are how the school reaches students and raises interest in the college’s program offerings. With community colleges usually having small marketing budgets, meeting students face to face being the best method to bring them in.
“A lot of students come on recommendations of school counselors and family,” said Marcus Williams, a Senior Admissions Counselor at MWCC. Other ways the school recruits is through phone calls, emails, and visits to schools in the nearby area, such as Leominster, Fitchburg, Westminster, Millbury, and Keene, as well as other local towns and cities up to an hour away. Visits to community events in surrounding towns are beginning to come back after they were canceled because of COVID-19. Once more contact information is acquired, emails can be more personal toward certain courses and events.
“Communication has grown since the pandemic,” said Williams. “It was a hurdle, an obstacle, but it’s a benefit.” Since COVID-19 ended in-person events, Zoom has been the primary tool utilized to meet with counselors and schools without having to make a long trip.
“There are resources here to get students can use to get back on track,” said Rhona Bettez, an Administrative Assistant. The Mount has options for financial aid and students are encouraged to apply for scholarships that are available as well. Single parents who are afraid they won’t be able to find child care can have their children cared for at the Garrison Center if they qualify. Hybrid and online classes are pushed for those who feel time prevents them from starting or returning.
“Whether it be sending emails, being out in community events, making phone calls, we are in constant communication,” Bettez said.
In addition, the state is trying to pass the Cherish Act. This will establish a more stable budget set by the Board of Higher Education. Along with fairer and more consistent financing, it will help the decrease in funding for colleges across the state, address some of the causes of debt crushing students, make it easier to hire full-time educators and improve working conditions for adjuncts and professional staff.
“The number of students is going down, but the need for support is about the same,” Vander Hooven said. As many resources as the school has, there are money factors outside that hinder students, including the decline of financial aid funding. According to a recent study conducted by Hildreth Institute financial aid has declined since the early 2000s, mostly because of a lack of funding. The study also revealed the number of students taking out loans for community college has increased by 45% in the past two decades. The number for four-year institutions is a staggering 105%. Students also receive half the amount of financial aid compared to those attending four-year institutions, which only covers 12% of the cost. Massachusetts is ranked 37th in the nation in state funded financial aid.
President Vander Hooven also cited another issue that is hurting enrollment and that is that there are fewer kids in general. And there are studies to back the claim. Along with meaning a decline in enrollment, it meant that there was a warning sign long before COVID-19 made it worse. “We expected a decline, as the number of kids is in decline. What we weren’t prepared for was the double effect of COVID,” said Vander Hooven.
Although numbers before the 2010’s are hard to find, there has been a steady decline since the Great Recession. That number was a record low in 2020.
Over the years, the perception of two-year and four-year institutions has fluctuated greatly. A survey conducted by Higher Ed Dive, roughly 66% of college students believe college is not worth the price. That is up from the last survey, and the number was comparable among high school seniors. Students were afraid of the pandemic’s effect on schooling. Almost 75% were scared of finding a job after college. Close to 66% express worry about being able to pay tuition and non-education payments. In all of that, 20% said they were more willing to attend community college, up from 13% when the survey was last taken.
With costs rising, the wages for hourly jobs have increased as well. NPR has found that more students coming out of high school are more likely to take the paycheck rather than face the prospect of student debt. Students see less value in a college degree because of the fear of debt and see more security in making money as minimum wages increase. However, a study from Georgetown University found that people who obtained their bachelors degree earned an average of almost 3 million dollars, up by almost 3 quarter of those with only a high school diploma. It also has a direct impact on the economy, as more and more jobs require skills associated with a degree. Community colleges try to help and close the gap, but with enrollment declining, the gap continues to grow. As bad as the situation may seem, Vander Hooven said, “I have this thought it might take a while to reach your goal. Five years from now, yo
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