Increases in young and full-time students indicate that more recent high school graduates are choosing community colleges over four-year universities, said Barbara Greenfeld, vice president of enrollment at Howard Community College, where the student body has grown by nearly 50 percent this decade. And the recession has made students more practical, she added.
"They'll say, 'I was going to major in art, but now I'm going to major in nursing,' " Greenfeld said. "I'm hearing more students who feel they should pick a career."
Though community college officials say they're excited about all the new students, the boom has produced plenty of difficulties. The same recession that has sent students searching for a less expensive education has forced the tightening of state and county budgets. That means community colleges are trying to serve more people without much capacity to add faculty, expand cafeterias or pave new parking lots.
"Where do you park them? Where do you feed them?" asked Kurtinitis, whose $178 million budget was cut by $1 million for 2010. "It puts a strain on an institution, but it's also a chance for us to be creative."
Officials say they'll strive to put students in the courses they need but perhaps not at the times they covet. Classes that were once offered between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. weekdays will be held at 7 a.m., 4 p.m. or, in some cases, on Sundays. Basements and locker rooms that haven't been used regularly in years will become classrooms.
At CCBC, staff members are encouraged to turn off unused computers and eat cheaper meals when traveling to conferences. The heat was turned off over winter break. Departmental budgets have shrunk 2 percent across the board. Such trims have allowed the college to avoid cutting programs or denying places to students, Kurtinitis said.
"What we won't do is close our doors to anyone," she said. "That's important to us as a community college."
Wide-open admissions policies have long been a given at community colleges, which still face snobbery from those who view them as repositories for students who couldn't hack it in high school. But in California and Florida, a combination of budget shortfalls and surging demand has forced community colleges to turn away thousands.
