It’s like seeing the end of a 52-game winning streak, John Masterson said.
Masterson, Allen County Community College president, spoke to college trustees Thursday about a drop in ACCC’s enrollment this fall.
Enrollment is down 5.1 percent from the fall of 2009, the first time in more than a decade.
Masterson and Randy Weber, vice president for student affairs, said they were able to pinpoint the cause — a 15-percent drop in outreach enrollment.
Much of that was precipitated in the loss of high school students in Shawnee County who participated in dual-credit courses with ACCC.
The students had been allowed to obtain ACCC credits even though they were in the Washburn University’s service area, not Allen County’s, Weber said.
“They had allowed those students to (take ACCC classes) until this year,” Weber said.
Now, Shawnee County students wishing to participate in dual-credit courses must do so at Washburn.
“I’m sure if the students had their choice, they’d want to stay with us because we’re so affordable,” Weber told the Register.
“And if it wasn’t for losing those Shawnee County students, our enrollment would be up,” Masterson told the trustees.
Overall, 2,951 students are enrolled at ACCC this semester, down from 3,108 last year.
On-campus enrollment in Iola was down slightly from last year, 627 students compared to 633 in 2009.
Outreach enrollment stands at 1,462 students, down from 1,719 last year.
Online enrollment continues to grow, Weber said, with 862 students enrolled, up from the 756 students enrolled last year.
Despite the smaller numbers, Weber said he was eager to see how the college’s enrollment stands next year at this time, “when we have a base number to work from again.”
IOLAN JIM Gilpin, who recently joined the ACCC Endowment Association, spoke briefly about the college investigating ways to promote itself, perhaps in the form of a brochure.
Many Allen Countians aren’t aware of the quality education a student can get at ACCC at an affordable price, he said.
He pointed to statistics provided by the college recently, noting that the cost to educate a student at ACCC is the lowest in the state and a full 27 percent lower than the next-lowest college.
The school also remains a bargain for local taxpayers, who are responsible only for 11 percent of the college’s annual revenues. For comparison’s sake, 38 percent of the revenues statewide for community colleges comes from taxpayers in property taxes.
In fact, ACCC receives more income from “auxiliary sources,” such as book store sales and residence hall rental, than it does from its property tax levy.
Gilpin asked if it would be appropriate for the college — or the Endowment Association — to develop an informational brochure, “something you could put in somebody’s hand.”
WEBER ANNOUNCED at Thursday’s meeting that the college has been named a “military friendly school” by G.I. Jobs magazine, a periodical geared to military veterans transitioning back into civilian life.
The designation goes to schools rated in the top 15 percent nationwide for educational opportunities and other services for military veterans.
TRUSTEES accepted the retirement announcement of custodian Jonelle Lesslie, effective in February. She has been at ACCC for 30 years.
