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Vol. 22 No. 2
October 2007
Community Colleges Move Front
and Center
TRUE OR FALSE: Community
colleges enroll more undergraduates than our nation's four-year
public colleges and universities. That's a question The Journal
of College Admission asked recently in its "Community
College Special Issue."
The answer is, "true," according to the article
"Community Colleges: What You Don't Know May Surprise You."
A growing number of students are listing community colleges as
their number one choice, even if they have been granted admission
to four-year institutions. And an increasing number of students
are viewing community college as a high-quality alternative to
other forms of higher education. One reason is cost. Another
is the programs.
In Maine, for example, the number of applications to the state's
seven community colleges was up 16 percent for the fall semester.
Over the past four years, that state's community college enrollment
is up 47 percent and running at full capacity.
Indeed, 12 million credit and non-credit students are now
enrolled at more than 1,200 two-year community, junior and technical
colleges around the nation.
"Faced with the rapidly rising cost of higher education,
the ever tougher race for admissions and the need to save for
their own future, many families see community college as a way
to keep expenses at bay-at least for a few years," The
Miami Herald recently reported.
But there are other reasons. Guidance counselors note that
classes are smaller at community colleges and test situations
appear less stressful to students.
More "home-schoolers" are also opting for community
colleges to take advantage of dual-enrollment courses and an
easier transition to four-year colleges, the Community College
Times reported in August. Community colleges are also meeting
other needs. In May, the Education Commission of the States released
a paper describing the role community colleges are now playing
in teacher preparation to help meet the ongoing demand for quality
teachers. The paper described how community colleges were capable
of meeting critical workforce demands in local and regional communities
to positively affect the field of teacher education. (See http://www.ecs.org.)
Further, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC)
recently noted that more than 50 percent of all students entering
nursing and other health care fields are educated at community
colleges, as is a significant portion of those entering fields
requiring computer skills. Registered nursing, practical nursing,
radiology and computer technologies are among the most successful
community college programs because demand for these graduates
is rising.
The U.S. State Department is fostering new relationships with
international students and community colleges. It recently launched
a new exchange program with Egypt, for example, as part of the
U.S. Community College Summit Initiative Program, according to
the Community College Times. The initiative will bring
over 1,000 Egyptian students, faculty and administrators to community
colleges throughout the U.S. Participants will study in "fields
critical to Egypt's economic growth and development" and
work as soon as they return to Egypt.
Under this Initiative Program, the State Department will invite
students from six countries to study at U.S. community colleges
starting this year.
Also, community colleges nationwide are redefining their mission
to signal a move toward a more seamless path to a four-year degree.
Cecil Community College in Maryland and the Community College
of Southern Nevada, for example, both removed the word "community"
from their names effective July 1. And the U. of New Mexico and
Central New Mexico Community College are building a new campus
in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, which both institutions will share.
Improving Grad Rates and
Transfers
At the same time, there's pressure on community colleges
to improve their graduation rates and for universities to streamline
the transfer of the credits students earn at community colleges.
The City University of New York, for example, plans to spend
$20 million over the next three years to increase graduation
rates at its six community colleges. Called Accelerated Study
in Associated Programs, the effort hopes to aid 50 percent of
participants to graduate and get a job in three years; 75 percent
in four years. On average, only 16 percent of community college
students graduate within six years. Because that is such a disturbing
figure, the program will enroll 1,000 low-income students interested
in fields where there is a local employment need. Students will
study in groups, receive tutoring and advising and take on part-time
jobs in their desired field.
The State of Washington is rewarding colleges monetarily for
improved academic achievements. About $500,000 has been set aside
as an incentive for all of the state's 34 community and technical
colleges, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported last
month. The colleges will receive extra money every time a student
makes a significant gain in basic skills tests in math, listening
or reading, earns a GED, passes a pre-college writing or math
course, earns the first 15 credits, earns five credits in college-level
math or earns a degree.
The U. of Alabama is encouraging smoother transfers with a
new program that will cover tuition and fees for some college
transfers beginning this fall. Students who have a "B"
average in two years of community college and qualify for full
federal Pell Grants will have the tuition and fees not covered
by the grant paid for by the university, which on average is
about $2,908.
Likewise, students in Virginia who receive an associate's
degree with a 3.0 grade-point average may continue at a four-year
state college or university at the community college tuition
rate.
The result of such efforts is that more community students
are applying for transfer to four-year institutions. The U. of
Miami, for example, reported an increase in the number of students
applying for transfer. This year alone, the Miami Herald
said, the university had 3,500 applications for 650 openings
in its transfer class.
In fact, more than 50 community colleges in nine states are
now part of a multi-year initiative to ensure that more community
college students succeed in earning degrees or certificates or
transfer to other institutions for continuing study. The initiative,
Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count, is led by the
AACC and 13 partner organizations.
Also, the Southern Regional Education Board released a 20-page
paper recently called "Clearing Paths to College Degrees:
Transfer Policies in SREB States." It describes the state
transfer policies that enable students to make smooth transitions
between public two- and four-year colleges. Oklahoma, for example,
now guarantees that students who earn an associates degree can
transfer as juniors to public four-year colleges in Oklahoma.
(See http://www.sreb.org.)
For more info on community colleges, see: Community College:
Is It Right for You? by Susan H. Stafford; from Wiley; ISBN:
0-471-77738-2; $14.99. They Teach That In Community College!?
A Resource Guide to 70 Interesting College Majors and Programs;
from College and Career Press; ISBN: 0-9745251-2-x; $19.95.
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Inside the Latest Test Results
SAT Scores Decline for Second Straight Year. Educators
are searching for reasons why the national scores for the SAT
fell by four points in math and reading. The College Board, which
owns the test, said greater diversity among test takers accounted
for the decline. Minority students accounted for 39 percent of
2007 test takers. And College Board officials said that whenever
the testing pool expands, scores fall.
ACT Saw Slight Increase. According to ACT, 23 percent
of graduating students taking its test are ready for college-level
work in English composition, biology, algebra and social science,
a slight increase over last year. But the ACT warned again, that
students hoping to graduate from college are not taking tough
enough high school courses. For example, only 15 percent of the
test takers who took algebra I and II and geometry, met ACT's
"college-readiness" benchmark. In contrast, 40 percent
who also took high school trigonometry met the benchmark.
Courses Lack Rigor. And high school courses lack rigor,
according to the ACT. In a recent research report "Rigor
at Risk," it claims that even the students "who take
the recommended college preparatory curriculum in high school
are often ill-prepared to handle college material." The
report further suggested that "many students lose momentum
during their last two years of high school." The report
can be found at http://www.act.org.
Math and Reading Skills Up. But not by leaps and bounds,
according to the NAEP 2007 results released late last month.
The number of eighth-graders testing proficient or advanced in
math, for example, has increased from 30 percent to 32 percent
since 2005.
High Achievers In, Tests Out. Meanwhile, Christopher
Newport U. has made the reporting of standardized tests scores
optional for some high achieving students. These include students
who have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or rank in the upper 10 percent
of their classes and are pursuing a rigorous college preparatory
curriculum. "The policy change was prompted by concerns
that too many students with outstanding academic records were
being rejected for admission to CNU because of low test scores,"
said Patty Cavendar, dean of admissions.
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THE COUNSELOR'S
CORNER
 THE GREENE REPORT
Editor's Note: Each
year, COLLEGE BOUND asks Howard and Matthew Greene, authors,
consultants and experts on the admissions process, to describe
what they see from inside their offices. Here is their report
for Fall 2007.
ONCE AGAIN, the admissions
trend to note most immediately is change. We find ourselves
puzzling over the new Common Application, new instructions from
the College Board and particular college Web sites with our students
attempting to decipher new requirements, deadlines and options.
The changes:
1. THE FINE PRINT
Despite the trend toward adoption of the Common Application
or Universal College Application, many colleges continue to require
supplements and to implement particular requirements in terms
of deadlines, various parts of applications and standardized
testing, for example. This includes private selective colleges
and public universities, from the University of Illinois to the
University of Southern California. Counselors and students find
they must look beyond the standardized applications and seek
out colleges' individual application instructions to make
sure that students are not missing "priority deadlines,"
specialized requirements for particular colleges within a university
or other curveballs.
Also, as we noted last year, more students continue to desire
and need to apply to a diverse group of colleges and universities,
and, in doing so, these students are often mixing Rolling, Early
Action, Early Notification and Early Decision application plans.
One college in the mix might allow multiple Early Action applications,
while another (Yale, for example), might not. It's essential
that students examine the fine print for every college to which
they are applying.
2. THE ACT
The ACT has become standard practice now. Most students
we see are not asking "whether," but "when,"
to take it. It is general knowledge among most families that
the ACT is accepted at every college. The fine print here is
that some colleges accept the ACT in place of both SAT and SAT
Subject Requirements (Boston University, for example, though
it takes a detailed Web search and reading an asterisked citation
to find it out), while others continue to require Subject Tests
in addition to the ACT (New York University and Dartmouth College,
for example). We typically encourage students, if they are in
a PSAT/SAT school, to start with the SAT program, and then add
the ACT perhaps in June of Junior year, depending on how the
SAT is going. Many will want to try an ACT practice test, or
work with a tutor to see which program might be more appropriate
for their learning style.
Some schools, including public and private institutions, are
putting students through both of the programs, administering
the ACT Plan and PSAT, and setting up an ACT and SAT testing
plan for spring of the Junior year. ACT has helped this along
by adding additional testing dates (including September) and
centers around the country. Students love the option of submitting
only their best ACT score, rather than a summary of all scores
as in an SAT report, though colleges tend not to mix ACT results
by taking the best section score from different ACT administrations,
as they will do with multiple SATs.
Schools can facilitate students taking the ACT by providing
information about the test. They should notify families early
enough in the process of an ACT testing schedule that is complementary
to their SAT schedule and indicate area test centers where families
can register early enough to get one of a limited number of seats.
Sometimes the space is hard to secure. They can also become a
test center.
3. THE BOYS
Media outlets have continued to raise the issue of
the boy/girl imbalance on many college campuses and across the
country as a whole. Just search The New York Times and
The Chronicle of Higher Education for many such
pieces from the past year. A student's gender can now dramatically
impact that student's odds of admission at a particular college,
positively or negatively. Many application tracking services
(Naviance's Family Connection) and general college admission
statistics don't seem to capture the gender difference, so the
determination of how a student's sex will impact admissions outcomes
is likely to be a matter of a counselor's experience, intuition
and judgment (like so much of the admissions counseling process!).
Boys, of course, are thrilled to find out that something is
working in their favor, and that they might be destined for "great
odds" when they get to college. Girls are frustrated that,
despite their hard work in a tough curriculum, they lose out
on a space at a college of interest to a less qualified male
applicant. They know that in many cases they have to work even
harder and develop an even more impressive résumé
to stand out in a crowd of strong female peers. Rightly or wrongly,
gender is impacting admissions, and is not likely to be a trend
that reverses anytime soon.
4. THE INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
While overall trends in international admissions seem
to have stabilized and even improved a bit, the biggest question
we continue to get from international families revolves around
paying for college. Despite a few prominent examples of elite
colleges and universities making more funds available for international
students, we are not aware of many more workable options for
international students who require a fair amount of financial
assistance in a climate of increasing college costs. As we work
one-on-one with international students and field a constant stream
of inquiries from them during our free, weekly internet chats
on Petersons.com, we sense the evident frustration on the part
of qualified international students from across the globe seeking
what the American educational system has to offer.
Thus, many colleges hope to increase their pool of internationals
on campus, but they do not have the resources to provide financial
assistance. They continue to deny admission to otherwise qualified
candidates based primarily on a non-existent or limited aid budget.
We have found that direct calls or emails to specific colleges'
coordinators for international admissions or financial aid directors
are just about the only way to determine accurately whether a
college is offering aid to international students, and, if so,
just how much.
The Institute for International Education has some good resources,
as does the www.studentaid.ed.gov
website of the federal government. And community colleges have
become a frequent point of entry for many internationals unable
to pay for four-year institutions, and perhaps in need of additional
academic enrichment. Work with international students is essential
for most independent counselors and many school-based counselors
abroad or in the U.S. serving recent immigrants, expatriates
or others. It is clear that for those unable to pay for college
out of savings, out of pocket or through a combination of home
country government and private scholarships, the consideration
of college-based aid for international students remains a key
element of the counseling and admissions processes.
Matthew and Howard Greene,
Howard Greene and Associates, Westport, CT, can be reached through
www.howardgreeneassociates.com.
Both are CB advisors.
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BOOKSHELF
Guide to the Top 25 Colleges for Hispanics, 2007-2008
is an annual publication from Chevrolet and Hispanic Magazine;
ratings are based on such factors as a college's "record
of helping Hispanic students succeed;" free, call 305-774-3573
or log on to Hispaniconline.com.
The National Collegiate Scouting Association has released
its "5th Annual NCSA Collegiate Power Rankings" which
rates colleges and universities based on student-athlete graduation
rates, academic strength and "athletic prowess." Included
are Division I, II and III levels; see http://www.ncsasports.org.
Washington Monthly has released its Third Annual College
Rankings of national university and liberal arts colleges; see
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2007/0709.rankings.html.
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ADMISSIONS WATCH
Alma Record. Alma C. in Michigan recruited its
largest freshman class in its 121-year history. With more than
460 new students, the Class of 2011 surpassed that of 1992, which
held the past record with 442. "Applications are up 5.6
percentbreaking the 2,000-plus application mark for the second
straight year," said Evan Montague, Alma's admissions director.
He pointed out that in last year's National Survey of Student
Engagement, Alma's faculty-student interaction was among the
top 5 percent in the nation.
Beloit
Hits New Highs. Beloit C. in Wisconsin attracted 2,256 applications,
a 67 percent increase since 2000, for 330 first-year seats. "The
female-to-male ratio is coming more into balance," the college
announced. The new class also includes 17 international degree-seeking
students and 27 international exchange students.
Bowling
Green Draws Fewer Freshmen. The budget for freshman scholarships
at Bowling Green State U. in Ohio was cut by 40 percent, and,
as a result, according to the BGNews, the number of freshmen
declined by about 350 students. "It hurt us competitively,"
said Al Gonzalez, vice provost of academic services. Although
merit scholarships stayed the same at $4.7 million, tuition increased
which may also have had an impact on enrollment. Tuition, room,
board and registration fees for the coming academic year is $15,938.
Cornell
Exceptional. Cornell U.'s class of 2011 is "more selective
than ever." Some 6,503 were accepted from 30,383 applications,
up almost 20 percent from two years ago. About 3,055, or 47 percent,
said they planned to attend. Some 768 transfer students were
accepted, and about 571 planned to attend. About 31 percent of
the new class is comprised of "students of color."
And 10 percent were born overseas. Some 87 percent of the new
class were in the top 10 percent of their high school class.
About 14 percent are "legacies," children of alumni.
Some 7 percent are recruited athletes. And 36 percent were admitted
through early decision. Nearly 45 percent were awarded financial
aid.
"As in previous years, Cornell continues to enroll a
class that is exceptional in every regard," said Doris Davis,
Cornell's associate provost for admissions and enrollment.
I.U.
Scores Highest Yet. The average SAT scores for matriculating
freshmen at Indiana U. is the highest in its history, with a
combined 1146 on the SAT reading and math portions. That's an
increase of 25 points over last year's incoming class, in a year
where national scores slipped. Nearly 41 percent of the new students
are from out-of-state, up two points over last year. I.U. admitted
about 70 percent of its applicants, down from 80 percent in 2006.
Higher test scores help "to recruit even better faculty,"
observed IU's new president, Michael A. McRobbie.
More
International Students at MSU. Michigan State U. saw a 35
percent increase in the number of international students who
joined the first-year class of about 7,200 students. New international
students hail from 49 nations. MSU maintains an office in China,
and hosted a video conference of MSU enrolled students in China
and their parents, that included the school's provost.
The preliminary stats: MSU received 24,455 applications this
year, up 5 percent from last year. MSU attributed the larger
enrollment to "increasing the availability of guided campus
visits, along with the opening of our new Residential College
in the Arts and Humanities."
Overall, MSU said its class of 2011 was its best prepared
ever. "Academically, the middle 50 percent of the class
has a grade-point average of between 3.4 and 3.8; ACT scores
range from 23 to 27 and SAT scores are between 1020 to 1240,"
according to Jim Cotter, MSU's acting director of admissions.
Penn
State U. Wilkes-Barre Campus. PSU Wilkes-Barre expected 210
new freshmen, up from 190 the past four years. Charles H. Davis,
chancellor of the campus told the timesleader.com, which serves
Northeastern Pennsylvania, that a new major in security and risk
management has generated lots of interest, but that one of the
hottest majors was administration of justice. He added, "Surprisingly
this year, survey engineering is making a rebound."
U.
of C. More Diverse. In Chicago, the Class of 2011 is "the
most diverse in college history," according to the U.
of Chicago Chronicle. U.S. minority groups and international
students make up 43 percent of the class. "The college has
taken great pride in educating intellectually talented students
from all parts of our society," said dean John Boyer.
The U. of C. received 10,382 applications for this year, a
9 percent increase over a season ago. It is the first time more
than 10,000 prospective students applied. About 1,300 freshmen
enrolled. The school received 1,508 applications from international
students, a 19 percent increase. Of those, about 138 enrolled
this fall, about 10 percent of the new class.
UMR
Rolls Up Big Numbers. U. Missouri Rolla matriculated more
than 6,000 students this fall for the first time since 1986,
according to Jay Goff, dean of enrollment management. Of these,
1,054 are freshmen and 850 of those are enrolled in the Freshman
Engineering Program. Nine percent of the new students is from
a U.S. minority group.
Additionally, 265 students transferred to the school. Among
freshmen, 76 percent come from Missouri, while the other 23 percent
hail from 29 other states. Another 1 percent traveled from nine
foreign countries. UMR has a total of 600 international students,
most in graduate programs.
Freshmen posted an average ACT score of 27.4, which the school
says is "in the top 10 percent of the nation." About
three quarters posted a 3.5 or higher high school GPA. One third
of the class posted a 4.0 GPA. Some 77 were high school valedictorians
or salutatorians. About 23 percent of the new students are female.
And 36 percent are first-generation college students. UMR posts
an 87 percent retention rate freshman to sophomore year.
Wabash
Strong. Wabash C., founded in 1832 and still one of the few
remaining all-male colleges in the nation, enrolled 255 new members
for the class of 2011. This year, Wabash received 1,450 applications.
Their average high school grade-point average was 3.6 out of
4.0.
Wilkes
U. Bulging. Wilkes U. in Pennsylvania recruited its largest
incoming class in over 30 years, according to Michael Frantz,
vice president for enrollment and marketing. Wilkes fielded about
630 freshmen this year, compared to 594 last year. Because school
records were destroyed in the 1972 flood, longer time comparisons
are not possible. More than 50 percent of the incoming class
is majoring in engineering or science. Top major choices include
nursing, pharmacy, mechanical engineering, business administration
and elementary education. The majority of Wilkes new students
come from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.
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NEWS YOU CAN USE
Rankings Roil Some Colleges. Fewer colleges are
participating in the college rankings game. For example, U.S.
News & World Report's annual college ranking drew its
lowest participation from colleges this year. Only 56 percent
of liberal arts colleges returned this year's survey, down from
69 percent last year. More than 60 college presidents have agreed
with the Education Conservancy, headed by Lloyd Thacker, not
to participate in the survey because of its "flawed"
ranking of schools. They have also agreed not to use the magazine's
rankings in their own college recruitment publicity.
Hispanics
Concentrated. Almost half of all of the nation's Hispanic
college students attend 6 percent of the nation's 3,000 colleges
and universities, according to a report from Excelencia in Education,
a group that promotes higher education for Hispanics. Nationwide,
236 two and four-year colleges are considered "Hispanic
Serving Institutions" with more than 25 percent of Hispanic
students.
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COLLEGE BOUND's Publisher/Editor: R. Craig
Sautter, DePaul University; Chief Operating Officer: Sally
Reed; Assistant Editor: Emma Schwartz; Illustration:
Louis Coronel; Board of Advisors: David Breeden,
Edina High School, Minnesota; Claire D. Friedlander, Bedford
(N.Y.) Central School District; Howard Greene and Matthew
Greene, authors, The Greenes' Guides to Educational Planning
Series; Frank C. Leana, Ph.D., educational counselor;
M. Fredric Volkmann, Washington University in St. Louis;
Mary Ann Willis, Bayside Academy (Daphne, Ala.).
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