Community colleges face doing more with less

During the last economic slump, in the early 1990s, Angela Genna did what a lot of people do when times get rough: She went back to college, part time. The single mother of three was a medical transcriber, and she knew that getting an associate's degree would mean a better-paying job.

This past January, she graduated from Queensborough Community College. She is now working as a registered nurse at double the salary she was making before, and she plans to keep studying for a bachelor's degree. "The more you know, the better you are," Ms. Genna says.

The pitch from community colleges has special appeal now that economic turmoil has hit again: Educate yourself, make more money. But just as enrollment is rising, cities and states are cutting schools' budgets, forcing them to do more with less and to get creative about fundraising.

"We're seeing double-digit increases in enrollments across the country," says George Boggs, president of the American Association of Community Colleges in Washington. "Our fear is that just when people need us the most we'll be making it harder for them to go to college."

Community colleges, which don't have entrance requirements, aim to give opportunities to everyone. They are often the first step up the economic ladder for immigrants, dropouts, and those who are the first in their family to attend college.

"For many people, we're the first chance and the bridge. For others, we're the second chance," says Carolyn Williams, president of Bronx Community College, part of the City University of New York (CUNY).

At LaGuardia Community College in Queens, another CUNY school, two-thirds of the 12,000 students were not born in the US. "The crunch for access is particularly acute here because immigrants see education as their one and only way into the middle class and the American Dream," says Gail Mellow, president of LaGuardia.

Lindy Lawrence, a student from the Caribbean, didn't get into the four-year college she applied to, so she entered Borough of Manhattan Community College instead. "They let you know, 'We want you here and need you here,' and they work to get the best out of you," Ms. Lawrence says. "It gives you the confidence you need to move on." Having earned her associate's degree, Lawrence is moving on to St. John's University with a full scholarship that is reserved for community college students.

Bronx Community College is representative of the big jumps in earning potential that attract students. Most students there are heads of household with an average income of about $15,000. "Six months after graduation, that goes up to $25,000," according to alumni surveys, Ms. Williams says.

But the surge in enrollments is posing challenges. This spring, enrollment at CUNY's Kingsborough Community College was 10 percent higher than any semester in more than 35 years. At the same time, compared with last fall, the school has about $3.5 million less in funds – about 6 percent of its budget – and anticipates further cuts.

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