Community colleges face doing more with less

"CUNY is approaching a time when we expect big squeezes at the city and state level," says Matthew Goldstein, CUNY's chancellor.

To compensate, schools facing the same circumstances around the country are cutting back on services, offering fewer classes, replacing full-time faculty with part-time, and encouraging students to take online courses.

"They can be very painful decisions to make," says Ms. Mellow, who herself graduated from a community college and later taught at several. "Do you offer a calculus class, or keep the childcare center open on Friday afternoons?" Some courses that enrich the curriculum but are not necessities have been shut down.

Bronx Community College has been reducing routine maintenance: Bathrooms don't get cleaned as often, the lawn grows a little longer before it is cut. "Many positions are being left vacant," Williams says. Lounges and offices are being converted to classrooms. The school now charges a technology fee, and it might have to reduce library hours.

In the midst of these pressures, more students are on the doorstep and with less ability to pay. Some have been laid off or have lost a crucial second job. "We call them and they say, 'I'm sorry, I just don't have the money,'" Mellow says. "These are students who just can't manage a couple hundred dollars every couple of weeks."

Those who can find money for tuition often come up short when it comes to buying books.

Mellow and her colleagues are searching for ways to finance scholarships, equipment, software, and faculty that are not supported by reduced budgets.

"We simply must find ways to raise money outside of the traditional sources," says Byron McClenney, president of Kingsborough Community College. "Community colleges are late to the field of external fundraising, but we're going to have to be engaged in that in a way that we haven't needed to do historically."

For three years, CUNY college presidents have had their salaries and those of their administrators tied to their performance meeting fundraising targets. "Community colleges can do things differently than research universities by positioning themselves entrepreneurially," Mr. Goldstein says.

By that he means partnering with local businesses to develop a product or provide a service, offering customized training programs for companies, and renting out equipment and facilities such as labs and theaters.

Colleges such as LaGuardia are establishing nonprofit companies that can earn income from consulting. And, whereas universities turn to alumni for their major fundraising, community colleges are increasingly asking individuals and businesses for financial support.

Page: 1 | 2