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New York community colleges struggling with fewer students

Jan 20, 2020 12:30 pm
Lauren Stanforth is reporting for the Times Union on how New York's community colleges are grappling with decreased enrollment, some as much as 30 percent, in less than 10 years. The state's 31 community colleges lost an average of 23 percent of enrolled students between 2010 to 2019 compared with a national average of about 14 percent between 2010 and 2017, according to data from the State University of New York and the American Association of Community Colleges. The community colleges in the Hudson Valley and Schenectady County have recorded about the same decline as the state overall, both losing about 25 percent of their students since 2010. Columbia-Greene Community College in Greenport saw a 29 percent decrease in enrollment, from 2,031 enrolled students in 2010 to 1,447 in 2019. Dutchess County Community College fared better with a loss of 16 percent, and Ulster County Community College recorded a loss of only 4 percent during the same period. “When I read the initial numbers, they are alarming and they are part of a national trend," SUNY Board of Trustees Chairwoman Merryl Tisch said. "But I’m telling you, I’m starting to see shoots of green," she said, noting improvements the state is seeing in two and three-year graduation rates from community college, as well as a slight increase in the number of people who are continuing onto to a four-year SUNY school. Tisch said the results of a detailed look at the enrollment downturn will be presented to the SUNY board in the next two to three months. Read the full story in the Times Union.