Tulsa World: TCC's fall enrollment jumps by 12 percent

MAKE US YOUR HOMEPAGE | Thursday, January 28, 2010 | WIRELESS

Home > News > Article

Newspaper View Print this story

Comment

RSS

Bookmark

TCC's fall enrollment jumps by 12 percent
The rise is linked to a stagnant economy and high unemployment.

By SHANNON MUCHMORE World Staff Writer
Published: 8/23/2009 3:30 AM
Last Modified: 8/23/2009 3:42 AM

Enrollment at Tulsa Community College this fall increased by 12 percent from a year ago, a statistic likely attributable to a stagnant economy and high unemployment numbers.

TCC President Tom McKeon said the enrollment increase is "very, very significant."

"We typically have seen that when the economy takes a downturn and we see unemployment numbers increase, we see more people coming back to school," he said.

Last week, Oklahoma State University announced a slight increase in fall enrollment. The Stillwater campus has about 100 more students than it did last year. The University of Oklahoma and the University of Tulsa will begin fall classes Monday.

The number of full-time students those taking 15 credit hours or more at TCC is 11,645. Last year's number of full-time students was 10,279. The increase from 2007 to 2008 was 7 percent.

Overall, more than 19,000 students have enrolled for this semester, up from about 18,000 and a 6 percent increase from last fall, according to the college.

Mike Ransom was among those who started at TCC this fall. He is studying cloud computing.

Ransom, 56, went to Tulsa Junior College more than 20 years ago when he couldn't find any more work in the oil fields. After training, he found a job at American Airlines and has kept a similar position ever since.

Because of continuing economic uncertainty, Ransom turned to the college again for another update on skills.

"I was kind of looking to change jobs or get a little more security in case of layoffs," he said.

Ransom found the Wavebreak program, which provides him with free tuition and a laptop computer while he learns cloud computing. Although he already has a degree from the University of Oklahoma, TCC has been there when he needed to keep up with changing demands, he said.

"I'm really satisfied with it," he said.

TCC has recently implemented programs aimed at people who are laid off and need to retrain themselves and gain new job skills.

The college set up an office at Workforce Oklahoma, a program that helps people find jobs, and began recruiting and enrolling students who came in for assistance.

TCC also created accelerated courses that allow a student to earn a degree or certificate in six to eight weeks.

Oklahoma's unemployment level in July was 6.5 percent, and the national rate is 9.4 percent.

McKeon said each of TCC's four campuses has seen sizeable increases, filling up all available space at most buildings and crowding parking lots throughout the system. TCC's enrollment projection was half of what the actual number turned out to be.

"It has stretched us, obviously, in terms of having to add some additional class segments and teachers," he said.

McKeon also attributed the enrollment uptick to the college's relatively low cost in a time when people throughout the country are looking to cut back on expenses.

Along with other state colleges and universities, TCC did not raise tuition or fees for this academic year, thanks to an infusion of federal stimulus money in the higher education budget. Tuition at the college is $90.15 a credit hour.

CAMPUS NUMBERS

Metro
7,875 students, up 8 percent from last year

Northeast
5,388, up 9 percent

Southeast
9,873, up 7 percent

West
3,454, up 10 percent

Shannon Muchmore 581-8378
shannon.muchmore@tulsaworld.com By SHANNON MUCHMORE World Staff Writer

Newspaper View Print this story

Comment

RSS

Bookmark

Reader Comments

Show: Most Recent Comment First

Add your comment

4 comments have been made on this story so far. Tell us what you think below!

Reporting Comments

If you see a comment that violates our terms and conditions, please help us by clicking the "Report this Comment" link next to a comment. That will alert the web staff to review the comment. Thank you. -- Web Editor Jason Collington

	Report Comment Dr_Doom, Latveria (8/23/2009 11:12:45 AM) Go TCC! Now you need a football team!
	Report Comment tfromtulsa, Tulsa (8/23/2009 8:51:27 PM) Dr_Doom - lol!
	Report Comment mayor_maynot, Tulsa (8/24/2009 7:46:22 AM) Didn't the president O' Bamasize enrollment into colleges in recent months for women seeking more employment options in this economic decline?
	Report Comment mayor_maynot, Tulsa (8/24/2009 7:49:25 AM) Hey Dr Doom why do you think they built the stadium downtown. Oh they need a baseball team too how convenient. A practice field right down the street. Thanks Kathy.

Add Your Comment
In order to post a comment on this article, you must sign in to Tulsaworld.com. If you do not have a site account, you can create an account for free.