...continued Community college enrollment, earning power increases in U.S., Fed study says

colleges are a viable, affordable alternative. Community colleges' open admission policy, lower tuition and fees, savings on room and board and a more flexible curriculum and class schedule are just some of the reasons why they attract so many students."
    The economic payoffs of attending a community college - compared to stopping education after high school - are big for those who pursue math and science curriculums,      Kolesnikova says. "Researchers found that there is a high (economic) return to technically oriented and math and science courses, about 14 percent for men and 29 percent for women," she said.
   Kolesnikova's study also revealed significant differences between demographic groups. "Women of all races have higher returns with an associate degree than do men, mostly because women are more likely to major in nursing and related fields," she said.
   But there is also a variation among racial groups and even among racial groups in one Midwestern city compared to another, according to the St. Louis Fed economist. Hourly wages of white men with an associate degree are 18 percent higher than wages of those who stopped their formal education at high school. But minority males fare even better, she said. "The returns are much higher for black and Hispanic men with an associate degree, 25 and 27 percent respectively," said Kolesnikova.
   Comparing the earning power of specific minority groups in St. Louis compared to the same minority groups in Chicago, according to Kolesnikova's study, resulted in a surprising variance. Black women in St. Louis with an associate degree, for example, earn 43 percent more than those with only a high school diploma - compared to only a 23 percent increase in earning power for black women in Chicago, she said.
   "For women especially, a community college education - particularly in nursing and related healthcare fields - boosts their earning power," said Kolesnikova. "But another factor in this is the specific labor market within that metropolitan area and the related employment opportunities it presents."  
   Critics of community colleges, she adds, point out that although a high percentage of overall students do attend community colleges, their staying power isn't as impressive. A significant portion of students complete relatively few college credits.  "One study showed that the majority of community college students complete one year or less and 35 percent  complete one semester of study or less," she said. "The study also showed that less than half of community college students complete any degrees."
   One view, Kolesnikova says, is that easy access to community college - often by students who are commuting to and from the campus and juggling work schedules and family, too - sidetracks them from a four-year college, where they are more likely to obtain a bachelor's degree with fewer "real life" distractions. "On the other hand," she added, "many nontraditional (community college) students would not have attended four-year colleges. For them, community colleges provide a chance for a post-secondary education they would not have had otherwise."

president/ceo: Kerry L. Smith
  email: ksmith@ibjonline.com

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