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Nearly half of all undergraduate students in the U.S. - 11.5 million individuals - are enrolled in community colleges, according to a study recently released by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
Natalia Kolesnikova, a Fed economist and the study's author, says this impressive statistic emphasizes the importance of community colleges and the needs they're meeting. Her study, Community Colleges: A Route of Upward Economic Mobility, details the advantages and disadvantages of attending community colleges as well as characteristics of the students enrolled.
Among the positive conclusions Kolesnikova's study reaches is that during a recession, enrollments in community colleges increase even more - as job losses and burn-out of those still employed drive individuals back to the classroom to relearn and often shift gears professionally.
"In a time of economic downturn, people tend to invest in education at all levels because jobs are not as readily available," Kolesnikova said. "And now, more than ever, community 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."
Dale Chapman, president of Lewis & Clark Community College in Godfrey and Edwardsville, agrees with many of the St. Louis Fed study's conclusions - including the fact that when it comes to enrollment trends, community colleges are counter-cyclical.
"It has to do with major life events that tend to be triggering events that lead individuals into seeking an education at their local community college," Chapman said. "Examples are a layoff, a change in marital status or even if a large employer in the area is expanding - such as the ConocoPhillips plant - and seeks to hire a lot of trained workers."
A Northern Community College graduate himself who earned his bachelor's at the University of Kentucky, his master's at Michigan State and his doctorate at Harvard, Chapman says that since on average a person changes careers six to seven times, community colleges such as Lewis & Clark are in the unique position of providing life-long learning and specific skills sets on demand.
"We see a healthy number of what we call 'reverse transfers,' baccalaureate holders who go to community college for a specific set of skills," said Chapman. "Approximately 30 percent of our process operation technology program, for example, consists of students working in the local refineries who need skills in chemistry, math, fire science and more. And with those skills mastered, they head from the community college into starting salaries of $50,000 to $60,000 a year."
Some 80 percent of Lewis & Clark Community College's nursing associate's degree holders proceed on to earn bachelor's degrees in nursing, according to Chapman. "Community colleges are in such a critical higher education market niche," he added. "We're in the social mobility business. About 55 percent of our students are enrolled in baccalaureate programs, with roughly 45 percent enrolled in career programs. We now have seven universities here on campus (Godfrey) offering baccalaureate and master's degrees."
Does a stigma exist, through the eyes of employers, when given the choice of hiring a community college graduate versus the bearer of a four-year university diploma? Kolesnikova's study shows there is, but Chapman questions it.
"Remarkably, there are differences in annual salaries for individuals with an associate degree and without it for all education levels," the economist said. "Regardless of the highest degree, people who started their post-secondary education with an associate degree earn less on average than those who started at a four-year college. The difference is particularly big for those who have a PhD or a professional degree," Kolesnikova added.
Chapman says that there's an "old, legacy notion" of who community colleges are, but that it is just that.
"Some of America's great brand-name corporations get it. Employers get it. They know who we (community colleges) are," he said. "Community colleges spend less and less time on it (the legacy notion). We think our mission is very noble. Iconic places get what we do. " |
