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Utah's public college and university campuses are more crowded this semester.
The reason is a slowing economy. When people lose their jobs or can't find a job, they often return to college for more education and more training. And according to the Utah System of Higher Education that's exactly what people are doing.
Justin Cowan is going back to school. He says, "It changes a lot of things when the economy isn't there to help out. You've got to do other things to better yourself." When the company he worked for got bought out by a bigger one, he was forced to find new work. He says school is the only way to do that. "I'm actually looking forward to it. It's kind of exciting for a new change," Cowan says.
He is not alone. Enrollment statewide has increased by nearly 8.5 percent. It's the largest increase since 2002. Salt Lake Community College gained the most students since last year, nearly 5,000, making its enrollment close to that of the University of Utah.
Deneece Huftalin, vice president of student services at Salt Lake Community College, says a marketing campaign is part of the reason more students are enrolling at Salt Lake Community College, but says the economy can't be ignored as a factor. She says, "We've seen an increase in the number of credit hours our students are taking, which tells us maybe they've got a little more flexibility and that maybe they're trying to get done with their education faster."
Educators say the surge in enrollment is a good thing, but there's a catch. State Commissioner of Higher Education William Sederburg says, "We have to absorb somewhere between $10 million and $13 million of additional costs, at the same time the state is cutting our budget by $33 million."
Sederburg says students will most likely see fewer advisers on campus, larger classes, less options and ultimately higher tuition. Something the Legislature has tried to prohibit. Sederburg says, "We want to keep tuition as low as possible, but I think I would be inaccurate or remiss if I didn't tell the public we're probably looking at some tuition increases next year."
If the economy continues to worsen and enrollment continues to climb, Sederburg says you can expect the quality of higher education to go down to make up for it.
E-mail: corton@ksl.com
