Enrollment numbers down at Parkland

While it may not seem so as you walk through the halls of Parkland, enrollment rates are down - a common trend from the fall semester to the spring semester. Director of Admissions and Enrollment Management, Reo Wilhour said that they always see a decline from the fall semester to the spring semester.

"That's a standard," he explained. Wilhour mentioned that the difference in enrollment is usually not significant, being somewhere around four to five percent less than the previous semester.

"Students chose not to come back, or they run out of money," said Wilhour. "I think part of the decline is attributable to financial aid being harder to maintain. Some, not all or even most, some students don't protect their financial aid like they should."

Enrollment has been on a steady, though slight, decline for the past five fall and spring semesters. This decline can be attributed to the cyclical nature of enrollment rates at Parkland.

"(The decrease) has been a trend since we hit our peak in the fall of 2009 and the spring of 2010," Wilhour said. "In the fall of 2009, we hit our peak at 11,000 students." Wilhour said that the college has maintained its five year average both in terms of head count and F.T.E., or Full Time Equivalent, which represents the approximate number of students who will graduate going to school full-time each year.

Lower enrollment rates could mean cutbacks, but Wilhour doesn't believe Parkland has reached that stage yet. About the lower enrollment, he says, "It limits the kinds of projects we can undertake, but these things are cyclical, and it's already showing a tick up. It could limit the types of programs we offer and the types of courses we offer, but we are nowhere near that yet."

Most students haven't noticed the change in enrollment. "I honestly haven't noticed a difference," Sarah Lockmiller said. "I would think that that would be pretty steady, especially here."

"I know that there's a difference but it's not noticeable in the hallways," Professor J.A. Walwick said. "From the historical high of 2009, as the economy improves, it's probably a positive economic sign that our enrollment didn't continue to spike, that it leveled off, as that would seem to indicate more people are working."

College is a stressful enough time without having to worry that your program may disappear at any time. Students at Parkland can rest assured that, for the time being at least, their courses and programs are not in danger of being cut. Without that to worry about, students can enjoy the extra space in the halls and the easier-to-find parking spots while they last.