Summer numbers down
By Matt Bishop, Editor
OCCC took a slight 0.8 percent hit in enrollment for the 2008 summer semester, according to the July 11 enrollment numbers from the Office of Institutional Effectiveness.
The headcount for students enrolled in the summer semester was 5,658 students. That is a 0.8 percent decrease from the 5,771 students enrolled in the summer of 2007, said Joyce Morgan-Dees, Research Support Analyst.
The total number of credit hours being taken is down slightly also. Students are taking a total of 26,905 credit hours this summer, a 0.6 percent decrease from last summer’s total of 27,362, Morgan-Dees said.
OCCC President Paul Sechrist said he believes the decrease in summer enrollment is due to the increase in the percentage of students who are recent high school graduates.
“This provides for a longer summer break, [allowing] students to work more in the summer, or only work during the summer to earn more money to go to college in the traditional fall and spring semesters,” Sechrist said.
Although some numbers may be falling, the number of minority students has risen from last summer.
Minority students make up 1,652, or 29.2 percent, of the college’s summer enrollment numbers, Morgan-Dees said.
This is a 1.8 percent increase from last summer.
“The make up of the student body is reflective of the changes in the diversity of the community OCCC serves,” Se-christ said.
In 2007, minorities made up 32 percent of the enrollment, doubling the minority enrollment from 1992, which was 16 percent.
Morgan-Dees said, “We are continuing to work hard in increasing our minority population.”
OCCC’s highest ethnic increase was among Asians at 9.8 percent, at a total of 480.
Native American enrollment increased to 277, making up 4.9 percent of the enrollment, a 5.3 percent increase from last summer and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander makes up .4 percent of the enrollment with 23 students, Morgan-Dees said.
However, the Hispanic/Latino enrollment number took a significant 12.4 percent decrease, dropping enrollment to 338, making up 6 percent of the colleges population, Morgan-Dees said.
African-American enrollment was at 534, 9.4 percent of the OCCC enrollment, which is 3.9 percent from last summer, Morgan-Dees said.
Also, females make up 60 percent of OCCC enrollment, while males make up 40 percent, Sechrist said.
“The trend for many years was an increasing female student population,” Se-christ said.
“It does seem to be leveling off at this point.”
This number is reflective with most colleges in the United States, Sechrist said.
Twenty-seven percent of students attending classes at OCCC this summer are planning to seek degrees elsewhere.
Sechrist said although the tracking process is early, fall enrollment is expected to rise slightly based on current enrollment numbers.
Editor Matt Bishop can be reached at editor@occc.edu.
