2
Space dwindling at community colleges
Christian Moreno is president of the student government at Miami-Dade College's Kendall campus. With a surge of enrollment of 15,000 students in two years, it now can take Moreno 30 minutes to find parking before class.
To view this content, Javascript must be enabled and Adobe Flash Player must be installed.
TEXT OF STORY
Bill Radke: We've all heard stories of the economic fallout prompting people to head back to college. At the same time, states are slashing their education budgets. That is a financial collision. Nowhere is it hitting harder than at America's largest institution of higher education -- Miami-Dade College. Marketplace's Dan Grech reports.
Dan Grech: Miami-Dade College has absorbed as many new students in the past two years as the total student population of the University of Miami. State funding has not kept pace.
Eduardo Padron: Right now I have the equivalent of 15,000 students, for which we're not getting a penny from the state.
That's Eduardo Padron, president of Miami-Dade College. He's had to cancel class sections, cut student services and postpone needed repairs. But there's one thing he's unwilling to do: with a third of his students living in poverty, he won't jack up tuition.
Padron: Every time we raise tuition by one dollar, it's the difference between putting food on the table and going to school.
With a total college enrollment of 170,000 students, the eight campuses are bursting at the seams.
Christian Moreno is president of the student government at the Kendall campus. It takes him 30 minutes to find parking before class. Students can wait up to four hours to see an advisor. Students with campus jobs now face layoffs.
Christian Moreno: Last year, they gave everybody in the school an agenda. It was a simple agenda, but it was tailored specifically for our campus. And now this year, it was a very limited supply, first come first served. There wasn't enough for everybody.
Community colleges around the country, from North Carolina to Maine to Washington State, face a similar situation. Inadequate funding, skyrocketing enrollment.
Alan Berube is with the Brookings Institution. He says the federal stimulus sets aside a few billion for higher ed, but it won't be enough to save community colleges.
Alan Berube: They have the infrastructure to educate a population of, say, 20,000 students, and they're trying to cram 40,000 students into that same space. There's got to be a breaking point somewhere.
Padron says the breaking point has arrived. Miami-Dade may soon have to break its unwritten contract with the community: never to turn anyone away.
Padron: This is the work force of the future. And if we fail to train them, who's going to pay Social Security taxes so all of us can retire? Who's going to provide the well-trained labor force to be competitive with China and India and Europe? Who's going to lead this nation?
Padron is now pushing for a half-penny tax in the county, so he can start building more classrooms.
I'm Dan Grech for Marketplace.
Although it has been over a year since this aired, there are a few key points I would like to add. First and foremost, Miami Dade College’s situation is not any different than that of any other rapidly expanding institution. Nearly all college campuses in heavily populated areas face similar problems with regard to parking. What’s a simple solution? Arrive early. Not once was I unable to find parking. From traditional 4-year universities to private enterprises, nearly all sectors of the economy have had to make adjustments to deal with the current economic climate. Instead of closing its doors, Miami Dade College has welcome students and granted them the opportunity to gain a quality education with top-notch professors, and at an affordable price.
During this interview, I mentioned how the supply of agenda’s had been limited. This was a small price to pay when considering the big picture. I would much rather not have had an agenda for a semester, than had a class cancelled or had other resources limited. During these tough economic times everyone has to make sacrifices, and the administration at Miami Dade College has done an exemplary job of maintaining the outstanding quality of education MDC is known for without any consequences to the students or community. Not one person I know, that had the desire and drive to further their education at MDC, was denied. In fact, Miami Dade College, with its multiple tutoring centers, computer labs, student activities, and accessible faculty, produces an environment highly conducive to learning. Community colleges throughout the state, as well as, traditional 4-year public and private institutions, could learn from Miami Dade College’s effective administration.
I have since graduated, and am now attending Cornell University double majoring in Economics/Finance with a minor in Law & Society. This is all possible thanks to the outstanding preparation I received at Miami Dade College. I fully support and stand behind my alma mater and am confident that it will not only maintain its reputation as a place of opportunity, personal growth, and intellectual development, but that it will improve in the years to come.
Colleges need to look at the radical idea of leveraging their assets -- education/training services, land, payroll, centers of excellence, bond funds, purchasing power, joint venture with growth segments, (e.g. gerenology, green technology, distribution & transportation, etc.). Collges need to see themselves as partners, reaching out to their communities to invite participation, investment, collaboration and partnership with public and private institutions.
