Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Michigan Community Colleges See Decline in Summer Enrollment

  • By Yvonne Marquez
  • 04/20/20

Michigan community colleges are seeing a decline in summer enrollment, an indication of what’s to come in the fall, reports the Detroit Free Press.

Summer sessions begin as early as the first week in May with many following at the end of May.  

As an example of what the state’s 28 community colleges are facing, the Detroit Free Press looked at Washtenaw Community College. WCC will begin their summer term on May 8 with all classes online only. On March 12, WCC saw a 11% decrease in registration for summer classes compared to the same time last year. On April 3, after the college announced it would be online only, registrations were down 36.5% from last year’s number. By April 15, enrollment was down by 26% overall.

The hardest hit programs by the enrollment drop are geared toward a skilled trade like culinary or welding, which are difficult to teach online. Some of those classes have been canceled.

WCC is projected to lose nearly $2 million from this fiscal year from summer tuition revenue. The school is also anticipating loses from state aid.

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • URI Cuts Underwater Ribbon on New Ocean Robotics Laboratory

    The University of Rhode Island recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new Ocean Robotics Laboratory at its Narragansett Bay Campus, according to a news release. Two students used a remotely operated vehicle to cut an underwater ribbon in a 30-by-20-foot test tank.

  • Montclair State University Starts Construction on $120M STEM Building

    Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J., recently broke ground on a new $120-million Interdisciplinary Science Building, according to university news. The university partnered with HoK Architects for the project’s design, and it’s scheduled to open in time for the 2028–29 academic year.

  • Wold Completes Geothermal Projects at Two Minnesota Schools

    Wold Architects & Engineers recently announced that it has completed two geothermal expansion projects for Mounds View Public Schools in Shoreview, Minn., according to a news release. The work at Highview Middle School and Irondale High School serves the district’s long-term goal of reducing energy costs and dependency on non-renewable fuel sources, as well as improving building performance.

  • University of Pennsylvania Releases Design of Future Physical Sciences Building

    The University of Pennsylvania (Penn) in Philadelphia, Penn., recently released renderings of an upcoming 350,000-square-foot Physical Sciences Building, according to news release. The facility was designed by CO Architects and will unite the university’s departments of Physics and Astronomy, Mathematics, and Earth and Environmental Science.