By Paige Kirbach
Staff Writer
SPRINGFIELD – Enrollment has been dropping at Lincoln Land, but the decrease appears to be holding steady.
This year, the headcount as of the 10th day of fall enrollment is 6,429 students. That’s a decrease of 8.6 percent from last year, said Lynn Whalen, executive director of public relations and marketing at Lincoln Land.
“We expected this due to a downturn in the high school population, along with an upturn in the economy, which generally, in community colleges, translates into more people working with less time to be in school,” Whalen said.
The total amount of credit hours being taken has also decreased, but not as low as enrollment, Whalen said. It is down 7.9 percent.
Lincoln Land just received a $1.1 million federal TRIO grant to make sure students have access to success programs, she said.
The college already offers a Center for Academic Success, offering free tutoring and study skills assistance for students who might need the extra help.
Lincoln Land is doing everything it can to get students enrolled in school and then succeed, Whalen said. It requires orientation to encourage students to get involved on campus and learn how to be successful.
“I’ve already been to the writing center for my English class. High school just doesn’t prepare you for the writing assignments in college,” said Summer Sabo, LLCC freshman student.
A decline in college readiness is a reason some see a drop in enrollment.
Too many students feel unprepared for college based on their high school educations, so they opt for the military or a minimum wage job.
“Walking into my first college English class, I was so scared! I had no idea how to begin writing a paper,” recalled Leeann Stouffe, also an LLCC freshman.
Other community colleges in Illinois have been seeing the same decrease in enrollment. Carl Sandburg College in Galesburg had a decrease of 13.7 percent between 2013 and 2014.
Paige Kirbach can be reached at [email protected].