Las Vegas Sun

February 12, 2012

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SUN EDITORIAL:

Educating Nevada

Enrollment caps are a shortsighted ‘fix’ to a larger problem for colleges

Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009 | 2:06 a.m.

Community colleges have traditionally provided an education for all individuals — from recently graduated high school students who want their general education courses to middle-aged adults who want to train for new careers. Community colleges have always found a place for qualified students, but in Nevada that may be changing.

As Emily Richmond reported in Tuesday’s Las Vegas Sun, Dan Klaich, chancellor of the state’s higher education system, wants to consider capping enrollment. He said community colleges are running out of room and don’t have the budget to continue to take every qualified student. Nevada has 66,000 students enrolled in its four community colleges, with 43,000 people enrolled at the College of Southern Nevada alone.

CSN President Michael Richards said his college has a “de facto” enrollment cap. CSN is offering 4,418 course sections this fall and 95 percent of them are full. More than 5,000 students were unable to enroll in any classes this fall, and many more have been unable to sign up for a full course load.

The problem, Klaich said, is that the number of students is burdening the quality of the education. With its current budget, the higher education system is considering different ways to cap or limit enrollment, including raising entrance requirements at the community colleges.

However, if the university system decides to cap enrollment, it will be changing the mission of the community colleges. One of the reasons enrollment is booming is because of the poor economy. Thousands of people are going back to school to gain new skills and prepare for new careers, and when people do so, they tend to go to community college.

The real problem is that over the years, governors and lawmakers have not funded education at sufficient levels to allow them to provide the opportunities Nevadans need to succeed.

Klaich called for a “great deal of input” on the issue and said this was a judgment for the entire state to make. He is correct. Exploring ways to cap enrollment may help the colleges make it through the short-term but it doesn’t serve Nevadans well. State leaders should find ways to keep the community colleges’ mission and provide an education for all students.

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