LCCC enrollment competes with local job market

CHEYENNE —  Laramie County Community College isn’t just competing with other schools to attract students, it’s also up against rising wages in the local job market. 
Factors such as the county’s 2.8% unemployment rate and high school graduates earning $30 an hour at some local retailers are playing a role in stagnating the community college’s enrollment numbers. 
“Those are hard things to compete against when we’re talking about a four-year path to a degree that sometimes really earns similar to those wages,” LCCC President Joe Schaffer said during his State of the College address Monday. “And because at times it can take so long for us to respond, other places are starting to step up.” 
Schaffer pointed out that companies such as Google, Amazon and the newest addition to our area, Bitwise Industries, are focused on providing short-term credentials and training for the workforce. Students have to consider their pathway to a career when there are many options, and whether investing in a traditional education can get them where they want to be. 
Despite the fact that LCCC enrollment numbers increased from 5,307 to 5,389 between the 2020-21 school year and this fall, there has been a downward trend for the past decade. 
Schaffer said the college has experienced a -33.8% change since the fall of 2011, which is higher than the state community college enrollment decrease of close to 23%. The Wyoming Community College Commission also reported the headcount between fall 2019 and 2020 declined 8%, and colleges nationwide experienced a drop of 15-18%. 
This was mitigated by short-term grants, online learning, and partnerships with industry and communities. Schaffer assured attendees that there are still bright spots, such as retention, credential and graduation rates for students moving in the right direction. 
“This will be the first time we’ve been above the national average of two-year graduation rates, going from the worst in the state, now to outpacing the national average,” he said. “That is something to be proud of.”
Enrollment numbers are still a key factor in the college’s success, because tuition and fees are one of four sources of revenue. 
Tuition rates have stabilized, even as LCCC modeled for a decrease. Wyoming community college tuition and fees were 110% of the national average, according to the state finance report, but this doesn’t translate to affordability. They ranked high in the nation for the cost to attend, while the University of Wyoming was 34% of the U.S. average. 
“One of the hallmarks of a community college is accessibility and affordability, and tuition is not moving in the right direction here,” said Schaffer. “And we’re starting to lose that value proposition from an affordable standpoint, especially when students are looking at choices.” 
He said his focus for increased tuition revenue is not tied to increasing rates, but instead increased enrollment. 
He said the price tag of a college education is significant for students, especially those who come from low socioeconomic backgrounds or are first generation attendees. 
Other sources of funding include the state, which Schaffer noted provides significantly more per student than the national average. It contributes close to 50% of the revenue for Wyoming community colleges, and there was a slight increase from last year, but it was still lower for LCCC than what it was in 2018. 

“We have yet to catch up to where we were, and that is not controlling for inflationary pressures that we know are out there and that we’re all experiencing,” he said. 
In the Wyoming Community College Commission’s glance of 2022, it found that “local colleges reduced 114 positions and absorbed a 15% cut to state aid. Local revenue (mills and vehicle fees) are expected to decline 13%. Colleges are facing a state aid budget reduction of $94 million since 2010.” 
Schaffer said there are plans for the Legislature to address the issue further, and strides were made recently in terms of increased appropriations for faculty salaries. 
“They know they need to do more in this next year,” he said. “We’ll go back asking for more; we need to continue to focus on our people.” 
LCCC’s second-largest portion of funding comes from Laramie County property taxpayers, and the 2022 assessed valuation is at close to $2.2 billion. This would be an increase from the $1.9 billion the previous year, and Schaffer said it is the result of the local economy thriving. 
The mill levies have been impacted positively by increased business, housing development and property values. 
Moving forward, the priority investments for fiscal year 2023 are the faculty and staff, academic programs, strategic plan initiatives and critical operational support. 
Schaffer said with an emphasis on funding going toward the people who bring the community college together, there has been more than $1.5 million in compensation/wage increases and an increase for adjunct and overload to $850 per credit.
 
 
This story was published on August 16, 2022.