For-Profit Colleges should be a wake up call for Community Colleges.  The GOA has been investigating for-profit colleges.  What they found was appalling to me.  It should be to everyone in the community college system.  Students want to go to community colleges, it is just that the level of service, class cancellations or no classes at the times needed, and lack of advisement, force students who want to be educated, to go to for-profit colleges.  Students are willing to pay more money so they can get the classes they need, the advisement they need, the level of service that they expect.  They are willing to pay 17X more than what it would cost at a Community College (NPR:  For-Profit Colleges Flexible but Expensive).

KORRY: But Friar’s transfer to a for-profit college came with a huge price tag. Credits at that University of Phoenix cost 17 times more than at Friar’s old school. Her degree will cost her an additional $20,000, but the added expense hasn’t scared her away.

The community colleges must do something.  It is because of poor service that people go to other schools.  I cannot tell how many times a class was cancelled because it had 14 students (and not the minimum required 15).  Or those students have a hard time getting to see counselors because the counselors are booked solid for weeks at a time.  Or, that a class is so crowded that it is over the maximum number of students because of overrides given to make room for students of cancelled classes.  Or there are not enough classes at the times the students need.  All things that for-profit schools do right.

While it is great to keep tuition prices low (MCCCD hasn’t raised tuition rates in a few years, $71 a credit hour).  But I bet that if tuition was raised, and not that much, and it guaranteed the student that they would be able to take the classes they need and get out within 2.5 years (if they took the full load), that they would be able to talk with an advisor within a few days of setting an appointment, that students would not mind paying the extra tuition.  I don’t truly believe that students want to pay 17X the tuition rate.  They only do it because they are forced to.  They don’t want to wait 3-5 years to finish their AA degree.  With for-profit schools, they can finish at 2.5 years or sooner.


What community colleges must do:  Increase faculty in the areas that need it most.  And not just adding adjunct faculty – but full time faculty.  Increase the number of advisors for career and education.  Offer more classes at more times throughout the day and night.  It is almost impossible for a student to work during the day and get their degree at night only in my district.  Offer more Saturday classes as well.  At Fox Valley Community College, students in the electronics programs can sign up for classes at any time – last class ends at 10pm.  Many people who go to the for-profit schools go at night, after work.  Community Colleges have to think about the night students, not just the typical college students that are available during the day.   Don’t have a core class for a degree only offered once a semester, at one or two times during the day.  If students were getting their needs met at the Community Colleges, then they would not go to the for-profit schools.  But students’ needs are not being met – despite that being the mission statement of every CC.  Students would pay for being able to get their classes, get their advisement, and get out in 2 to 2.5 years.  It should never take 3 to 4 years to get an AA.  But community colleges are dropping the ball.  They are stuck in the past and need to wake up.  Some colleges are – but again, students go to for profit schools because they can get what they need.  Community Colleges should be filling that need.


Mark Viquesney