Amanda Smith and Ashton Hittle
Lantern Staff
Enrollment rates at Butler Community College have been declining in recent years. According to Associate Vice President of Student Services Jessica Ohman, this can be explained by decreasing population in certain locations in Kansas and employment rates.
Butler is not the only community college struggling with this issue right now, for enrollment in community colleges across Kansas has been declining since 2010, when the Great Recession ended. The competition with larger institutions is also stealing the enrollment rates from Butler, according to Ohman. There are many reasons as to why the enrollment has been declining. One of the biggest factors is the population in south-central Kansas.
“Our research shows Butler draws students from a ten-county region in south-central Kansas. The overall population of south-central Kansas, Butler’s service area, is declining and is expected to continue to decline,” Ohman said.
Another factor is that the unemployment rates have lowered to 3.4 percent since the Great Recession has ended. When the economy is doing well, adults tend to go to work rather than go to college. When the economy is not doing as well adults will go back to school to learn a new trade in order to find a job.
The advising office makes sure to talk to students about their career goal and knowing that the classes they are taking will transfer if they are transferring. Ohman stressed the fact that Butler really cares about its students and wants them to be successful. Butler’s recent decrease in enrollment has caused administration to consider ways to get it back up.
“Any decrease causes us to rethink and innovate the delivery and course options for students,” Ohman said. “For example, Butler offered four week courses at the end of the fall 2017 semester, and the courses filled quickly.”
Although many students who attend Butler are on scholarship, freshman Rachel Walker said that she chose Butler because of its affordability and means of self-promotion.
“I chose Butler because it is cheap and close to home,” Walker said. “Butler does a really good job of advertising things like Senior Day, which really caught my eye.”
There are many ways in which students can help to promote enrollment towards Butler.
Advisers recommend tasks as simple as talking to friends and family and making friends while attending Butler to contribute to more enrollment in following years.
“Share your success stories. Let them know how good Butler is to you. Word of mouth brings a lot of people in,” adviser Raeann Montgomery said. “Students should also try and make friends so they have that support throughout the school year.”