MIDDLETOWN – Enrollment at Orange County Community College (SUNY Orange) is down six percent from the same time last year, but officials are encouraged that it can be brought back up.
College President Dr. Kristine Young said the decline appears to be following a trend in community colleges in the northeast. That is, in part, a factor of the decline in area high school seniors, she said.
“While high school graduation rates are up, there are a fewer number of students graduating so there are fewer students coming directly from high school moving into higher education,” she said. “In addition, community colleges are off-trend, so if the economy is strong and there are jobs available, people tend to choose to be employed rather than go to school or return to school to learn a new skill or a new discipline.”
Dr. Young said they anticipate boosting enrollment with new students in the spring and summer semesters.
The smaller SUNY Sullivan, in neighboring Sullivan County, is bucking the trend, with small enrollment increases reported in recent years.
