Terri Manning
Central Piedmont Community College
Jeanie Moore
Rowan Cabarrus Community College
What Impacts the Enrollment of All
Higher Education Institutions
 Growth in the state
 Number of 18-19 year olds in the state
 Education level of citizens
 Budget that enables growth
 Bonds that allow for increases in space
 The economy – especially the community colleges
NC Projected Population Growth
Population Growth in NC
Number 18-19 Years Olds
Relationship Between UNC Undergraduate
Enrollment and Number of
18-19 Year Olds in the State
Enrollment Issues for the Universities
in a Down Economy
 Growth beyond what was projected.
 Those who had started degrees years ago but stopped out come
back to complete.
 Student who complete and can’t find jobs, return and take a
few more courses.
 The unemployed come to the university for retraining in hopes
of finding a different job when the economy recovers.
 Local high school grads stay local and live at home.
 Students going to other universities away from home, return
home and live with parents and take courses at the local
university (transfers increase).
 Students decide to go on for the masters or doctorate when
they can’t get a job.
Internal Issues
 Financial aid applications increase (30% at UNCC over
Fall 08)
 The number of students needing financial aid but
having zero family contribution dramatically increases
(UNCC <200 in Fall 08 to >1200 in Fall 09)
 Number of appeals for various things increases
(financial aid status, vouchers from WDB) – all
requiring more staff.
Relationship Between Enrollment and State
Funding for UNC Institutions
UNC Total FTE
State Average $$ per FTE
Does NOT include reversions.
Best Predictor of Headcount Growth for CPCC
The MSA and CSA Unemployment Rates
MSA Unemployment Rate
CSA Unemployment Rate
15.00%
14.00%
13.00%
65,000
12.00%
64,000
CPCC Total Headcount
63,000
11.00%
62,000
10.00%
61,000
9.00%
60,000
8.00%
53,000
1.00%
52,000
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
0.00%
2009
2.00%
2008
54,000
2007
3.00%
2006
55,000
2005
4.00%
2004
56,000
2003
5.00%
2002
57,000
2001
6.00%
2000
58,000
1998
7.00%
1999
59,000
NC Unemployment and NCCCS
Curriculum Headcount
NCCCS Curriculum Headcount
NC unemployment Rate
12.00%
11.00%
10.00%
9.00%
8.00%
7.00%
6.00%
5.00%
4.00%
3.00%
???
Source: State ESC and NCCCS Websites
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
310,000
300,000
290,000
280,000
270,000
260,000
250,000
240,000
230,000
Does NOT include reversions.
Relationship between Funding
and Enrollment
Unemployment in the Charlotte MSA
12 Month Change in Employment
by Field
12 month
% change
Manufacturing
-11.80%
Information
-5.20%
Financial
-6.60%
Leisure/Hospitality
Trade/Transportation/
Utilities
-1.90%
Professional/Business
-9.20%
Education/Health
1.40%
-6.70%
With Poor Economic Conditions,
the Students are More Needy
• Displaced workers are different than the more
traditional community college students
• A greater need for student services
• Need for financial aid goes up
– At CPCC
•
•
•
•
2007-08 5,581 students - $12,562,977 in aid
2008-09 6,691 students - $16,772,986 in aid
2009 (fall only) 5,967 - $10,987,837
Total FAFSAs for Fall 2009 = 38,024
– Number with zero family contribution (family cannot
help them at all) rose from 2,891 in 2008 to 4,681 in 2009
(increase of 62%).
Students are More Needy
• Need for remedial courses goes up: Fall 2009
Of the Top 25 Highest Enrolled Courses – Eight were Developmental
Course
Sections
Seats
Capacity
Available
% Sold
MAT070
43
1118
1092
-26
102.4%
RED090
39
978
975
-3
100.3%
MAT080
37
947
936
-11
101.2%
ENG090
36
910
900
-10
101.1%
ENG090A
36
909
900
-9
101.0%
MAT050
33
830
829
-1
100.1%
MAT060
31
767
764
-3
100.4%
ENG080
27
701
729
28
96.2%
Students Are More Needy
Need for literacy programs increases
Literacy Programs
GED/Adult HS
Limited Eng. Prof.
Comp Ed.
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Impact of Low Education Levels
 Industries with uneducated workers appear to be most




impacted in a down economy.
Those with the least education are released first.
Charlotte is slightly different with the financial
industry problems.
A poor economy releases large numbers of individuals
with much greater educational needs.
Add on top of that – being fired from a job you have
held for 20-30 years.
Colleges and universities are serving large numbers of
these unemployed individuals with less funding than
the previous year – when we need additional staff.
Case in point…..
Rowan-Cabarrus Community
College and the Closing of
Pillowtex
The world has flattened due
to outsourcing, trade
agreements and technology.
What is a “Flat World”?
• One where technology and collaborative
economies have created an entirely new
playing field.
•Increased competition and requirements for
not only new skill sets but a much more
self-reliant, creative and innovative mind
set.
Flat World Indicators
•Collaboration and competition for increasingly different
kinds of work from diverse corners of the world
•Connectivity into a single global network which has the
possibility of ushering in an amazing era of
prosperity and innovation
• World shaped by individuals instead of corporations
• Era driven by non-western, non-white countries such
as China and India
• Shift from manual labor to skilled labor moving
overseas
Poster Child for a Flat
World
Pillowtex (Fieldcrest Cannon)
Closed July 30, 2003
4,800 local jobs lost
Pillowtex Demographics
• Average age 46
• 45.7% without high school credential
• Multi-generational job losses within families
• Limited transportation
• Psychologically and physically immobile
• Community social and economic structure dismantled
Barriers to Success
• Reluctant or unable to confront reality and consider life
options
• Intimidated by idea of returning to the classroom
and did not take initiative to seek training
• Not eager to attend school
• Technically challenged with little or no computer
skills, rendering them ineffective in job search
• Psychologically and physically immobile
Barriers to Success
• Lack of job-seeking skills “savvy”.
• Critical survival needs of clients superseded
educational/training commitments.
• Lack of computer skills and access to personal
computers.
• Were weak academically and required significant
developmental opportunities in reading, math,
English usage and technical skills.
• Required a very supportive “up front” environment to
help them transition to college students.
Student goal in attending RCCC
●To
obtain a GED
226 (38%)
●To
improve their reading, writing and math skills
184 (30.9%)
●To
update their job skills in order to obtain
a different job
230 (38.7%)
●To
take a few courses and go back to work
157 (26.4%)
●To
receive training in an entirely new field
246 (41.3%)
●To
obtain an associate’s degree and return to work
210 (35.3%)
●To
complete a two-year degree and transfer to a
four-year college or university and earn a
bachelor’s degree
20 (3.4%)
Initial Lessons Learned
• Difficult to make sound decisions regarding training due to
absence of jobs
• Many workers enrolled in courses simply to extend
unemployment benefits
• TRA did not support programs of study leading to selfemployment even though local economy offered job
opportunities (ex. Real Estate/Cosmetology)
• Advising difficult as Trade legislation being re-written
simultaneous with event
Initial Lessons Learned
• Definition of employment (ESC) does not equal
sustainable wages and benefits
• Adapt attitude – save those you can
• Displaced workers lacked access and familiarity with
technology
• Compressed periods of study such as summer term did
not work well with this population
• Mechanism needed for sharing confidential information
among NEG partners
Initial Lessons Learned
• Trade legislation restrictions regarding students
enrolled in Basic Skills and ESL – 52 week limit
• College had no marketing/orientation materials geared
to the needs of this population
• College faculty and staff were not trained on how to
deal with the emotional stress of displaced
workers
• Wage expectations were unrealistic based on skills
• Much greater care and support needed to be given to
program of study selection.
Are these factors at work
in your community?
In Our Community…
•Outsourcing – Pillowtex, Freightliner,
Hanesbrand, Performance Fibers, Carter
Furniture, Philip Morris USA
•Trade Agreements – Pillowtex (4800), Freightliner
(2400), Hanesbrand (185), Philip Morris
(1280)
• Technology – Salisbury’s Fiber to the Home
Project, North Carolina Research Campus,
Electronic medical records, increased
numbers of jobs requiring technology
Challenges of a Flat World
• Changing roles and forms of government,
innovation, business, role of women, war,
education, religion, art, science, and research
• Disruptive nature of change
• Speed at which change is occurring
• Lack of experience in dealing with this change
• Resistance to change
Skills Needed
•Collaboration
•Continuous upgrading of skills
• Ability to manage one’s own career
• Creativity
• Innovation
Skills Needed
•Hard work ethic
•Commitment to excellence
• Ability to use technology
• Commitment to responsible energy usage
and conservation
To compete in the flat
world, you need to make
yourself either…
Untouchable
• Someone whose job cannot be
outsourced
• Need to be specialized
• A specialized position is one that
cannot be digitized or easily
substituted.
- or -
An Anchor
Job requires
location
•
•
•
•
•
you to be in a specific
Welder
HVAC
Plumber
Nurse
Electrician
How Do Displaced Workers Become
Untouchables or Anchors?
•Understand one’s own interests and abilities
•Commit to ongoing training and skill development
•Develop technical skills
•Continuously upgrade technical skills
•Be flexible and mobile
•Demonstrate strong written and oral communication skills
•Work well in teams
•Be self-directed
•Be a self-starter
•Effectively problem solve and integrate information
•Confidently market one’s self
“The challenge for America, as
well as the rest of the world, is
to absorb these inevitable
changes in a way that does not
overwhelm people, but also does
not leave them behind.”
From an adaptation of “The World is Flat” by Thomas Friedman
If you find yourself in this
position – serving displaced
workers, what can your
institution do to prepare for
them?
The Center for Applied Research
 We conducted the research/evaluation portion of the
US DOL grant.
 Conducted focus groups with former Pillowtex
workers, faculty, staff and area service providers.
 We conducted a survey.
 We learned a lot about the needs of these types of
students.
What do we do?
Establish an effective daily communication channel for all
faculty and staff at the institution for critical information.
2. Create an effective intake form for displaced workers that is
more extensive than a typical admissions form and contains
more detailed information critical to student success.
3. Offer training to faculty and staff at the college on how to
deal with the emotional distress felt by displaced workers.
4. Make sure all financial aid and funding issues are
understood by college staff prior to seeing students.
5. Create materials about the college, its programs and services
that are geared toward adult students with little or no higher
education experience.
1.
What do we do?
6. Offer workshops and additional resources for faculty on
7.
8.
9.
10.
classroom strategies to work with displaced workers
(students who have been disconnected from education
for 25–40 years).
Work with community leaders to collect and refurbish
old computers and give them to displaced workers for
home use
Offer support groups to deal with the non-academic
issues that impact student success.
Offer pre-college workshops for groups of displaced
workers to help them transition to college.
Develop a good working relationship with agencies who
serve this population.
What do we do?
11. Look at shared-hours agreements with other college
for programs (degrees, certificates and diplomas)
that cohorts want but are not offered at your
institution.
12. Have a comprehensive plan for student schedules.
13. Hold a debriefing session for faculty and staff
periodically to learn from one another.
Contact Information
 Jeanie Moore
 Rowan Cabarrus Community College
 moorej@rowancabarrus.edu
 Terri Manning
 Central Piedmont Community College
 terri.manning@cpcc.edu
 Copy of the Presentation
 http://www.cpcc.edu/planning
 Click on “Studies and Reports”