Facing another round of millions of dollars in budget cuts, Georgia colleges are watching their resources dwindle, but officials say demand for a college degree is higher than ever.
Georgia state universities and two-year colleges are reporting a 6.7 percent increase in enrollment from last year. Thirty-four of the University System of Georgia's 35 schools are seeing record-high enrollment, including Dalton State College in Dalton, Ga., officials said.
"We have exploding demand for public higher education as individuals prepare themselves for careers requiring a college education in a changing and uncertain economy," said University System of Georgia Chancellor Erroll B. Davis.
Overall enrollment at Georgia colleges increased by 18,914 student since fall 2008, pushing total student enrollment to a record of 301,892, officials said. Since fall 2006, total enrollment has grown 16 percent, documents show.
Dalton State, which offers both four-year and two-year degrees, is among 10 institutions that had double-digit growth from fall 2008 to fall 2009. Enrollment at Dalton State was up 15.4 percent, documents show.
Big enrollment gains
Georgia Gwinnett College, 88.5 percent (2,947 total students)
Atlanta Metropolitan College, 19.9 percent (2,688 total students)
Gordon College, 17.9 percent (4,545 total students)
Darton College, 16.6 percent (5,854 total students)
Dalton State College, 15.4 percent (5,722 total students)
Bainbridge College (3,558 total students) and Waycross College (1,077 total students), both 15.1 percent
Georgia Highlands College, 11.3 percent (5,219 total students)
Fort Valley State University, 14.4 percent (3,553 total students)
Savannah State University, 10.6 percent (3,820 total students)
Source: University System of Georgia
"We are extremely excited that we are in the top 10 for enrollment growth," said Jodi Johnson, vice president for enrollment and student services at Dalton State. "We have worked diligently by adding programs and we think that effort has paid off."
Increased enrollment revenue at Dalton State is helping the school weather the series of budget cuts being levied by the Georgia Board of Regents.
Last week, the University System of Georgia Board of Regents voted to cut $176 million from its 2010 budget. Officials already have trimmed $275 million from the 2009 budget.
Students at the University of Georgia will pay an additional $100-per-semester special fee, and students at Dalton State College will pay an additional $50-per-semester fee.
Dalton State has had to increase its class sizes, cut class sections and has closed two community outreach programs, Ms. Johnson said.
To reduce costs, employees at Dalton State, along with all of University System of Georgia staff, are required to take six furlough days before June 30, 2010, officials said.
"The budget cuts have been difficult, but without the increased enrollment it would have been a much more difficult situation," Ms. Johnson said.
Enrollment is booming at Dalton State because many North Georgia residents, struggling to find work in the recession, are choosing to return to college for additional training or retraining, Ms. Johnson said.
The school also is attracting out-of-town students with its new dorms and a growing selection of four-year degree programs, officials said. This year, Dalton State added degrees in criminal justice, English, history and chemistry and has a total of 14 bachelor's degree programs, she said.
"We have picked up students from farther away," Ms. Johnson said. "We are very pleased about it."
Joan Garrett has been a staff writer for the Times Free Press since August 2007. Before becoming a general assignment writer for the paper, she wrote about business, higher education and the court systems. She grew up the oldest of five sisters near Birmingham, Ala., and graduated with a master's and bachelor's degrees in journalism from the University of Alabama. Before landing her first full-time job as a reporter at the Times Free Press, she ...
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