Geographical Need and Expanding Enrollment

By Luene H. Corwin

Analysis of geographical need and expected expanded enrollment is necessary. Development of new facilities and use of technology are parts of the solution.

The community college where I first started teaching, and then moved into academic administration, had a 90 mile radius, so I am familiar with dispersed laboratory classrooms and mobile lab units. Sharing facilities with existing educational institutions is being done at Palomar and may need to be expanded in order to maintain flexibility. An Educational and Facilities Master Plan is being developed. In its role as community bridge, the Governing Board needs to engage in dialog with community leaders as this plan develops. Probably in 2004 the Governing Board will need to help explain to district residents the great need for supporting a bond issue for new facilities in such places as Poway.

Palomar College already is serving the state through its Digital Satellite Network. Even more innovations need to be explored to help deliver instruction to small numbers of persons in widely spread locations. Through doing this in real time the same learning outcomes can be achieved as though everyone was in the classroom together.

Over the next 20 years, Palomar expects to increase enrollment by 50%. This will be due to population growth and the impact of the children of the baby boomers reaching college age. Whenever the economy is down, community colleges are the first to feel the pressure because tuition is lower and people take courses in hopes of maximizing their employability. This will put even more pressure on Palomar's existing facilities.

Classrooms need to be used flexibly. There will be times when they are empty because our students must build their class schedules around their work schedules. However, a solid intersession between standard semesters and "weekend college" can maximize classroom use. To maximize available parking, schedules must be built so that cars can exit from one set of classes before others need to enter for the next set.

Decision making by Governing Boards in enhanced by a diversity of backgrounds and experiences. I have worked directly with architects to build instructional buildings, and I have worked on the development of educational and facilities master plans. I have developed academic schedules that benefit student learning while maximizing facility usage. Both the educational and facilities perspectives are important.