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HCC Shuts Courses As Students Cram In

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By ADAM EMERSON

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 22, 2008

Updated: 06/22/2008 12:13 am

TAMPA - Classroom seats are filling fast at Hillsborough Community College, a result of a tight economy that has sent workers back to school and forced several state universities to cut back their admissions.
Fall registrations are up by thousands from this time last year, and HCC campuses have closed dozens of course sections that reached capacity. Dozens more are nearing capacity.

By August, "the number of closed sections we'll have will be pretty phenomenal," said Carlos Soto, president of HCC's Brandon campus.

That's even after college administrators scheduled more courses to meet the demand they anticipated. But there's little money to schedule many more.

HCC trustees last week passed a $95 million spending plan for the new fiscal year, which has $4 million less from the state than the budget they passed last year.

The budget gap comes at a time when demand for a community college education is higher than ever.

Consider the following:

•HCC was already the No. 1 destination for Hillsborough County high school graduates, and this month the district saw the largest graduating class in history, 10,560.

•HCC expects to accommodate thousands more students who were denied entry to the University of South Florida, which has heightened admissions standards to control class sizes.

•USF students will be seeking classes at HCC so they can graduate on time because USF has cut faculty and course sections to offset a loss of $36 million in state money.

•More current HCC students will stay put this fall. USF no longer will admit students trying to transfer with fewer than 36 credit hours. Those who have earned between 36 and 59 credit hours must have a 3.0 grade-point average to successfully transfer.

•The soured economy hitting HCC and USF also is pinching workers in the Tampa Bay area, where the unemployment rate is 4.9 percent, up 1.3 percentage points from this time last year. More of those workers are coming to a community college to develop new job skills.

Compounding that is a funding system that pays state money to community colleges based on the average enrollment over the past three years, not on a projected increase in students for the coming year.

HCC's student body grew by 5 percent last fall to about 42,000 students, and next fall's growth is expected to surpass that.

Unlike USF, which froze freshman enrollment for next fall and turned away thousands more applicants, HCC has an open admissions policy. And it doesn't have the money to hire more faculty.

No HCC Faculty Job Cuts

Despite its budget cuts, HCC eliminated no faculty jobs, positions it considers a top priority. It will, however, have to rely on more part-time teachers and appoint full-time faculty to one-year appointments instead of hiring permanent instructors, said Craig Johnson, HCC's vice president of academic affairs.

Even that only goes so far. With classes filling fast, more students will end up having to defer some classes another semester.

Carrie Harper, 25, a nursing student, stopped at the Brandon campus last week to register for fall classes. She thought that was enough time to get a seat in college algebra. She barely made it in. "But there was one spot left," she said.

Soto, Brandon campus chief, said fall registrations are up about 10 percent - and that's just the early registrations. As of last week, Brandon administrators closed nearly 60 course sections in disciplines such as biology, chemistry, American history, freshman English and sociology.

"I have dozens upon dozens of courses that are very close to capacity that we are keeping our eyes on," Soto said. "I suspect that the other campuses are pretty much in the same boat."

Brandon Popular With Students

While other campuses have broader missions, HCC in Brandon is popular for students who work toward an associate's degree before transferring to a college or university. Like most community colleges, its student body is diverse.

Nichole Barnes, 23, attends the Brandon campus while she raises her 3-year-old son. Her husband, who is in the military, is stationed in Germany. She studies nursing, and prefers the cost and location of her school to USF. "With a nursing degree, you can go anywhere," she said.

Lauren Matter, 19, left the Jacksonville area last week for Tampa. She plans to study business and marketing at the Brandon campus, but she has ambitions for a university degree. "I would like to get in USF sooner than later," Matter said.

Judy Matheson, 43, works as an aesthetician, who specializes in the care and beauty of the skin. She's finishing up her studies in psychology and nutrition next fall in Brandon before transferring to USF. Although her college career started 25 years ago, she postponed her plans partly to raise her son, Ryon, now 18. "Now it's time for me," she said. Ryon will be joining her at HCC in the fall.

These students will find services strapped for cash when they start next fall.

The college laid off no workers, but it eliminated 12 vacant positions, mostly in administrative or support staff.

That may change if the state cuts more money.

After he signed off on the state's $66 billion budget recently, Gov. Charlie Crist ordered public agencies to hold back 4 percent of their budget.

HCC prepared for that kind of cut, but any more could result in layoffs, Soto said.

For now, students are bankrolling more of the college's revenue. In 2006, tuition made up 33 percent of HCC's revenue.

For the new fiscal year, which starts on July 1, that will increase to 36 percent.

Starting in the fall, tuition for credit courses increases 6 percent to $62.59 a credit hour.

Reporter Adam Emerson can be reached at aemerson@tampatrib.com or

(813) 259-8285.

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