Frederick Community College Facilities Master Plan Chapter 3 Academic Program Review 3-3 May, 2023 • The accumulated impact of former FCC students currently employed in the county workforce amounted to $123 million in added income for the county economy, which is equivalent to supporting 1,621 jobs. • FCC students who earn an associate degree from the college can expect approximate wages of $43,600 per year, approximately $8,400 more than an individual with a high school diploma. • The college has demonstrated success in the percentage of students who have graduated and transferred. The college ranks second of all 16 MD community colleges in graduation and transfer rates. • During the period 2019-2030, the college is projected to increase its enrollments by 27% from 6,129 to 7,780. • The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future prescribes a substantive revamping of Maryland’s educational system including community colleges. To be successful, FCC will need to collaborate with local boards of education to develop students who have met the “college and career readiness” standard, a significant goal of the Plan. • Current teacher preparation programs at the college will need to be redesigned to reflect the goals of the Blueprint. • Based on past history, FCC has the experience in assisting students who need additional support to achieve “college and career readiness”. • A review of the fields of study offered by the college shows that the vast majority of programs are in high demand by employers in industries in the region. • The institution continuously examines the viability of current programs and when appropriate discontinues programs not meeting market demand needs or student interest needs. NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE AND THE IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC The National Student Clearinghouse provides the latest enrollment information research that tracks the impact of COVID-19 on higher education. This information is invaluable in understanding the enrollment patterns at Frederick Community College. According to the clearinghouse research center, 2021 fall enrollments show no sign of recovery from the previous year’s declines. While undergraduate enrollments declined by 3.2%, community colleges dropped more significantly by 5.6%. According to the center, community colleges remain the most adversely affected sector of higher education experiencing a 14.1% total enrollment decline since the fall of 2019. Nationwide, freshman enrollment declined 3.1% this fall. Community colleges showed the sharpest freshmen enrollment declines among the three largest sectors of higher education. This year’s freshman class at community colleges is 20.8% below 2019 while the first-year enrollment numbers at all institutions are 12.3% smaller than 2019. Enrollment of White, Black, and Native American undergraduates declined more than other student groups, falling between 4.4% and 5.1%. Whites and Blacks also shared the largest declines among freshmen -8.6% in -7.5% respectively. Male and female declines of -3.5% were smaller than last year’s -6.0% particularly at community colleges.
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