The federal report cited in the article excerpted below raises an often overlooked issue. Will the nation's colleges and universities have the capacity to meet the growth in enrollment demand. The report's racial and ethnic enrollment demographics imply the need for flexible access to market-driven programs delivered conveniently to students who are likely to be working while enrolled in college. Traditional access models will not meet this need for "flex" programs delivered dominantly through online (asynchronous) self-service interactions and transactions which are supplemented by as-needed access to academic and administrative interactions through 24x7 call centers and walk-in and office-hour expert consultations. Flex programming also reduces the need for capital investments in new classroom facilities.
In College Enrollment, Growth of Minorities Will Outpace Rate of Increase for Whites, Report Predicts
Stu Woo, Chronicle of Higher Education, September 15, 2006
Enrollment at degree-granting colleges and universities is projected to increase until at least 2015, especially for minority students, according to a report released on Thursday by the National Center for Education Statistics, a branch of the U.S. Education Department. From 2004 to 2015, enrollment in degree-granting institutions is expected to grow 42 percent for Hispanic students, 30 percent for American Indian or Alaska Native students, 28 percent for Asian or Pacific Islander students, and 27 percent for black, non-Hispanic students. Enrollment for white, non-Hispanic students is predicted to rise 6 percent, while nonresident-alien enrollment is expected to rise 34 percent. This is the first time the annual report, first published in 1964, has included projections of college enrollment by race and ethnicity. The report, "Projections of Education Statistics to 2015," also includes statistics on degrees granted, as well as data on elementary- and secondary-school enrollment, graduates, teachers, and expenditures. Chronicle subscribers can read more ...
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