BY ANDY TAYLOR
Montgomery County Chronicle
INDEPENDENCE — An Independence Community College official said Tuesday night that recent enrollment trends show the college is lagging in its recruitment efforts compared to Coffeyville Community College.
At the ICC’s board of trustee meeting Tuesday, Max VanLaningham, ICC’s dean of student services, presented officials with a monthly enrollment report showing an overall student headcount gain of 16 students as of Dec. 8 (compared to the same date in 2007). However, full-time equivalency enrollment, or FTE enrollment, is down 2.54 percent. The report said FTE enrollment, which is used to determine the extent of state assistance to community colleges, was down among local, in-state and international enrollees but up among out-of-state students.
While a 2.54 percent decline in FTE enrollment combined with an actual increase in student headcount might not be a cause for worry for many college officials, VanLaningham said the college is taking a hit because of the recruiting techniques from CCC. For example, on a recent trip to Chanute High School to talk to interested students, VanLaningham said CCC had already spoken to most of the interested students and offered them a scholarship of some level.
ICC needs to follow suit with a more aggressive recruiting style, he said.
“We need to be more aggressive,” said VanLaningham, adding that he was not trying to spread a gloomy picture over ICC. “I’m a competitive person by nature, and I don’t like to be beaten and not be able to fight.”
The ICC official said that after conferring with a CCC faculty member, he discovered that CCC officials require faculty members to fill a student quota. Departmental scholarships — ranging from theatre to sports to livestock judging — often are used as a way to recruit students.
“Everyone at CCC has a quota to fill,” he said. “That’s how they are getting students to come to their campus. It was asked of me this morning by our own faculty why we don’t provide a tuition scholarship to any Kansas resident. That’s a good question that we need to answer.”
Spending money on recruiting and scholarships will need to be addressed soon, he said.
“We’re going to have to spend money,” he said. “When you spend the money, you’ll see the results through more enrollment. We’ve got to find ways to be competitive. We’re going to innovate or evaporate.”
College trustees did not provide any comment following VanLaningham’s report.
In other business transacted at Tuesday’s meeting of the ICC trustees, trustees:
• heard a report from Peggy Forsberg, dean of instruction, regarding the first classes to be established in the newly-formed Halsey Institute. Forsberg said a class in music entertainment business management will be offered during the spring 2009 semester and will be made available to other community colleges in Kansas.
The institute is named after Jim Halsey, an Independence native who has spent his adult career as a successful music manager of some of country music’s top performers.
• accepted the resignation of David Ward, ICC football coach, who recently completed his fifth season as the Pirates’ head coach. During his five season, Ward compiled a 13-32 record.
• appointed Max VanLaningham from interim status to full-time dean of student services at an annual salary of $62,500.
• hired Tammie Geldenhuys to the position of ICC athletic director at an annual salary of $50,000. Geldenhuys also serves as ICC volleyball coach. Tony Turner, who had served as interim athletic director, will return to his role as head women’s basketball coach and assistant athletic director.
• heard reports from students in the ICC Phi Theta Kappa chapter.
