Teresa McCormick went back to school this year.

The 35-year-old licensed practical nurse, a mother of three, returned to the Community College of Baltimore County's Catonsville campus after a 10-year break so she can finish the prerequisites needed to earn her registered nurse certification, "strictly for the sake of job security," she said.

She could have attended a four-year school, but came to CCBC "because it's cheaper and it's close.

"If you're going to take English 101," said the Catonsville resident, "why take it where it's going to cost a couple of thousand dollars when you can take it for a few hundred?"

McCormick's reasons for attending community college -- the job market and affordability -- are being seen and felt across CCBC, as the college experienced a dramatic increase in enrollment from fall 2008 to fall 2009.

The overall numbers of students attending classes at CCBC campuses -- Catonsville, Essex, Dundalk and satellite campuses in Hunt Valley and Owings Mills -- rose 14 percent over the past year, from 20,673 last fall to 23,548 this fall.

The number of part-time students increased by 11 percent, while full-time students rose by a whopping 19 percent.

"We haven't experienced this kind of increase ever, I believe," said Dan McConochie, CCBC's senior director of planning and research.

The boost came suddenly, he said, after several years of holding steady at about 20,000 students.

"Almost every student category that we track experienced increases," he said. "Every age group is up. Every program area is up."

For instance, he said, enrollment of racial and ethnic minorities is up 22 percent and first-time students are up 21 percent.

The biggest percentage increase among campuses is Hunt Valley with a 28 percent boost. The lowest is Owings Mills with an 11 percent increase, but McConochie can explain that.

"It's been at capacity for years, so 11 percent is really crowding 'em in," he said.

CCBC's increase follows similar trends in neighbor jurisdictions. Carroll Community College has tallied a 13 percent increase in enrollments over the past year; Howard Community College is up 10 percent and Anne Arundel Community College is up about 11 percent.

"We think the economy is part of it," McConochie said. "Students are telling us they're unemployed and (have) returned to renew skills."

And compared to four-year institutions, community colleges are a more affordable choice for many.

Full-time tuition at CCBC is $90 per credit hour for in-county students -- compared to, for instance, $273 per credit hour at the University of Maryland, College Park for in-state students.

"Some (students) may have intended to go to a four-year (college), but a parent got laid off," said Hope Davis, CCBC's director of media relations. "We do think the economy is driving it."

Something else may also be driving it, Davis said -- President Barack Obama.

The president has stressed the importance of community colleges, she said, and in a July 14 speech at Macomb Community College in Michigan, Obama announced an American Graduation Initiative, calling for an increase in funding to community colleges to accommodate a goal of five million additional graduates by 2020.

Room to grow

McConochie said the timing of the enrollment increase at CCBC couldn't be better -- or worse.

The college is currently reviewing its 10-year master plan for facilities, and he said the numbers suggest, "we're likely to need new classroom buildings."

Already, some campuses are preparing for growth.

Last year, CCBC Catonsville broke ground on a new, $28 million library. The building is about midway through construction, but has aggravated the crowding problem this semester because it has taken away about 100 parking spots.

Davis said the new library will open by fall 2010. When that happens, the old library can be converted to classroom space.

The South Rolling Road campus has had to make other accommodations for the swell in enrollment. One lounge on campus has been converted to classroom space, as was a room in the old library, Davis said.

Mary De Luca, CCBC's senior director of public relations, said all of the college's campuses have tried to maximize space. During fall registration sessions, staff ran daily analysis of room availability to keep up with trends, and CCBC added class sections on Friday nights, Saturdays and Sundays.

But space isn't the only pressure. Faculty, too, has been strained.

CCBC has been in what Davis called a "hiring freeze" for much of the past year, but this fall's numbers required an exception. She said the college has taken on about 200 more adjunct professors this fall than it had last fall.

"You can't have students if you don't have faculty to teach them," she said.

Like McCormick, other students say lower cost and the job market have contributed to them attending CCBC.

Danny Schuh, 20, of Severna Park planned to attend a firefighter academy and become a paramedic.

"But no one is hiring, so I thought I'd work on my EMT certification," Schuh said. "To be an officer or move up the ladder, you have to have a degree."

After attending CCBC Catonsville, Schuh will still have to go through the academy, but he'll be able to skip some certification courses.

Olga Horwitz, 19, of Ellicott City, works at Columbia Mall. Both she and her sister were born in Irkutsk, Siberia, but were adopted by an American family. Both now attend CCBC Catonsville.

Horwitz said she recently earned her GED and wants to continue school to pursue a career in fashion merchandising, but she didn't feel she was ready for a four-year college.

"I wasn't prepared. I would have totally messed up the four-year thing. This is a good transition," Horwitz said.

There's less pressure in the community college environment than there would be at a four-year school and it costs less, she said.

"I'd rather start here and take my time and see where it takes me," she said.

Reporters Jennifer Broadwater and Charles Schelle contributed to this story.

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