(Enlarge) Neal Brooks teaches "America's Labor History" on Oct. 26 at the CCBC Hunt Valley satellite campus. The Hunt Valley campus has had a 28 percent increase in enrollment from fall 2008 to fall 2009, and CCBC overall has seen a 14 percent increase over that same period. (Photo by Brendan Cavanaugh)

Teresa McCormick went back to school this year.

A 35-year-old licensed practical nurse and mother of three, McCormick 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," said McCormick, a Catonsville resident.

"If you're going to take English 101," she said, "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 has experienced a dramatic increase in enrollment from fall 2008 to fall 2009.

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

The number of part-time students has 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 has come 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."

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."

Mary De Luca, CCBC's senior director of public relations, said all of the college 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.

As with 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."

Olga Horwitz, 19, of Ellicott City, 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'd rather start here and take my time and see where it takes me," she said. "This is a good transition."

Reporters Jennifer Broadwater and Charles Schelle contributed to this story.

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