Big Bend summer enrollment down

MOSES LAKE - Big Bend Community College officials will be working to recruit students for the fall 2014 quarter. Summer quarter registration was below the target, and so far fall registration is lagging behind the target as well, according to BBCC officials.

Bob Mohrbacher, vice-president of instruction and student services, discussed enrollment numbers at the regular meeting of the college trustees recently. Spring 2014 enrollment was about 3 percent above the target, he said, and the number of students graduating was higher than the average. But that trend reversed itself during summer quarter, Mohrbacher said.

The college's registration system may have suffered a breakdown, and that may have had an effect on registration to date, Mohrbacher said.

College officials are contacting students who applied but haven't registered, he said, and plan to do more advertising to get the word out about the college. They also have an information booth at the Grant County Fair, he said.

In other business, college officials reviewed a new program to help BBCC students learn how to handle finances, with the goal of helping them avoid default on student loans.

College employee Jen DeLeon said the college's loan default rate is 23 percent over three years. About 80 percent of the defaulted loans were in cases where students didn't graduate, she said.

In addition, BBCC president Terry Leas said as he talks to employers, more and more of them are asking for financial literacy training for new employees.

The new program is online and provides instruction in budgeting, using credit, building savings, managing a student loan and paying it back, DeLeon said. The program isn't required, but college officials will encourage students to use it. The program costs the college about $6,800 per year, currently being paid through a grant.