The Present
The recent recession has an
almost-unexpected effect on ICC:
enrollment increased consider-
ably in 2009-2010, she said. “We
saw a lot of people who had been
laid off from jobs they’d had for
years and they knew the chances
of being called back were slim.
They needed a career change.
We also saw a lot of recent high
school graduates who had to
put off going straight from high
school to a four-year college be-
cause either they or their parents
couldn’t afford it right then,” she
said.
The last couple years have seen
enrollment settle back to more
normal ranges, but Sullivan said
that isn’t only because the reces-
sion has eased. “We’re seeing
students who had to cut back
on their schooling because they
either can’t qualify for aid or, in
some cases, their jobs haven’t
kept pace with rising costs and
they have had to work two or
even three jobs. Then, of course,
they don’t have time to go to
school to improve their situa-
tion,” she said.
Sullivan said ICC’s reputation
as being a good value can be
seen by the fact many employ-
ers hire the school’s graduates
immediately, often offering jobs
before they graduate, “because
they know they are getting qual-
ity people with quality skills.
We often hear from four-year
schools who will do comparisons
and they tell us our students are
better prepared than those from
other community colleges. We are
proud of that.”
ICC, like any community col-
lege, still must work to overcome
the stigma that it is just like
extended high school or not as
good as a four-year college. “I
think we are slowly overcoming
it. Interestingly, we get a lot of
students who insisted they had to
go straight to a four-year school
but for one reason or another
it didn’t work out. Some quite
simply aren’t ready to go off on
their own to a big university,
which makes us a good place to
start and to get better prepared,”
Sullivan said.
There are many reasons to
choose ICC, starting with the val-
ue and quality of the education
the school provides, the number
of different courses and pro-
grams it offers and the improved
chances of becoming employed or
transferring to a university.
“
When students are consider-
ing what they want to do, we
want to be part of the equation.
We should be part of the equa-
tion,” Sullivan said.
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productions or
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or even new exhibits,
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