Community colleges make an impact in today's economy

April has traditionally been recognized as National Community College Month.

While it sometimes takes a special effort to highlight the numerous contributions community colleges make to our country, this year community colleges are front-page news - and not for just one month.

In times of recession, community colleges see significant enrollment increases as families seek out more affordable educational options and job seekers look to add new skills and credentials to their résumés.

Even before our economy began to struggle, community colleges educated nearly half of all U.S. students in higher education. Now, community colleges across the nation are adding new students at a rapid pace. Waubonsee Community College is no exception, and has seen enrollment increases of more than 10 percent during each of the past two semesters.

With this influx of students has come increased attention and focus on community colleges. Perhaps this visibility has also been heightened by the media's awareness that Vice President Joe Biden's wife, Dr. Jill Biden, is a longtime community college professor.

It has been accurately noted that the increase in students comes at a time when many community colleges face reductions in funding. At Waubonsee, we are thankful that our local community has strongly supported the college with referendums passed in 2002 and 2003.

This funding has allowed our 2020 College Master Plan to become a reality and has provided wonderful new facilities for our students.

In this economy, affordability may be driving much of the enrollment increase, but I think there is also a growing awareness of the quality and convenience offered by community colleges.

Our faculty loves to teach, and students are their focus. Our instructors have outstanding credentials and are excellent role models. Waubonsee's class sizes are small enough for students to have the personal attention and the support needed to meet goals and realize their dreams.

Convenience is another big factor in explaining why so many students choose to attend community colleges. Accessibility is one of Waubonsee's core values, and the college operates with this goal in mind each and every day. We offer classes from early in the morning to late at night, seven days a week, every month of the year.

More students like the flexible advantages of distance learning options, especially online classes, to help them fit a degree into their lives. Waubonsee has the state's third largest enrollment in college-level distance learning courses each year - serving more than 8,200 students. This is more than double the state's average.

With the quality, convenience and affordability offered by community colleges, it is no surprise that many students are discovering that the nation's 1,200 two-year schools offer an unparalleled educational value - regardless of the economic environment.

• Dr. Christine J. Sobek is president of Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove.