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50 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, April 25, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend February 17, 2005 Community college leaders rally for increased funding By DON JEPSEN for the Mail Tribune SALEM — Leaders of Oregon’s community colleges made the rounds of the state Capitol building Wednesday, pleading their case for more funding. The presidents, among them RCC President Peter Angstadt and a few board members, held a news conference claiming that reduced funding for the two-year institutions has resulted in the loss of some 65,000 potential enrollees. "As a result of reduced state support, community colleges are being forced to increase tuition and eliminate courses," said Robert Silverman, president of Mount Hood Community College in Gresham. "This in turn has shut out many of students," he said, adding that representatives of the two-year institutions came to Salem "to inform legislators and the public on our needs." Advertisement Angstadt said RCC is staying about even on its enrollment. "Right now, we’re holding our own," he said. But under the governor’s proposed budget, RCC could lose about $550,000 in state support for the next biennium, or roughly 5.5 percent. He said the Oregon University System could add another $300,000 to the governor’s proposed cuts. Angstadt, hired last year after serving as president of Colorado Northwest Community College, joined colleagues at the news conference on the steps of the Capitol. Voters approved a $24 million bond for RCC, with about half of that going to the new Table Rock campus to be housed in the old Tyco Electronics plant in White City. In addition to the main campus in Grants Pass, RCC holds classes at its Riverside Campus in Medford. Some of the bond money will be used to buy class space to avoid costly leases in Medford. "With three campuses, my office is the seat of my car," Angstadt said. Tuition increases to offset state funding losses are also having a dampening effect on enrollment, said Angstadt. The cost for each credit hour has gone from $30 to $59 in the past few years. "We’re seeing steady enrollment, but given the population base there is a lot of demand out there for more classes," he said. Silverman said community colleges served 406,931 students in 2001-02. That dropped to 330,595 the following academic year. He said because of reduced state support, community colleges are being forced to boost tuition and cut course offerings to balance their budgets. "This in turn has shut out many of our students," Silverman said. Angstadt plans to address a delegation from the Chamber of Medford/Jackson County that is visiting Salem today. Don Jepsen is a freelance writer living in Salem. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Slippers Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Tatoos Advertisement s