TREND: Officials see finite supply of students; Tanana campus shows an increase.
FAIRBANKS-- Fewer students are enrolled this year at the University of Alaska, officials said.
But enrollment is up at the Tanana Valley campus, the community college arm of the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Preliminary numbers show 27,257 students enrolled at campuses across the state. During the same period last year, 27,945 students were enrolled.
The decrease continues a downward trend since enrollment at the statewide university peaked in 2003.
"It's almost inevitable in Alaska just because of the finite population we're working with who are looking for (higher education)," said Saichi Oba, director of enrollment services for the university.
The Tanana Valley campus, however, had an almost 10 percent increase in students.
"We're excited," said campus director Rick Caulfield. "I think that the community is looking to TVC as a one-stop shop for work force development training and lifelong learning."
The early numbers put the campus head count at 3,197 -- a 9.6 percent rise over last year. Caulfield credited community partnerships for the increase.
"We've got business and industry and labor partners in the greater Fairbanks area who are investing in our programs," he said.
For example, Fairbanks Memorial Hospital is a partner with the college's nursing and health programs. The college also has signed an agreement with the Alaska Operating Engineers Local 302 to help students get apprenticeship jobs right out of college.
Caulfield sees the increasing enrollment as part of a national trend where more students are choosing community colleges over traditional four-year universities.
"People are looking to community colleges increasingly as a pathway to very productive careers," Caulfield said.
In Alaska, only 25 percent of the jobs available over the next 10 years will require a bachelor's degree, he said.
"Probably most Alaska students are going to find good careers, good paying jobs with a certificate or associates degree," he said.
But that doesn't mean Alaska's four-year university system is a dinosaur.
"It's not uncommon for students to enter into a community college program such as TVC and then to come back into education and go further later on in life," Caulfield said.
