Enrollment at BMCC is rising
By Terry Murry on Friday, July 21st, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
PENDLETON – Enrollment is up at Blue Mountain Community College. The general rule is when the economy is strong, community colleges suffer. BMCC President Mark Browning said the slight improvement is due to adjustments that have been made.
“We’re finding different ways to kind of supplement and fill in,” he said. “Non-credit work force has been on the rise. Dual credit has been on the rise. That’s really the future.”
Browning said that what students want from higher education, and community colleges in particular, is also changing and it’s vital that the institutions recognize and adapt to that.
“We’ve been talking about it for a couple of years, but we’re really seeing it now,” he said. “It’s a new dynamic and the students are driving it.”
Browning said students want different choices, different methods and modalities, and different ways to receive that training.
“They’re interested in faster outcomes with less time and less bulk,” he said. “They’re not willing to sit through courses that we all know will serve them down the road. They want just what they want right now.”
