LANSING- Six Michigan community colleges are among the fastest-growing campuses in the nation.

Bay Mills Community College in Brimley leads the way in the state with a 35.5 percent increase in student enrollment between 2005 and 2006. It is ranked sixth nationally for a two-year public institution with less than 2,000 students, according to a study by Community College Week, a national publication.

Wayne County Community College District in Detroit is the second fastest-growing college in the state with a 30.5 increase in enrollment.

Steve Yanni, the vice president of operations and registrar at Bay Mills, credits three things for the increasing enrollment: an improvement in recruiting, an improved academic reputation and a new scholarship program.

Bay Mills is a tribal land grant college. “To keep its status as a tribal land grant, 51 percent of students must be Native American,” Yanni said.
To maintain that proportion, the Board of Regents established a tuition waiver program for tribal students and federally recognized tribe members, he said.

The college hired a full-time staff recruiter who networks with area high schools to attract students. The school’s Web site also was revamped and created a recruiting publication.

Yanni also said the community college works with Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie. “We’re not in competition with Lake Superior State. We are more of a feeder school to them.”

Of the colleges with 10,000 or more students, WCCCD ranks first in the nation.

Vidya Moorthy, a publicist for WCCCD, said distance learning, dual enrollment and access to education boosted the enrollment increase.

“Wayne Community College has the seventh-largest campus, with five locations in urban and suburban regions,” Moorthy said.

Wayne Community College also offers “sunrise to sunset” courses, she said. These courses are offered every day, including Sundays, from early in the morning to as late as midnight.

Like Bay Mills, WCCCD networks with local high schools through a dual enrollment program.

“We give students the option of gaining college credit while they are still in high school,” Moorthy said. “Dual enrollment makes students more inclined to continue their college education.”

Distance learning allows students to access courses and class materials on the Internet through the college’s online learning site.

Moorthy said distance learning has increased by 300 percent over the last six years. “The system caters to full-time students, workers and single parents.”

The main benefits include being able to access classes at all times and the ability to schedule classes to fit an individual’s availability.

Michael Hansen, the president of Michigan Community College Association, said a rise in tuition at four-year institutions has become a big factor in why students choose to go to a two-year college to take basics.

Community colleges have smaller class sizes and focus on teaching, offering more one-on-one time between students and professors, he said. Four-year institutions, on the other hand, often emphasize research and graduate work.

Hansen also credited a slump in the economy with the rise in community college enrollment. “When the economy goes down, employment also falls,” he said.

George Cartsonis, Oakland Community College communications director, agreed.

“Those who are laid off go to community colleges to find new careers,” Cartsonis said. They also want to acquire new skills to help them get better job security.

Oakland Community College in Bloomfield Hills was once the 10th largest campus in the United States, enrollment wise. During the last five years, Cartsonis said enrollment rose by 5 percent.

Schoolcraft College in Livonia, Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo Valley Community College in Kalamazoo and Mid-Michigan Community College in Harrison also ranked among the nation’s fastest growing colleges.