Laconia Tech turns a corner

Near-record enrollment due to liberal arts students

For only the second time in its history, the New Hampshire Community Technical College in Laconia has marked an enrollment of more than a thousand students. Enrollment this fall is increased 14 percent over the enrollment of a year ago. More than a milestone number, however, the increased enrollment is indicative of changing trends in higher education in the state coupled with a changing perception of the community technical college system.

This month, there are a reported 1,083 students enrolled at the community technical college, which is an increase of 948 students who enrolled in fall 2006. It's a good thing to have that many students, said Dr. Mark Edelstein, the college's president, because it means that the college is successful in developing programs that are relevant to the region's population, and that the college is successfully marketing those programs.

Program development and marketing are an important part of the increase in student body, but Edelstein acknowledged that the increase is due in part to the difficulty that students have in proceeding from high school to a university. The community college saw its greatest enrollment increase in its liberal arts program, which is explicitly designed for students to complete for two years and then transfer to a university. On the college's website, a description of the liberal arts associates degree says: "In this flexible program, students select courses based on the requirements of the four-year college to which they plan to transfer... It is recommended that students identify the college to which they plan to transfer and discuss a transfer plan with their as advisor as soon as possible."

Edelstein said his college is seeing such a boost in enrollment in these areas because students are finding that the state's public universities are out-of-reach financially or academically. "I think there are some real issues with educational access in New Hampshire, particularly as we enter into an economy that absolutely requires more than a high school diploma to enter into the middle class."

Wayne Fraser, director of admissions at the college, said the "significant" growth the college has seen is a result of the financial edge the educational facility has over the bigger universities. "It's the economics that people are starting to realize." Also, the state's community technical colleges and public universities have partnered so that credits can smoothly transfer from one school to the next. Fraser said, "More and more students are coming here to start and then transfer."

The liberal arts program represents the largest increase in the school, but other programs are seeing more activity as they develop. New this year is a culinary program. In years past there had been only a restaurant management program. Although it's only in the first year, there are more than twice as many students in the culinary program than were in last year's restaurant management.

Geoff Weiler, of Gilmanton, is a student in the culinary program. He said he chose Laconia Community Technical College because it was the most affordable and the location allowed him to live at home.

For Christopher Hodges, of Laconia, he said he'd been looking for a culinary program for a long time, but as a single father, he said he couldn't justify driving to the next closest program, in Dover. "I've been cooking for a long time. I need that degree to make the money."

The additional students at the college this year have created a parking crunch, but Edelstein said that's a good problem to have - it's better than an empty parking lot. Other than where to put the cars, the facility isn't stressed by the extra students. Edelstein estimated that the community college could fit about 1,500 total students without additional buildings.