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This content was published: September 14, 2010. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.

PCC passing enrollment stress tests as new school year starts

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Portland Community College starts its 49th year of serving the community and plenty is happening to make it a year to remember.

The fall term and school year begins in earnest on Monday, Sept. 20 around the PCC district. Tuition remains at $76 per credit hour, which is a big reason many people are turning to the college for their education and training. According to preliminary figures, PCC’s core credit enrollment is up by more than 10 percent again this fall and will be the 13th consecutive term of growth. Over the last two years, PCC has 30 percent more students.

With the college bond program in full swing to upgrade and expand facilities, PCC is trying hard to accommodate the increase in students at all of its campuses.

“With this unprecedented growth, it’s been a challenge for everyone, but PCC is working hard to accommodate this surge in enrollment,” said PCC District President Preston Pulliams. “From our registration, financial aid to our student support services staff, we are dedicated to making the educational experience a smooth one for students. We are holding our own and doing everything we can to remain accessible to those who want to attend Portland Community College.”

With the increase in enrollment, student services like the financial aid office are stressed from the deluge of student requests. Among colleges and universities nationwide, PCC ranks among the top-ten in percentage increase of financial aid applications. The college has received 41,565 financial aid requests via the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is more than a 22 percent increase from last year. The college estimates more than $122 million in financial aid and student loans will be handed out for 2010-11 to PCC students alone.

The Rock Creek Campus is one of the fastest growing PCC campuses.

Looking ahead, the following are some of the big stories happening around the PCC District:

PCC’s Bond Program ramping up work around Portland

Since last year, PCC has picked a location for the future Newberg Center, renovated classrooms and office space at the Cascade Campus, made accessibility improvements at Portland Metro Workforce Training Center, fixed and upgraded older buildings at the Sylvania Campus to make them more energy efficient, opened the new LEED-certified Willow Creek and renovated the Downtown Center as well as overhauled Building 5 into classrooms, offices and labs at the Rock Creek Campus. Plus, the bond has contracted 41 MWESB firms to work on these initial projects and the college is targeting 20 percent of its contracts for MWESB hiring.

College has earned more than $9.4 million in grants this summer

PCC was recently awarded two U.S. Department of Education TRIO Student Support Services grants – a renewal grant of $1,277,525 for the Sylvania ROOTS program and $1,100,000 for a new ROOTS program at Cascade. Both programs increase the retention, graduation and transfer rates of academically under-prepared low-income and first-generation students and students with disabilities. The program serves 170 students at Sylvania and will serve 140 more at Cascade for the next five years. So far this summer, PCC has reaped more than $9.4 million in grant funding from the likes the U.S. Department of Labor to train 875 health care workers and Department of Education to help seasonal and migrant farm workers get their GED.

Third year PCC Foundation’s Miller Match challenge

For the third straight year, the PCC Foundation is striving to raise money to meet a goal set by the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation to raise $320,000 in matching scholarship funds for PCC students. Already, PCC has given out hundreds of scholarships to additional students because of this challenge, but is only a drop in the bucket compared to the growing need from the enrollment surge. In fiscal year 2009-10, the Foundation awarded approximately $884,000 in scholarships, which supported roughly 520 students.

Rock Creek Campus to have first Rocket Composter west of Mississippi

PCC will be the first institution west of the Mississippi River to have a Rocket Composter, which manufactures compost in five days. It will be part of the Rock Creek Campus Loop recycling system, which recycles scraps from the cafeteria and uses the compost to fertilize the community garden. The rocket composter will be unveiled on Oct. 1 and start up in time for the PCC Harvest Festival on Oct. 23 at Rock Creek.

Top Stories

Big Events Calendar for PCC

  • January – Winter Powwow (Sylvania Campus)
  • February – Cascade Festival of African Films (Cascade Campus/North Portland)
  • February – Asian New Year (Southeast Center)
  • April – Semana de la Raza (Rock Creek Campus)
  • May – Art Beat (All Campuses)

About James Hill

James G. Hill, an award-winning journalist and public relations writer, is the Director of Public Relations at Portland Community College. A graduate of Portland State University, James has worked as a section editor for the Newberg Graphic... more »

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