Colorado Mountain College (CMC) is bracing for flat, or even declining enrollment this coming school year. A strong economy is to blame.
As a general rule, when the economy is good, people go to work, not school -- at least not community colleges and other open-access schools like CMC.
Matt Gianneschi, CMC’s chief operating officer, said with a two percent unemployment rate, the college needs to be careful to not expand course offerings.
In the grand scheme of things, he said, students who choose work over school are typically older, not ages 18 to 22.
CMC’s Board of Trustees approved a $68 million budget last Wednesday, which anticipates the enrollment trend, but also gives CMC employees a 3 percent cost-of-living raise.
