But the fact is that it has. According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, undergraduate enrollment has trended downward over the past two fall semesters across all higher education sectors. One of the steepest drops was at public two-year institutions. Overall enrollment at two-year schools fell by 9.4 percent in 2020. For Hispanics, the numbers are even worse. From 2019 to 2021, enrollment is down 15.7 percent among Hispanics. 

With numbers like this, it’s easy to understand why two-year schools are using a variety of strategies to recruit Hispanic students, help them pay for school, and persist to a certificate or degree. 

Using a Variety of Recruitment Strategies

At College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, its recruitment effort begins with the admissions representatives who go out into the community and connect with prospective students, wherever they may be. If there’s a higher education event in the community, DuPage is there, says Brian W. Caputo, Ph.D., C.P.A, president of DuPage. 

Because twenty-five percent of DuPage students are Hispanic, DuPage offers  recruitment workshops and information sessions in Spanish and English. Even its glossy marketing is printed in Spanish.  

To spread the word about what DuPage offers, the school reaches out to businesses and industry leaders. “We’re just trying to make sure that all of the community understands what’s available at the college. We are a comprehensive community college with upwards of 175 different degrees and certificates. Anything you want to study at DuPage, you can study it,” says Dr. Caputo.  

Portland Community College in Portland, Oregon, reaches out to Hispanic students through a coordinated recruitment effort. To assist in these efforts, the school manages a variety of federally funded programs like CAMP (College Assistance Migratory Program), HEP (Higher Education Programs), and TRIO. In addition to these recruitment tools, PCC also manages programs like Future Connect and Dreamers Center, both of which reach out to Hispanics and encourage them to attend.

Helping Hispanics Pay for and Navigate Higher Education 

When lack of financial security becomes a stumbling block, as it often does for Hispanics, there are a number of programs and scholarships community colleges offer to bridge the financial gap.  

PCC hosts financial aid and scholarship workshops throughout the year and has a dedicated financial aid office to support students with their financial aid. Annually, the PCC Foundation hosts successful Big Give Days. “These garner community donations for student scholarship aid,” says Greg Contreras, CAMP director, Portland Community College. 

Like most community colleges, DuPage offers a variety of scholarship programs, both merit-based and needs-based. Since DuPage’s tuition is so reasonable, a PELL recipient can attend DuPage full time, pay tuition, and still have enough money left over on which to live. 

Of course the admissions office is a student’s first contact with DuPage, but it’s the counseling and advising offices that help students develop a degree program, one that uses students’ time at the school efficiently by steering them clear of any unnecessary courses. To help Hispanics keep in touch with their peers and to offer a sense of community, DuPage created a Latino ethnic awareness association, run by students who are mentored by faculty. “Hispanics are an integral part of our college community. Hispanic identity is important and we celebrate that and try to bring everyone together with the aim of making everyone successful for the future,” says Dr. Caputo.  

Dealing with a Variety of Life Situations

No matter the ethnic makeup of their student bodies, all schools must accommodate their students and meet their needs. Considering the demographic of their clientele, two-year colleges can face significant challenges. PCC provides holistic and solution-focused advising for its students. If needed, referrals are made to help students build support throughout their college years. “From career services to disability services and the many student-centered centers, like the Women's Resource Center and the Multicultural Center, PCC students receive several essential resources,” says Contreras. 

For students who are also parents, PCC maintains daycare services for its students on one of its campuses. PCC also schedules courses on weekdays, evenings, weekends, online, and remotely to accommodate the various work schedules of its students.    

Setbacks and Opportunities

The pandemic has altered the way students access their classes. For many the various modalities presented a challenge, especially to those who did not have the necessary technology. When PCC transitioned to remote education, it used its emergency funds and leaned on federal programs to help fill the gaps for students who needed technology. Laptops provided by CAMP helped a Latino first-generation student log into his remote zoom courses. PCC even helped outside the classroom by setting up an emergency fund to purchase groceries for a student whose parent was laid off. “This helped the student remain in college,” says Contreras.

As DuPage moved through the last two school years, the safety of its students, faculty, and staff have been paramount, says Dr. Caputo. “If students are sick, they can’t learn,” he says. Employing a variety of educational modalities, like traditional in-person, synchronous online classes, and traditional online classes, DuPage tried to meet everyone’s needs. 

During peak COVID surges, DuPage was forced to transition to remote learning to reduce student density on campus, which kept students safe and classes moving forward. Students who did not have digital devices or an internet connection in their homes were provided with loaned computers and WIFI hotspots. 

DuPage also has a robust counseling capacity for students and employees who need mental health counseling. Complex or extended cases were referred to an outside counseling agency at no cost. 

Dr. Caputo says that there was significant trepidation on the part of students and faculty as the school transitioned to remote learning. But as the pandemic unfolded, Dr. Caputo found there were positives associated with the different education modalities. For example, students who access their classes online no longer need to build in commute time to the campus. And ancillary expenses like gas and transportation costs are, in some cases, entirely eliminated, reducing the overall cost of their college education. 

Virtual students also had more free time. “If you’re taking an in-person class, you have to plan for getting to campus. What may have been a three-hour face-to-face class turns into a five-hour commitment because the student has to plan on an hour of travel to the class and an hour back. Some have found that remote learning is very attractive,” says Dr. Caputo.

Moving into the Future

PCC is moving forward with a measured approach as the pandemic persists. Currently, it’s in a sustained opening phase, rolling out several in-person classes and retention activities, anticipating a more robust in-person educational experience this spring. It’s also completing a large-scale college reorganization to ensure all PCC campuses coordinate under a one-college model in meeting the needs of students. “In the next five to 10 years, I envision PCC to be a Hispanic Serving Institution with even greater college access, programming, retention, and degree completion rates,” says Contreras.

DuPage will continue to meet the needs of all its stakeholder groups because that’s where its value is. “We’re always assessing our curriculum and modalities,” says Dr. Caputo. To that end, he recently assembled a task force called the Future of Learning, which was charged with determining exactly what DuPage students need to succeed. “What are the different modalities? What is the right mix that students want?” says Dr. Caputo.