Colleges and universities here mostly are seeing big enrollment gains for the fall term, and in some cases are reporting record enrollment. Junior colleges, especially, are reporting a surge in enrollment as the poor economy gives more people a reason to attend school.

"Nationally, community colleges have been seeing growth due to the economy and people who are looking for new jobs and skills," says North Idaho College spokesman John Martin. "Community colleges are affordable, accessible, and available because we accept students who might not be able to get into a four-year college or university."

NIC, which is based in Coeur d'Alene, logged a 12 percent jump in enrollment this fall, equating to an increase of nearly 700 students. That increase brought NIC's overall enrollment to a record of 6,347 students, and Martin expects that growth to continue. He attributes enrollment growth there in recent years both to efforts by the two-year school to expand its presence and recruiting just as the economy began to suffer three years ago.

"That started paying dividends at the same time as the economy began slumping," he says. "It was the perfect storm that made community colleges the perfect place to be."

Community Colleges of Spokane, meanwhile, also has seen unprecedented growth in the last several years, says Chancellor Christine Johnson.

The college district, which operates Spokane Falls Community College, Community College of Spokane, and the Institute for Extended Learning, reports a total headcount of 17,221 students this fall and says so far it's on track to meet or exceed its state-supported enrollment target of 13,912 full-time equivalet (FTE) students in the 2010-2011 academic year, says CCS spokeswoman Anne Tucker.

For the 2009-2010 school year, CCS had 15,244 FTEs, an about 9 percent increase over the previous school year, it says. Johnson says that enrollment generally increases in the winter and spring quarters, and that if the growth trend continues, the current school year could hit record enrollment by next spring.

One program that is fueling CCS's growth is Running Start, which gives high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to take college-level classes in high school for college credit, while also earning credit for high school graduation at no tuition cost. That program grew by 7.8 percent during the 2009-10 school year, the college district says.

At Whitworth University, the school's so-called 10th-day enrollment figure this fall totaled a record 2,989 students, up 7.4 percent from 2,781 students a year earlier. Whitworth prefers to release an enrollment figure effective the 10th day after fall semester starts so the number includes any late enrollment changes.

"We have had phenomenal enrollment growth this year," says Whitworth spokeswoman Emily Proffitt. "It has picked up every year. The freshman class is the biggest that it's ever been in the school's history."

Earlier, Whitworth said that in order to accommodate an 18 percent jump in its freshman class this fall, it offered 40 returning students a $1,500 credit against their tuition for agreeing to move off campus, freeing up on-campus dorm rooms for new students.

In contrast, Gonzaga University is reporting a decrease in incoming freshman, as part of a move to accept fewer first-year undergraduates to provide a more student-focused education, says Gonzaga spokesman Dale Goodwin.

"We felt like we needed to take a step back after coming through the extended period of growth over the last 10 years," Goodwin says. "We didn't want to grow bigger unless we know what we are capable of handling, and we want to be able to give that close-knit one-on-one education."

Gonzaga's fall 2010 freshman class totals 1,119 students, about 120 fewer than last year, he says. Overall, the university has 4,805 undergrads, up about 75 students from 2009.

He says the university hasn't limited enrollment in graduate programs, and that population of students has grown about 2.7 percent since last year, to 2,323 students.

For the second consecutive year, Eastern Washington University is expecting record enrollment, says EWU spokesman Dave Meany. Fall 2010 enrollment at the Cheney-based school totaled 10,750 FTEs, up 2.3 percent from fall 2009, he says. EWU enrolled 1,543 freshmen this fall, a 5.1 percent jump over last year, he says.

Meany also notes that the school saw growth in the number of returning students who have continued their education at EWU.

Washington State University has reported record fall enrollment for its entire, multi-campus system, but a small decrease in enrollment at its Spokane campus.

Overall, WSU enrolled a total of 25,996 students combined at its campuses in Pullman, Spokane, Tri-Cities, and Vancouver, up slightly from a year earlier. For the first time in the school's history, WSU's Pullman campus enrollment surpassed the 20,000-student mark, even with a reduction this year in the number of incoming freshmen accepted at its main campus.

WSU Spokane, however, enrolled 63 fewer students this fall, giving it a headcount of 1,290 students, the school says.

The University of Idaho, meanwhile, has reported a 3 percent statewide increase in enrollment, with its Coeur d'Alene campus's enrollment up 12.3 percent this year.

Budget concerns

Recent cuts in higher-education funding in both Washington and Idaho have created distinct challenges in how schools in the region are able to accommodate more students with less money.

EWU recently consolidated two of its six colleges, which cut the number of colleges at the university to four, Meany says. He says students will see some changes associated with budget cuts, such as those consolidations and increased class sizes, but no programs have been completely eliminated.

"In the last few years, we have been absorbing the losses through attrition and good management," he says. "We are trying to do everything we can to protect the students' experience."

Meanwhile, both Whitworth and CCS say they're revisiting their strategic plans to prepare for the future, and to continue to accommodate growing enrollment numbers.

Whitworth's Proffitt says the school is on track with its budget so far and has been careful in managing its endowments and investments, which has helped it to weather the down economy.

Starting when the university's new president, Beck Taylor, took office in July, Whitworth began the process of revisiting its five-year strategic plan, she says.

Community Colleges of Spokane is also updating its 10-year strategic plan.

"This plan will revisit the new economic climate that has changed since the former plan, so we will be prepared if the economy expands or shrinks," Johnson says.

She says the college district is looking at which programs may need to be expanded or reduced.

Johnson says another challenge that both institutions and students are realizing is a reduction in state-funded financial aid.

"There is a smaller pool of money now, but the CCS Foundation is doing a superb job in helping us keep students in school with scholarships," she says.

Martin says NIC also is facing a challenge in finding space for all of its students because enrollment has grown by 2,000 students over the last three years. One way it is doing that is to offer several different schedule combinations for classes to make the best use of classroom space and instructors' time.

"We are maxing out the classroom space that is available," he says, adding that almost every full-time instructor there is teaching extra courses.

Martin says NIC doesn't have plans to expand its program offerings right now, other than making its courses available at more times, including Friday evenings and Saturdays.

"We have to take care of what we are doing right now," he says.