Recession pushes parents to enroll at community colleges along with kids
Bonnie MILLER RUBIN, Chicago Tribune
Issue date: 3/10/10 Section: News
Maria Coons, interim vice president at Harper Community College, said the challenging economy has attracted more adults who want to learn new skills or earn a degree. The school has seen the population of adult students jump by 17.5 percent this semester from spring 2009.
Simultaneously, 17- to 20-year-olds have flocked to these institutions as a way to stretch their tuition dollar.
"This has led to more parents and children from the same family attending classes here," Coons said. "The number of duos like these has increased over the past year, and we anticipate it will continue to grow."
In many cases, the stubborn economic downturn is behind the generational collision. Even with fledgling signs of a recovery, labor experts say it will take years to absorb the 15 million Americans currently out of work - especially older women with limited education, who have been among the hardest hit.
"I saw the handwriting on the wall," said Lucy Horton, the sole breadwinner for a 13-year-old son, along with daughter Anna and an infant granddaughter.
The elder Horton had worked for years in collections, but the business shriveled and by November 2008, she was axed. She quickly landed a part-time gig in retail, but that lasted only through the holidays. Once again, she found herself with too much month and not enough money.
So, she enrolled in Harper's Women's Program, which provides support to displaced homemakers, and has immersed herself in the certified nursing assistant curriculum. While she's awaiting her certification, she's taking some nursing classes, hoping that the additional instruction will make her even more marketable.
Economics also played a large part in the Gudowskis' decision. Originally, Marissa had her heart set on St. Mary-of-the-Woods College near Terre Haute, Ind., but the $30,000-plus annual tab was just too steep for a mostly stay-at-home mother and her postal clerk father.
Instead, the family scaled back, choosing Prairie State (average tuition: $2,228), which just posted the largest spring enrollment figures in the school's history. An elementary education major, the daughter plans to knock out her prerequisites, and then transfer to Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. Her mom graduated with honors from Prairie State, receiving her associate's degree in photographic studies in May, but is still taking classes toward a bachelor's of fine arts in photography.
Simultaneously, 17- to 20-year-olds have flocked to these institutions as a way to stretch their tuition dollar.
"This has led to more parents and children from the same family attending classes here," Coons said. "The number of duos like these has increased over the past year, and we anticipate it will continue to grow."
In many cases, the stubborn economic downturn is behind the generational collision. Even with fledgling signs of a recovery, labor experts say it will take years to absorb the 15 million Americans currently out of work - especially older women with limited education, who have been among the hardest hit.
"I saw the handwriting on the wall," said Lucy Horton, the sole breadwinner for a 13-year-old son, along with daughter Anna and an infant granddaughter.
The elder Horton had worked for years in collections, but the business shriveled and by November 2008, she was axed. She quickly landed a part-time gig in retail, but that lasted only through the holidays. Once again, she found herself with too much month and not enough money.
So, she enrolled in Harper's Women's Program, which provides support to displaced homemakers, and has immersed herself in the certified nursing assistant curriculum. While she's awaiting her certification, she's taking some nursing classes, hoping that the additional instruction will make her even more marketable.
Economics also played a large part in the Gudowskis' decision. Originally, Marissa had her heart set on St. Mary-of-the-Woods College near Terre Haute, Ind., but the $30,000-plus annual tab was just too steep for a mostly stay-at-home mother and her postal clerk father.
Instead, the family scaled back, choosing Prairie State (average tuition: $2,228), which just posted the largest spring enrollment figures in the school's history. An elementary education major, the daughter plans to knock out her prerequisites, and then transfer to Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. Her mom graduated with honors from Prairie State, receiving her associate's degree in photographic studies in May, but is still taking classes toward a bachelor's of fine arts in photography.
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