Despite the recent fee increase from $11 to $18 for the fall 2003 semester, enrollment is down by 468 students as of August 25, 2003, compared to last year.
     “We’ve cut 200 sections for fall 2003, lowering class offerings by 20 to 25 percent,” said Skyline College President Fran White.
     In a notice sent out by Dean of Admissions Sherri Hancock, day class enrollment has increased from 4,770 students to 4,891 in comparison to last year’s fall semester to this year’s. Evening classes decreased from 3,851 to 3,262. In comparison to College of San Mateo (CSM) and Cañada College, total enrollment has decreased for Skyline and Cañada at 5.4 and 0.7 percent successively, while CSM’s has increased by 2.2 percent. “With an overall decrease in enrollment by 5.4 percent, we’re hoping to maintain an enrollment the same as last year,” Hancock said. However, Hancock expects that the number will go down by September 3, the last day to add classes. “If the fees had been different, the numbers could have been lower, but the numbers look unaffected; the raised fees don’t seem to matter.”
     “To date, only eight sections have been cancelled for low enrollment,” said Administrative Assistant Maria Norris. “They include CAOT 301, three sections of CRER 410, DANC 450, and GOEG 301, 302 and 303. At the same time we have added an additional section of each of the following courses to meet student needs including: BIO 260, CAOT 100 and 101, CRER 650, ECON 102, ENGL 826 AND 836, HIST 240, MATH 120, MUS.202, PSYC 100, READ 836, and SPAN 122.”
     Vice President of Instruction Regina Stanback-Stroud said San Mateo County Community College District had a budget deficit of over $10 million dollars for over the next three years and Skyline’s portion consisted of working with $600,000 less for the 02′-03′ year. “The majority of the course sections cut, I believe, were evening classes,” she said. Part-time instructors are assigned to available courses on a semester-based contract and they teach mainly evening classes. In regards to part-time instructional spending from fall 2002 to fall 2003, Skyline College cut spending by about $400,000. As an end result, there are less evening classes.
     Working with a 20 percent decrease in budget, the marketing and public relations office switched marketing schemes from general reach ads to targeted advertising. “The targeting advertisements we used covered short courses that begin in October and programs the deans wanted to promote; primarily, the ads focused on classes with a record of low enrollment.”
     “This year we did targeting advertisements because of budget cuts . . . to be more cost effective,” said Sandra Irber, director of college development, marketing and public relations. General reach ads usually consist of radio, television or newspaper ads and broach the subject of attending the college, whereas targeted advertising focuses on specific courses or majors.