After a month of intensive calculations , the district has confirmed that Moorpark College, as well as the entire Ventura County Community College District, has hit its mark for student enrollment in the Spring 2014 semester.
This means that the district will now receive all funds from the state for programs that were allocated by the budget. According to Moorpark College Interim President Dr. Bernard Luskin, these funds can be used to restore and sustain courses for the semester, eliminating any need for course reductions.
“Everything looks good for Moorpark,” said Luskin. “We will and have restored classes and expect a good year ahead.”
Luskin explained that student enrollment is predicated on a number specific number . This number is set by the state to determine the FTES (Full-Time Equivalent Student) target that each school must reach.
FTES takes into account the workload of each student that is currently enrolled, which is determined by the amount of credit hours that each student has. This helps the district to determine the amount of courses that need to be in place, and whether or not the state should fund the schools.
Course reductions can usually occur when the district goes over the amount of unfunded FTES, said Luskin. This means that the district must hit the target FTES before they can fund additional programs.
Luckily, the district community colleges were right on target.
“There has been concern in past years about students not being able to get their classes, because there have been reductions in the past,” said Luskin.
Luskin used the analogy of a bullseye to explain the dispersal of funds for college courses. The core courses, which include courses required for an Associates Degree for Transfer (AA-T) and Career Technical Programs, rest within the center of the bullseye. Electives that are associated with degree programs rest within the inner ring of the bullseye, with some room outward for a few other electives.
The courses that make up this bullseye are the courses that the district must sustain, but fortunately the funds from the state will allow the courses outside of the bullseye to be funded as well.
According to the district board documents, the Board of Trustees approved six new courses for Moorpark College in a meeting on Feb. 11.
These new courses include: Honors General Chemistry I, Honors Introduction to Criminal Justice, Practical Self Defense, VMware Sphere Fundamentals, Film/Television Portfolio II, and Student News Media Staff Editing II.
While a few of these new courses fall under Luskin’s definition of core courses, some of these may not have been implemented without the help of the state.
“I’ve been impressed [by the enrollment administrators] since I’ve gotten here,” said Luskin. “They’ve done an absolutely amazing job.”
Luskin explained the intensive work that is put into enrollment management planning.
“It’s a science and an art,” said Luskin. “In the end, the science is putting together the big parts [the planning] and the art is getting it to hit the number.”
According to the enrollment management plan, the Moorpark College mission focuses on the guidance of dialogue and decision-making in the planning process to achieve the goal of the district. By way of this mission, enrollment for the semester has been a success.
