THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, October 24, 1994 TAG: 9410240042
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PHILIP WALZER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Long : 154 lines
Enrollment at the Virginia Beach center run by Old Dominion and Norfolk State universities has jumped 40 percent this year.
The number of students taking courses at the 6-year-old center on Virginia Beach Boulevard rose from 1,815 last year to 2,539. That is more than the total at some Virginia colleges, such as Virginia Wesleyan and Washington & Lee University, director John B. Callander said.
The universities' Portsmouth center, which opened in 1992, has grown even faster, nearly doubling its enrollment from 525 to 1,045.
``It's part of a more general trend: The mountain is moving to Mohammed,'' said Margaret A. Miller, associate director of the State Council of Higher Education. ``More and more, institutions of higher education are reaching outside their campuses and going to their constituents, and I think this is a good example.''
The growth at off-campus centers helped Norfolk State and Old Dominion lead the state in overall enrollment increases this fall, according to recently released estimates by the State Council of Higher Education.
Norfolk State recorded the largest gain among state-supported four-year schools, with enrollment rising 5.3 percent to 9,112. ODU was second, growing 4.2 percent to 16,647.
Total enrollment at private and state-supported two- and four-year colleges remained basically unchanged in Virginia at 348,000.
The Virginia Beach center takes up three floors in an office park on Virginia Beach Boulevard and Little Neck Road. The floors are carpeted, the bathrooms are virtually free of graffiti and the parking lot almost always has empty spaces.
And tuition is less than at the main campuses: For in-state graduate students, ODU charges $154 per credit hour at the center, compared to $165.50 on Hampton Boulevard in Norfolk. NSU charges $136 in Virginia Beach, compared to $177.
For the students, many of whom are adults from Virginia Beach who already have full-time jobs, it's an irresistible combination.
``A lot of people would zoom into a parking space here, rather than go to Norfolk and try to fight traffic,'' said Jackie Tate of Chesapeake, a Portsmouth teacher pursuing a master's degree in special education. ``And it's cheaper, too.''
Even Karen LaBonte, a teacher who lives and works in Norfolk, prefers to take her courses at the Beach.
``It's a much more pleasant experience,'' said LaBonte, who was chatting with Tate at the vending machines on the third floor the other day before class. ``There's a small-town atmosphere to the building. It's more personal. There's more interaction between professors and students.''
Jo Ann Gora, ODU's provost, said: ``We really make it easy and convenient for the students. They can register for courses there. They can pay there. They can even get library books there.
``It would be great if they came on campus, but they don't have to.''
Callander said the center this year added 50 percent more space in the building, with the help of a $300,000 appropriation from the state. That allowed ODU to increase the number of classes from 133 last fall to 237.
ODU and NSU offer more than 25 degree programs at the center, primarily in graduate studies and mostly between 4 and 10 p.m.. Popular choices include social work for NSU students, and education and business for ODU students.
In the next decade, the universities plan to build their own mini-campus near Tidewater Community College's Virginia Beach campus, which could house 6,000 students.
Among local universities, the biggest loser in enrollment was Regent University, which traditionally has experienced big gains. Regent's enrollment fell 5.7 percent, to 1,311.
President Terry Lindvall said that might be due to confusion caused by the university's shift from a three-quarter to a two-semester system, as well as a restructuring of recruitment, which gives more control to individual colleges within Regent.
Lindvall also said Regent's policy of refusing to participate in virtually all federal aid and loan programs might have hurt. ``The philosophy,'' he said, ``is when you take government funding, you open yourself up to government regulation.'' But Regent is reconsidering that policy, he said.
Hampton University, which also usually enjoys big increases, reported a 3.6 percent decline, to 5,550. But Demetrius Venable, the executive vice president, said that estimate was sent to Richmond before the school year started, and the actual total went from 5,759 to 5,769. ILLUSTRATION: JOSEPH JOHN KOTLOWSKI/Staff
John B. Callander is director of the Virginia Beach satellite of Old
Dominion and Norfolk State universities, which have seen 40 percent
jump in enrollment.
CHART
STEVE STONE/Staff
COLLEGE ENROLLMENT IN VIRGINIA
ENROLLMENT AT ODU-NSU CENTERS
Virginia Beach Portsmouth
1993 1994 % increase 1993 1994 % increase
ODU 1,236 1,934 56.5% 303 440 45.2%
NSU 579 605 4.5% 222 605 172.5%
Total 1,815 2,539 39.9% 525 1,045 99.0%
Source: Old Dominion and Norfolk State universities
STATE-SUPPORTED, FOUR-YEAR COLLEGES
1993 total 1994 est. % change
Christopher Newport University
4,756 4,705 -1.1%
Clinch Valley College
1,592 1,387 -12.9%
College of William and Mary
7,586 7,549 -0.5%
George Mason University
21,300 21,774 2.2%
James Madison University
11,503 11,689 1.6%
Longwood College
3,405 3,375 -0.9%
Mary Washington College
3,788 3,727 -1.6%
Norfolk State University
8,652 9,112 5.3%
Old Dominion University
15,974 16,647 4.2%
Radford University
9,546 9,105 -4.6%
University of Virginia
21,394 21,450 0.3%
Virginia Commonwealth University
21,854 21,347 -2.3%
Virginia Military Institute
1,191 1,179 -1.0%
Virginia State University
3,996 3,992 -0.1%
Virginia Tech
26,030 25,842 -0.7%
PRIVATE AND COMMUNITY COLLEGES
Hampton University
5,759 5,550 -3.6%
Medical College of Hampton Roads
551 588 6.7%
Paul D. Camp Community College
1,639 1,606 -2.0%
Regent University
1,390 1,311 -5.7%
Thomas Nelson Community College
7,828 7,479 -4.5%
Tidewater Community College
17,509 17,909 2.3%
Virginia Wesleyan College
1,548 1,568 1.3%
STATE TOTAL
348,457 348,025 -0.1%
SOURCE: State Council of Higher Education, local community colleges
KEYWORDS: COLLEGE ENROLLMENT by CNB