Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 4, 1990 TAG: 9007040311
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: HOLIDAY
SOURCE: By Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
Pierce earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from California State University at Long Beach and a master's degree and a Ph.D. from Purdue University, but he says Fullerton Junior College in California deserves credit for turning his life around.
"Fullerton did so much for me," Pierce said in an interview last week in his Richmond office. "It set me out on this course and is the main reason I've been involved in community colleges."
Pierce had just served a four-year hitch in the Marine Corps in the mid-1950s and decided he wanted to stay in California. Looking for direction in his life, he enrolled at Fullerton and "had a powerfully positive experience."
The encouragement and individual attention Pierce received at Fullerton prompted him to further his education, then pursue a teaching career that eventually led to community college administration.
Since May 1, he has been head of Virginia's system of 23 community colleges, which in 1989-90 had 226,001 students on 34 campuses. Pierce, 55, succeeded Johnas F. Hockaday, who is now president of the Pima Community College District in Arizona.
When Pierce came to Virginia after serving 10 years as executive director of the Illinois Community College Board, he inherited a system that is experiencing growing pains during a period of slower state revenue growth. The state's total community college budget of $268.4 million for 1990-91 is a 5 percent increase over the previous year, but 1989-90 enrollment, meanwhile, was up 11 percent over the previous year.
"Given the funding level we have, we probably only have adequate money for an enrollment figure five to 10 percent below where we are now," Pierce said.
As a result of the money shortage, Virginia's community colleges employ more than the ideal number of part-time instructors, Pierce said. Part-time teachers are less expensive to hire because the state does not have to provide benefits.
"The Commission on the Future of Community Colleges a few years ago recommended that no more than 25 percent of credit hours be taught by adjunct faculty," Pierce said. "We're at 40 percent, and that is up from 36 percent a decade ago."
Pierce is careful not to fault the General Assembly for the funding pressures.
"I've gotten the feeling that the legislators have a warm and positive feeling for the community colleges of Virginia," said Pierce, who has met with some key lawmakers during his first few weeks on the job. "I think they feel the community colleges are working hard and giving a good return for their dollar."
Pierce said he expects the community college system to face "a two-pronged challenge" in the '90s as enrollment continues to grow faster than funding.
"Enrollment in community colleges can be surprising and unpredictable," Pierce said. "But if we look ahead at population projections, one would conclude that growth will continue."
"That challenge is compounded by the funding system," he said. "We do have a problem there with larger enrollment and fewer funds."
Unlike the state's four-year colleges, the community colleges do not place a cap on enrollment. The open-door policy has been at least partly responsible for the surprising enrollment growth, but Pierce said he would resist limiting enrollment.
"This question is a real struggle for us," Pierce said. "As much as we dislike that prospect, the reality is this: If the commonwealth is unable or unwilling to provide funds, some programs may not be available.
"It's conceivable we will exhaust our ability to offer certain courses. We might not be able to let everyone into every class. But I don't see moving to a cap."
He also does not foresee construction of any new community colleges in the near future, although some in growing areas may add campuses.
Other than the enrollment-funding imbalance, Pierce said he has found little to complain about in Virginia's two-year colleges.
"What's happening here is right up there with the other comprehensive systems in the country," he said. "The issues being dealt with are the right issues, and the people are very knowledgeable. I sense a real good cooperative viewpoint and esprit de corps within the system."
Annette Gibbs, director of the University of Virginia's Center for the Study of Higher Education, said the community college system's strong points outweigh its problems.
"As someone who works in college and university management, I can say Virginia's system is one of the nation's top three or four," she said. "It's right up there with Texas, California and Florida. It has a very good reputation nationally."
by CNB