theLAKER | 19 MEETING THE CHALLENGE OF DIVERSITY As an open access institution, FLCC is on the forefront of economic and demographic change. The College has become more racially diverse than its surrounding community. Students of color have risen from 17 to 24 percent of those enrolled in credit-bearing courses, excluding high school concurrent enrollment, in the last five years. By comparison, non-white residents make up about 6 percent of the population in FLCC’s four-county service area. The College has also experienced a five-year decline in enrollment for students under 24 and an increase in enrollment of students above age 34. Several factors are likely influencing these trends, including declining high school populations and the greater flexibility of online course offerings as nontraditional-aged students cope with the disrupting impacts of the pandemic. Older students are much more likely to attend part-time. In addition, the percentage of students reporting a disability has risen from 9 to 12 over the last five years. This percentage likely underrepresents the number of students coping with disabilities, including mental illness. The success of community college students is a critical public policy issue as the nation struggles with worker shortages. In order to fill vacant jobs, older workers must be retrained, and students from disadvantaged backgrounds must get the financial and academic support they need to complete their programs. Non-white, part-time and disabled students are all at higher risk of leaving school without a credential. For example, FLCC’s fall-to-fall retention of new, full-time students of color in 2021 was 45 percent. This compares to a national average of 44 percent, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Still, it is below FLCC’s retention for white students, which was 51 percent in 2021. (Rates for all students were lower in 2021 than pre-COVID). FLCC has begun using a chatbot to check in with students periodically. The bot starts with a text message asking students how they are doing and provides multiple choice answers. Based on each student’s response, the chatbot asks further questions to narrow down the specific problem. For example, if a student reports things aren’t going well, the chatbot asks if the problem is academic, financial, emotional, etc. In this way, the College hopes to identify students who need help before they are in a crisis that prevents them from completing the semester or graduating. The chatbot is one of several approaches to offer timely intervention and critical support services to the most vulnerable students. DEMOGRAPHIC SNAPSHOT A look at the makeup of the 3,157 full- and part- time students enrolled in a credit-bearing course at one of FLCC’s locations or online in fall 2022. under 20 20–24 25–34 over 34 40% 25% 20% 15% Age breakdown 1% Black/African-American Two or more races Asian American or Alaska Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 57% 28% 11% 3% People of Color female male 55% 45% Race & Ethnicity White Students of Color unknown 73% 24% 3% Gender Breakdown
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