Carmen McCollum, Times of Northwest Indiana
carmen.mccollum@nwi.com
Janaya Hood found herself driving up and down each aisle of the parking lot at the Student Union and Library building at Purdue University Calumet in Hammond, searching for a parking space.
Not one was free.
The Michigan native who lives in a campus dormitory said it was clear this school year the parking lot and classes were full.
Hood, a sophomore majoring in biological sciences, said her classes also are full.
"A friend of mine told me there are 10 extra people in one of her classes, and there aren't enough seats at all," she said Thursday.
Sophomore Marylin Biddle, 25, of Hammond, said it's the same thing every year.
"At the beginning of school, it's always really crowded, but by the fourth week of school, it has thinned out some," the sociology major said.
A higher-than-expected number of new students prompted PUC to close fall-semester admission for new undergraduate students at 4 p.m. Aug. 28. Classes started Aug. 31.
Ralph Rogers, PUC vice chancellor for academic affairs, said many of the traditional, new-student class sections are at or near capacity, as the campus experienced unprecedented demand this fall.
Officials at colleges and universities in Northwest Indiana attribute the surge in enrollment at PUC and other institutions to the lackluster economy, as laid-off or underemployed workers join traditional students in the classroom.
The unemployment rate last month in Indiana was 10.7 percent compared with 5.6 percent at the same time a year ago.
Melisha Henderson, vice president for student affairs/director of human resources at Calumet College of St. Joseph, said the school suggested "those students who we have turned away for the fall, enroll in the spring."
Ivy Tech Community College has seen unprecedented growth across its 23 campuses, and college leaders have been worried about possibly having to limit enrollment. For the past five years, Ivy Tech has grown at a phenomenal rate. This past summer, the college's enrollment shot up 33 percent across the state.
More than 110,000 students take classes at Ivy Tech's campuses statewide.
Karen Williams, a spokeswoman for Ivy Tech College Northwest, said the school hasn't turned away any.
As of Sept. 2, Ivy Tech Northwest had 9,324 students enrolled, compared with 6,843 in the fall of 2008.
Officials at Valparaiso University, and Prairie State College and South Suburban College in Illinois also said their enrollments increased.
Jennifer Stoner, spokeswoman for Prairie State College in Chicago Heights, said school enrollment is up more than 12 percent this fall, and the college is making every effort to serve students.
"This is something the entire college, every faculty member and dean, is working on to accommodate our student body," Stoner said.
Patrick Rush, spokesman for South Suburban College in South Holland, said administrators anticipated a 20 percent jump in enrollment, though final figures weren't yet available.
"We hope to see the enrollment continue to rise to ensure the growth of our programs, and we are committed to providing all of our current and new students with high-quality services and facilities," he said.