Student Demographics of LCSC - Lewis–Clark State …



Student Demographics of LCSC

Use the narrative (it’s excellent) and replace the outdated numbers using LCSC Fast Facts.

Lewis-Clark State College (LCSC), located in Lewiston, Idaho (North Central Idaho) is a public undergraduate college founded in 1893. Fall Semester 2004, 3,325 students registered to attend LCSC. Two thousand and forty-four (2044) of the students are females, 163 are Alaskan/Native Americans, 149 are Hispanic, 81% are first-generation, 37% are non-traditional, and 80% of our full-time students receive financial aid assistance. Some students drive approximately 75 miles one-way, through a mountainous region on inadequate, mountain roads to attend school.

Lewis-Clark State College (LCSC) seeks funding to implement a Title III Strengthening Institutions Development Grant for a period of five years. [NEED]Survey data indicates that LCSC faculty face significant challenges due to poor academic preparation of a student body with little broad experience upon which to build a global vision of life; many students have no family tradition of involvement with higher education; a significant number are ill prepared for college. Many bring negative value systems with them coming from a wide, rural, territory with poor telecommunication systems, high unemployment, dying extractive industries, low educational achievement, isolated populations, and two Native American populations with their attendant challenges.

Student Body Characteristics

|Student Body Characteristics, Fall 2004 |

|Total Headcount |3325 |

|Total FTE |2635 |

|Total Full-Time |2329 |

|Total Part-Time | 996 |

|Total Males |1281 |

|Total Females |2044 |

|Resident Status |2974 |

|First Generation Attending College |1342 |

|Number receiving financial aid |2776 |

|Non-Traditional Students |1241 |

|Degree Seeking Students |2917 |

|Professional-Technical Degree Seeking Students | 762 |

|Academic Degree Seeking Students |2553 |

The number of students enrolled at LCSC has grown steadily in recent years. In 2001 our enrollment was 2,953, in 2002, it rose to 3,108, and in 2003 the total climbed to 3,471. Presently we stand at 3325 students.

|Student Body by Ethnicity |

|Non Resident Alien |98 |

|Black Non-Hispanic |14 |

|Alaskan/American Native |163 |

|Asian/Pacific Islander | 27 |

|Hispanic |149 |

|White Non-Hispanic |2675 |

|Ethnicity Unknown |199 |

|Average Age is 28. |

|Division Enrollment by Declared Major |

|Academic Divisions |

|Business |384 |

|Education |595 |

|Humanities |165 |

|Natural Sciences |235 |

|Nursing |564 |

|Social Sciences |363 |

|Undeclared |150 |

|Non Degree |302 |

|Professional Technical Divisions |

|Business Technology & Service |341 |

|Technical & Industrial |253 |

|Non Degree |181 |

Many of the students coming to LCSC are ill prepared for college. Many have no family tradition of involvement in higher education and have little broad experience with which to construct a global vision of life. Many bring narrow, sometimes negative value systems with them. They were raised in a rural area, isolated and are poorly prepared academically for success in college, because most rural schools are poorly funded. They are spread over a wide, rural, territory with poor telecommunications. Idaho ranks 46th in the nation when comparing high school graduates continuing on to college immediately after high school (National Information Center for Higher Education Policymaking and Analysis). Only 25% of the citizens of Idaho hold a Bachelors Degree or higher. Just 17% of Idaho 9-12 graders take at least one upper level science course; 41% take at least one upper level math course. Survey results from the Higher Education Research Institute indicate that “colleges and universities need to find more effective ways to accommodate the growing numbers of students who may be coming to college academically under-prepared.” (1999 Survey Results, Higher Education Research Institute, ) The 2004 retention rate at LCSC continues to show improvement - 60% - up from 52.8% five years ago.

FROM A DIFFERENT GRANT

Student demographics

LCSC has both a high number and a high percentage of individuals who meet eligibility requirements for need-based financial aid. They also meet the eligibility requirements for access to subsidized childcare. The Financial Aid Office estimated that there are 1115 independent students (out of a total enrollment of 3325 in FY04) who meet the low-income criteria for Student Support Services (SSS), a federal TRIO Program operating on campus. With a large need, limited resources, and decreasing funds, it is nearly impossible for the college to meet the demand for support services, including childcare, for its low-income student population.

The following table lists the number and percentages of low-income students at Lewis-Clark State College.

NUMBER & PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS ENROLLED OR ACCEPTED

| |Number |Percentage |

|Low-Income |1551 |47% |

|First Generation |2171 |65% |

|First Generation & Low-Income |1396 |42% |

|Individuals With Disabilities |170 |5% |

|Disabled & Low-Income |155 |4% |

|Citizen Status |3040 |91% |

|Need for Academic Support |2637 |85% |

|Total Enrollment |3325 |100% |

|Total Students Eligible for SSS Trio |2482 |80% |

|Percent of Students receiving aid | |80% |

|Number of Pell Grants awarded to students |1558 | |

Of particular importance is the percentage of students (85%) who need some type of academic support in order to be successful in school. It should also be noted that the 47% cited under low-income is based on full-time students only, who meet the low- income SSS criteria. Students with small children are often at a disadvantage because childcare is expensive. They choose not to take advantage of study groups and tutoring because they can’t afford childcare services. Some individuals attending LCSC equate financial aid with welfare, and will not accept it; often because of a rural ethic common to the region. They would rather find a way to work their way through school than accept “hand outs” from the government. They drop out of college because they can’t work enough hours needed to support themselves and their families while attending school; or they can’t keep their grades at an acceptable level. For students with children, childcare can be the expense that breaks them when it comes to staying in school.

LCSC maintains a four-to-six-year graduation rate of 29.4% for a bachelor’s degree. The retention rate for FY04 was 52.2%. This indicates that many of our non-traditional students with young children cannot complete their academic program within four to six years, while trying to raise a family, work, and survive physically and emotionally. Faced with the prospect of no financial resources, they become discouraged and give up. Twenty-seven percent of our students are working and low-income.

The majority of LCSC students are from nearby rural communities or Indian reservation lands (Nez Perce and Coeur d’Alene Tribal Lands) where under funded public schools often do not adequately prepare students for college. Nearly 71% of entering freshmen score at the bottom half and bottom quarter of their high school graduating class. As indicated by the previous table, 65% of students are first generation college attendees. Many of LCSC’s entering students score below national averages on college entrance tests. This means they must work harder and remain in school longer, than students who are prepared for college. Forty three percent of entering students at LCSC need developmental English classes; 47% need developmental math; and 47% need developmental reading classes, according to the admissions office.

Non traditional students make up a large segment of the campus population—42.7%. More of these students are likely to enter college with families. A number of them have been displaced from the work force. They need retraining to earn a living wage with benefits. Many are attempting to break the cycle of underemployment that is common in rural Idaho, where timber, mining, and agriculture industries were once the dominant employers. A high number of these students have a General Education Diploma (GED) background, limiting them to a minimum wage. Most of them have no way to pay the burdensome cost of childcare services and school fees.

Many low-income students who seek retraining focus on workforce training at the expense of vocational-technical programs or traditional academic schooling. While childcare expenses continue to increase, their earning power does not.

The regional job market, formerly mining, timber and farming, leads to a high number of disabled individuals who seek retraining through post-secondary education. Childcare is especially beneficial to this segment of the student population.

LCSC has a significant number of ethnic minority students (177 Native American; 115 Hispanic; 94 Non-resident aliens). Many of these students are non-traditional students with families, facing the challenge of soaring childcare expenses.

As with all institutions, student fees have increased at annual rate of 9% per year due to the Idaho legislature’s decision to cut back on spending for higher education. In 1989 Idaho allocated 15.5% of their budget to higher education. In 2005, it’s down to 10.7%. This decrease in funding affects low-income students the most. From 1995 to 2005, students’ tuition and fees paid for 19.2% of the cost of their college education; today students pay 31.6% of the cost. State funded higher education is becoming state assisted in Idaho as in other regions of the country. From 1995-96 to 2003-2004, the number of LCSC students on financial aid increased from 1735 to 2486. However in the same years a substantial decrease in the percentage of college students on “need based aid” demonstrated that fewer low income individuals are attending college (98% in 1995-96; and 80% in 2003-2004). Annual tuition and fees at LCSC are the lowest in the state of Idaho for four-year institutions ($3,392), but many students cannot afford post-secondary education, or are not willing to take on the debt load needed to complete a degree. In 2003-2004, 792 applicants or 25% of students qualified for full Pell grants.

LCSC is a commuter campus, where a majority of students live and work. Many drive over 50 miles (one-way) in order to get to the campus. They live in the rugged, rural, mountainous areas that typify North Central Idaho. For instance, the drive from Weippe or Pierce near Orofino is a distance of over 70 miles one-way, and the elevation drops from 3,020 feet above sea level to about 700 feet above sea level at LCSC in Lewiston, Idaho. All this travel takes place on some of the most accident-prone, 2-lane state highway (Highways 12 and 95), affectionately called the “goat trail” by Idahoans familiar with the area.

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