Officials with College of the Canyons expect the demand for higher education to be “exceptionally strong” in the coming year as they prepare to host the majority of their fall semester classes online.
Dr. Dianne G. Van Hook, chancellor for College of the Canyons, sent an email out to the campus community Wednesday to give an update on the college’s plans moving forward during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As we end the Spring 2020 semester and look ahead to summer and fall at COC, we are working to identify solutions that provide a wide range of opportunities for current students to continue their educations, as well as give a new group of students – our future alumni – the chance to join us as we kick off the 2020-2021 year in August,” she wrote.
COC officials believe that the demand for higher education at the college will be higher this coming Fall than in previous years due to the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
“Whenever there is a recession, we see enrollment surge,” she wrote. “Yet, with unemployment rates nearing 25 percent in California, and the four-year-college residential experience unavailable at most campuses in fall 2020, more people than ever will turn to COC to achieve their educational goals.”
Officials say that this expected surge in demand will be comprised of various demographics, including:
- High school graduates who planned to go away to a four-year university for their freshman year instead pivot to COC as their preferred close-to-home option
- High school graduates planning to work, but who cannot find employment, choose to attend COC
- Many of COC’s current students who were accepted to four-year campuses that decide to postpone transferring and stay at College of the Canyons to maximize the number of units they can complete at a “bargain price, with premier instruction and faculty who know and care for them”
- Students currently enrolled in four-year universities who return to COC under concurrent enrollment provisions to pursue required courses at an affordable cost in a “safer at home environment”
- Those out of work who turn to COC for the training needed to obtain a job in a restructured position or an emerging, high-demand field where employment will be available.
See Related: College Of The Canyons To Hold Virtual Graduation Ceremony
“As we welcome these students and community members to our college, we will continue to enhance the capacity and systems of delivery needed to maintain quality online and remote experiences while following prevailing health guidelines that mitigate virus transmission risks by reducing the proximity of people to one another,” Van Hook wrote.
These new students set to turn to COC for their higher education needs can expect a mostly online and distance learning-based approach to classes, with the exception of a limited selection of lab courses that require hands-on instruction.
“We will continue to offer quality online and remote experiences and do so within health guidelines as we mitigate health risks and help to control the spread of coronavirus so that we can all resume education, work, and recreation in the Santa Clarita Valley as soon as it is safe to do so,” Van Hook said in a statement released late Wednesday afternoon.
As of May 20, college officials were planning on gradually reopening their campuses and services in phases, similar to Los Angeles County’s approach.
“There is no one size that fits all in an organization as complex as ours,” Van Hook wrote. “So, as we plan for a gradual re-opening of the campuses as allowed by Los Angeles County and State of California standards, analysis will be ongoing to ensure that we maximize our ability to mitigate risk while managing access and support.”
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What a bunch of dipshi*s we have running COC. Open it up and produce real learning.
Thank you Dennis. I totally agree.