New doors open for community college students as economy swells their ranks.
By Marion Callahan
OF THE MORNING CALL
August 30, 2009
Amanda Baranowski had her heart set on Lehigh University. But the Nazareth Area High School graduate, who ranked 17th in her class, planned one stop before heading there — community college.
”It was financially appealing, close to home and easy to commute,” said Baranowski, 22, who graduated with honors from Lehigh in May and is now employed as a researcher at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
Baranowski is part of a growing number of high-achieving students who are opting for community college before moving on to four-year universities.
Responding to the soaring enrollment at community colleges, some public and private colleges are beefing up recruitment efforts, or in some cases, opening doors that were once considered shut to those going the community college route.