Many Pima Community College students could soon face longer drives when the school makes historic cuts to the number of campuses offering summer classes.
Math, history and English will be taught at two campuses instead of five, and science classes will be offered at three campuses under changes that would most affect those on Tucson’s economically disadvantaged south side.
Running a full set of summer classes at every campus is no longer feasible, school officials said.
A steep enrollment drop in recent years has led to reduced demand for summer school and caused classes to be canceled when not enough students signed up, they said.
Summer enrollment fell from around 11,000 in 2012 to 8,500 last school year, a 23 percent decline. PCC also faces steep spending cuts due to overall enrollment losses.
The college “must find ways to be as efficient as possible while serving our students to the best of our ability,” Lisa Brosky, vice chancellor for external relations, said in an email interview.
“If we were to build a college today, given our same enrollment and budget circumstances, it likely would have two campuses and not six,” she said.
“We have to be realistic about what courses, programs and services we can provide at each campus, especially as we keep tuition as low as possible.”
Under the new summer plan:
- Core classes in math, history and English will be available only at the West Campus, 2202 W. Anklam Road, and the Downtown Campus, 1255 N. Stone Ave.
- Science classes will be at the West and Downtown campuses and also at the Northwest Campus, 7600 N. Shannon Road.
- None of those classes will be available at either of PCC’s two campuses on the city’s southern edge — the East Campus at 8181 E. Irvington Road or the Desert Vista campus at 5901 S. Calle Santa Cruz.
- Career and technical programs, such as auto mechanics and culinary training, and adult basic education will continue to be offered as usual at campuses where those programs normally operate.
Some faculty members said they fear the plan will burden lower-income students by increasing their transportation costs.
PCC “is severely limiting access to higher education for its south-side community,” David Morales, a math instructor at the Desert Vista campus and a faculty adviser to PCC’s Governing Board, said in a recent report to the board.
School officials say they plan to help out by providing a shuttle service, but details of the arrangement weren’t available Thursday.
Students also have the option of taking the courses online, said Brosky, the college executive.
She said PCC recently did an online poll to gauge student reaction.
Asked if the changes would cause them transportation problems, about one-quarter of the 1,000 or so students who answered said “yes.”
However, only 12 students said the problems would be severe enough to prevent them from taking classes.
PCC Chancellor Lee Lambert, in a January email to employees, said the changes would “benefit our students while at the same time laying the groundwork to improve our budget situation.
“As enrollment continues to decline and we face continued prospects of zero state funding, the college will be forced to make increasingly difficult decisions.”
It wasn’t immediately clear how much money the summer cutbacks might save.
“There will be minimal cost savings, although I don’t think we have a number on it,” Brosky said.
“The point of this work, however, was less about cost savings and more about demonstrating our ability to be nimble and adapt to changing circumstances.”
