When the going gets tough, the tough go to school.
Or at least that’s been the case for many hardworking blue-collar residents in Northwest Montana during the recession. Hordes of laid-off workers have flocked to Flathead Valley Community College seeking second careers, often after having spent many years in the same profession.
Now, some of these nontraditional students are part of FVCC’s largest graduating class ever.
“Most of these people came in very focused,” said Bill Roope, the college’s director of career and technical education. “They knew what they wanted to do and had clear goals set.”
He added: “Once they become accustomed to coming to class and studying, most of them do very well because they put forth the effort to do well.”
At a May 14 graduation ceremony at the Flathead County Fairgrounds, 340 students were honored for earning a total of 358 degrees and certificates. Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau was the commencement speaker.
The honors include 183 Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degrees, 86 Associate of Applied Science degrees and 89 certificates. These are an assortment of one-year certificates and two-year degrees, including transfer degrees.
Marlene Stoltz, registrar and admissions coordinator at the college, said the 358 degrees and certificates were “considerably higher” than usual.
“Usually, 200 to 250 is a decent year for us,” Stoltz said.
With about 2,800 students enrolled for the spring semester, FVCC had the fourth largest enrollment of any college or university in the state, trailing University of Montana, Montana State University and Montana State University-Billings. Stoltz said FVCC flip-flops with Montana Tech for fourth largest, depending on the year.
While laid-off workers, like the ones described by Roope, constituted a notable percentage of the 2009-2010 enrollment, Stoltz said a record number of returning students also played a factor in the large graduating class.
Many of the laid-off workers at FVCC, some aided by the U.S. Trade Adjustment Assistance program, have chosen to pursue certificates or degrees in occupational trades, which include electrical technology; welding; cabinetry and furniture making; equipment operation; and computer numerical control (CNC) machine technology.
Roope oversees the occupational trades courses. In past years, Roope said the welding classes had about 30-40 students. This year there were more than 90. Other classes have seen similar increases, he said. Students can earn both one-year certificates and two-year degrees in different occupational trades studies.
“We have had more bodies in here than I have ever seen,” Roope said. “We’ve doubled in just about every category.”
The nontraditional students filing into the occupational trades classes are generally blue-collar, practical-minded guys who get the knowledge they need and then immediately put it to use in the labor field. Yet many who enrolled in a one-year certificate course are now choosing to come back for a two-year degree, Roope said. Roope is expecting big numbers again next year.
“A lot of the retraining people were reluctant to commit to what they perceived as a longtime commitment to school,” Roope said. “But once they become accustomed to it, they become more comfortable and are choosing to go to a higher level than they had anticipated.”