2022 RCC Factbook
Data-Driven Strategy at Rockland Community College
Fall 2016 – Fall 2022
The Rockland Community College (RCC) Factbook was developed by the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness housed in the Division of Economic Mobility and Workforce Innovation, in partnership with the Strategic Marketing team. The Factbook is designed to democratize data and information for internal and external stakeholders committed to the success of RCC students. This Factbook should be used as an introduction to the Institution, and an opportunity to spark questions. As part of a larger strategy to strengthen our data culture, practice, and infrastructure, there will be additional topic-specific “Deep Dives” that explore the various questions raised by the Factbook, and in support of our Strategic Transformation Planning process.
The Factbook includes visuals and tables accompanied by a “Why it Matters” narrative to help put the information into context for RCC stakeholders. Below are some of the key takeaways from the analysis presented in this Factbook. The Factbook Data page contains tables that correspond to and expand on the following charts/graphs and takeaways.
Introduction
Major Takeaways
Enrollment Trends:
- Enrollment has been steadily declining since 2016, both in headcount and Full-Time Equivalent (FTE). Full-time enrollment has decreased at a much higher rate than part-time enrollment. The FTE count is a major factor in determining our annual funding formula. The fewer FTEs, the smaller the College’s budget will be in the coming year.
- During the height of the Pandemic, RCC enrollment dropped to its lowest point in over 20 years. Importantly, RCC has been able to financially weather the storm of the Pandemic so far, due to timely and flexible federal relief funding, which will end in December 2023.
- From Fall 2017 to Fall 2021, Hispanic enrollment increased by 1%, while Black/African American enrollment decreased by 19% and White enrollment decreased by 35%. RCC is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), which means that at least 25% of our students are Hispanic. Our student population is more diverse than Rockland County’s population, while our faculty population is less diverse than the County population.
- Non-credit English Skills Academy enrollment has gone from 667 FTE to 52 FTE since Academic Year (AY) 2018, which may signal an opportunity for growth.
Retention Trends:
- Both fall-to-spring and fall-to-fall retention rates have been steadily decreasing over the last few years. Fall-to-fall retention rates decreased from 2017 to 2020; the fall-to-spring retention rate decreased until Fall 2021, when the retention rate rose by 3%. This could lead to a fall-to-fall increase when the data becomes available for the fall 2021 cohort.
- RCC continued to make big gains in early momentum from fall 2017 to fall 2021: first-time, full-time students completing college level (general education) math increased from 38% to 50%. First-time, full-time students completing 15 credits in their first semester increased from 18% to 24%. Students who start well, measured by early momentum, are more likely to graduate.
Graduation + Success:
- From fall 2017 to fall 2020, the 2-year graduation rate increased from 16% to 20%, while the 3-year graduation rate decreased from 30% to 28%. The SUNY community college graduation rates for 2-year and 3-year completion are 18% and 29% respectively.
Community College Survey of Student Engagement Spring 2018:
- “Communicating with faculty by email” and “discussing ideas outside the classroom” are two of RCC’s best engagement traits, and are higher than the national average.
- “Career Counseling”, “use of peer tutoring”, and “use of computer labs” are among the worst engagement traits, and are lower than the national average.
Adult Learners
- In Fall 2021, 79% of our students were under 25 years of age.
- Half of Rockland County residents are 25 years and older and have less than an associate degree. This represents a largely untapped adult learner market who could benefit from stackable pathways incorporated into our workforce development programs and degree programs.
Career Readiness + Workforce Development
- 83 students enrolled in 13 workforce development programs with 95% of learners completing the program and 85% of students earning an industry recognized credential.
- There were more than 470 job, practicum, Federal Work-Study, and internship placements from late spring to the end of summer 2022.
Microcredentials
- Microcredentials help students to upskill for career advancement or start their degree studies. 2022 was the first year that Rockland Community College microcredentials have been available.
- As of September 2022, the College approved 15 microcredentials that are stackable into degree programs, and 5 microcredentials were issued to students in June 2022.
Small Business Development Center (SBDC)
- 417 new businesses were started, 81 new jobs were created, and 3,144 jobs were protected with the help of SBDC.
- Investments of $121,487,693 in new and existing small businesses were coordinated.
- 227 hours of training were delivered at 59 events to 6,573 entrepreneurs.
- During the Pandemic, SBDC secured $83,198,845 in direct pandemic relief for businesses, resulting in 2,881 saved jobs.
Community Profile
Why it matters:
- Rockland Community College has a diverse student community
- The largest minority group at Rockland Community College is Hispanic
- 37% of the County population have a minority background
As the College’s diversity expands, it is important for RCC to be aware of the culturally diverse communities that comprise RCC, and expand knowledge and representation through imagery, staffing, educational resources, and cultural events. As we develop and adapt to the needs of our community, our reach expands through grant funding, which allows us to continue these efforts on a larger scale.
Student, County Population, and Employee Race/Ethnicity Comparison
No Data Found
*Students and employees with unknown race/ethnicity were not included in the percentage calculations.
Educational Attainment for Rockland County Residents, 25 Years and Older
No Data Found
Educational Attainment
Why it matters:
Half of Rockland County residents who are 25-years or older, have less than an associate degree, which represents a large adult-learner market. As we look to fill the needs of our community, we must involve the needs of adult learners in the development of our Workforce Development and degree programs. Some of the strategies to increase enrollment of adult learners include, but are not limited to, increasing flexible schedule offerings, age diversity in marketing materials, technology resources, shorter time commitments for certification, and tutoring opportunities for required classes.
Enrollment
Historic Enrollment
Why it matters:
- Rockland Community College’s enrollment is at its lowest point in over 20 years
- Enrollment is down 5.7% from fall 2021 to fall 2022
- Enrollment in all higher education sectors is down 2.7%
- Public, 2-year college enrollment is down 3.4%
- Enrollment at all 64 SUNY campuses is down 4.7%
- SUNY community college enrollment is down by 1%
Unlike the previous two recessions – when enrollment increased – the Pandemic accelerated a declining enrollment that began after the recession in 2009.
Historic Enrollment
Fall 1998 to Fall 2021
No Data Found
Fall Headcount by Enrollment Status
No Data Found
Enrollment Headcount Status
Why it matters:
Enrollment has been steadily declining since 2016; the number of new and continuing students decreased by 24% and 21% respectively, while non-matriculated students only decreased by 4%. An increase in the enrollment of our High School Program has slowed the decline of our non-matriculated student enrollment.
Our non-matriculated students from the High School Program are poised to become matriculated students. The high school population has remained steady (or slightly increasing) which has been a steady level of enrollment at RCC.
Enrollment by School Fall 2021
AH = Arts & Humanities, BU = Business & Professional Studies, ES = Education & Social Sciences, NU = Nursing, Health & Wellness, ST = Science, Technology, Engineering & Math, RC = High School & Non-Matrics
No Data Found
International Student Enrollment
Why it matters:
Due to COVID, embassies closed, stopped issuing visas, and tightened their travel restrictions, which resulted in a decrease in the enrollment of international students during fall 2019 to 2020. Additionally, the Trump Administration threatened to change certain benefits of the student visa (i.e. changing the I-94 expiration date from “Duration of Status” to an actual date, threatening to limit Optional Practical Training, etc.), which added to the decline of international student enrollment. As the restrictions surrounding the Pandemic continue to lift and visa policies evolve, we should see an increase in international student enrollment.
International Student Enrollment
No Data Found
Fall Enrollment Headcount
Full-Time and Part-Time Students
No Data Found
Headcount by Full-Time and Part-Time Students
Why it matters:
Part-time student enrollment is declining at a slower rate than full-time student enrollment. This indicates that improvement in support for part-time students may increase enrollment at a faster rate. We must question what makes part-time schedules more manageable to students than a full-time schedule. Are there additional solutions to the same problems that students face when they make the decision to go from full-time to part-time status?
See headcount by full-time and part-time students data table
Full-Time Equivalency by Enrollment Status
Why it matters:
Full-time equivalent (FTE)* is an aggregate measure that combines the part-time and full-time students into one measure of the total number of students divided by a credit count. It is a standard measure used by colleges and is the basis for state funding of public educational institutions. The downward trend in our FTE is impacted by a decrease in both enrollment of new students as well as retention of continuing students.
*Full-time students are defined as carrying 30 credits. FTE in higher education is calculated by dividing the total number of student credits by 30.
Fall Enrollment Status FTE
No Data Found
Fall Enrollment FTE
Full-Time and Part-Time FTE
No Data Found
Full-Time Equivalency by Full-Time and Part-Time Students
Why it matters:
Full-time equivalent (FTE) started declining before the Pandemic and has continued to decline. The number of part-time students (headcount) is down by only 6% in the last five years and slightly increased from Fall 2020 to Fall 2021.
Demographics
Race/Ethnicity
Why it matters:
According to the United States Census Bureau, Rockland County residents are primarily White (63%). However, at Rockland Community College, Hispanic (30.4%) and White (30.0%) students make up roughly the same portion of the total student body. Our high population of Hispanic students awards us the designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). As it has become a national prerogative to expand educational support to minority students, RCC qualifies for additional funding through two federal Title V grants awarded to HSI colleges.
Students by Race/Ethnicity
Fall 2021
No Data Found
Students by Race/Ethnicity
Overall
No Data Found
Sex
Why it matters:
Enrollment is declining for both men and women at the same rate. To better understand our enrollment growth or decline, we will need to further look at race/ethnicity by sex. Since the Pandemic started, the number of male students dropped by 2% while the number of female students fell 8%.
Students by Sex
Fall 2021
No Data Found
Students by Sex
Overall
No Data Found
Age – Students Under Age 25, and Aged 25 and Older
Why it matters:
RCC focuses on a traditional, high school admission pipeline, which has, in part, caused our enrollment to consist primarily of young adults. In Rockland County, there are approximately 100,000 adults 25 years and older who do not have a degree. Enrollment for this group is 1,232 which is just over 1%. It may be time to focus resources on the adult population 25 years and older.
Students by Age
Fall 2021
No Data Found
Students by Age
Overall
No Data Found