2009 Performance Accountability Report Vol. 2 - Maryland Higher ...

driver education programs and to the opening of the new Camp Springs Skilled Trades Center.
New opportunities in the hospitality services industry have had a positive impact on both credit
and non-credit enrollments.
Another hopeful sign was Prince George's Community College’s take of the county
postsecondary market. Our market share of first-time, full-time freshmen increased 3.7%
between FY 2007 and 2008 from 27.0% to 28.0%, respectively (PAR 2). Similarly, our share of
part-time undergraduates grew 7.5% between FY 2007 and 2008 from 53.4% to 57.4%,
respectively (PAR 3). These were the largest market shares in three reporting cycles and neared
or exceeded 2010 benchmarks. On the other hand, the college’s proportion of county recent,
college-bound high school graduates dropped somewhat – from 49.2% in academic year 2007 to
45.9% in 2008 (PAR 4). Also, enrollment in online credit courses (PAR 5a) peaked in fiscal year
2006 (9,580), but subsequently declined to 7,464 in 2008. Online non-credit course enrollments
(PAR5b) paralleled this pattern – peaking at 877 in 2006 but declining somewhat to 825 in 2008.
In the area of affordability (PAR 6), some progress was made since the last reporting cycle.
Tuition and fees as a percent of tuition and fees at Maryland public four-year institutions was
52.1% compared with percentages around 57-58% in both 2006 and 2007. This year’s figure is
the lowest since 2005 (55.2%). Long-term, the college’s success in keeping attendance costs
affordable relative to those charged by state four-year schools is more evident. In fiscal year
2003 the college charged its students tuition and fees equaling 63% of the public four-year
institution average. On the other hand, in absolute terms, budgetary hard times have forced
PGCC’s tuition and fees upward – for example, from $111 to $129 per in-county student credit
hours between 2004 and the present year (+16.2%).
Learner Centered Focus for Student Success
Student subjective evaluations (Alumni Surveys for 1998-2005) portray a student clientele
basically satisfied with PGCC educational services and their own level of academic achievement.
The latest MHEC Alumni Survey (2005) found that 94% of responding PGCC graduates said
that they were partly or completely satisfied with the educational gains they had made at the
college (PAR 7) and 84% of transferring graduates registered satisfaction with the transfer
preparation provided by the college (PAR 13). A similar survey of non-transferring, nongraduating
PGCC students discontinuing their attendance found that 61% nevertheless were
satisfied with what they had managed to achieve academically (PAR 8). All three of these
indicator scores surpass indicator benchmarks.
The student progress data discussed below (PAR 9, 10, 11, 17, 18) are revisions of statistics
presented in previous Institutional Performance Accountability reports. Past calculations were
based on faulty fall entry cohort data sets. All degree progress cohorts 2000-2004 have been
corrected and revised and the academic outcomes indicators are now accurate.
The PAR 11 indicator results present the percentage of students in successive Degree Progress
cohorts (2001 through 2004) that in four years of study obtained either an academic award
(associate degree or certificate) or successfully transferred to another college or university
(within Maryland or out-of-state). Although the data show no particular trend, they do show a
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