Low enrollment creates $3 million budget hole for Ocean County College

A $3 million budget hole and a 7 percent drop in enrollment has forced Ocean County College in Toms River to take measures to close the gap, according to officials. 

In addition to a hiring freeze, renegotiating contracts with vendors and using emergency funds, OCC also is considering new partnerships with New Jersey Institute of Technology and an Egyptian University to boost enrollment and close the budget deficit, the Asbury Park Press reported.

OCC President Jon H. Larson noted that the low enrollment mirrors a nationwide trend at smaller colleges, according to the Asbury Park Press.

U.S. Census Bureau figures show between 2012 and 2013, enrollment at American community colleges declined 10 percent. Overall college enrollment in the U.S. dropped by nearly 1 million students between 2011 and 2013.

The drop is attributed to fewer students attending high school and an increase in tuition, which has outpaced population.

he decline stems from a variety of factors, including a shrinking high school student population and rising tuition, costs that have outpaced inflation.

OCC's budget woes come on the heels of Rider University in Mercer County announcing this week it plans to cut 13 majors and one minor in the wake of a $7.6 million budget shortfall.

Larson told the Asbury Park Press that OCC teachers recently returned from a trip to Ain Shams University in Cairo where administrators hope to open an American-style nursing program.

A similar project to open an OCC program in China fell through after the Chinese Ministry of Education blocked the plan, according to the Asbury Park Press.

OCC administrators also are working on a possible deal with NJIT to open a satellite campus in Toms River, similar to its arrangement with Kean University.