Community College of Philadelphia hiring to keep up with new students

Four-year colleges that rely on state funding in Pennsylvania are making hard choices now that funding from Harrisburg has been cut. Things are a little different at community colleges.

Community College of Philadelphia head Stephen Curtis says he has cut administrative costs to the bone and is hiring only enough professors and instructors to accommodate new students.

“We are eliminating whole programs, we are freezing positions we are eliminating any cushion anywhere in the institution,” said Curtis. “We budget about $300,000 for postage, and last year we spent only $290,000.”

Curtis says cuts to colleges such as Temple have pushed more students to enroll at Community College.

“We are not freezing faculty positions,” he said. “We have grown considerably over the last couple of years and this past year we have set records for our credit enrollment.”

Curtis says tuition goes up each year, but not by a large amount. He says state capital funding cuts are hampering expansion of science facilities, but Curtis says he’s doing what he can not to turn students away.