PORT ANGELES — Peninsula College will cut continuing education classes for about 150 students July 1.
The college, which has typically offered classes for “adult interest community education classes” for about 290 students per quarter, will narrow its focus to be more business-oriented — such as for accounting or Web design — for at least the summer, fall and winter quarters, said President Tom Keegan.
“That is part of our core focus: to support the business community of the Peninsula,” he said.
The slashes to continuing education, which were announced in March as part of $1.7 million in state cuts to the budget, are to lower administrative and advertising costs, Keegan said.
The $1.7 million in cuts represents about 20 percent of the college’s budget.
Those reductions also include the elimination of 17 full-time positions, five part-time positions and its massage and fisheries associate degree programs, as well as a reduction in annual enrollment by 50 full-time students.
“One of the things we said was that . . . we will not compromise academic rigor. We will continue to invest in teaching and learning while not sacrificing quality,” Keegan said.
“However, the cuts will affect access to academic courses and availability of services.”
After Gov. Chris Gregoire released her proposed budget last year, Peninsula College officials decided to reduce enrollment by 3 percent or about 50 full-time students.
That came down to 17 from the massage therapy program, seven from the fisheries program and 26 full-time students from the continuing education program.
Because most students only take one or two classes in continuing education, 26 full-time students translates to about 150 total students, Keegan said.
He said the college hopes to slowly add back classes beginning in the spring 2012 quarter on a fully self-support basis, which means they will come at a higher cost.
The higher-demand classes will be added back more quickly.
The college also will begin to add more continuing education classes via the Internet in a program called ed2go.
More information on the program is available at www.ed2go.com.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.