COD Increasing Classes to Meet Student Demand

The following is a news release from College of the Desert:

College of the Desert (COD) announced Wednesday plans to restore and expand core classes highly sought after and needed by students in order to continue their education.

“After years of declining revenues and course reductions, we are pleased to be adding classes and working to restore access for our students,” said College of the Desert Superintendent/President Joel L. Kinnamon. “With the actions we are announcing today, we are seeking to restore and add more than 100 classes, which represents more than 3,000 seats for students who will now be able to access the classes they need to graduate and transfer.”

The College plan is also designed to address a significant portion of a growing backlog students have been experiencing. Specific actions include:

• additional classes, starting in Spring 2015, in core and critical transfer courses including English, Math, Science, History and Political Science
• restoration of the 3-week winter intersession in January 2015, eliminated in 2010-11 in response to state budget cuts
• immediate recruitment for twelve (12) new, temporary full-time faculty positions in areas of highest demand
• expansion of Spring 2015 schedule for Indio, Palm Springs, Mecca/Thermal, and Desert Hot Springs
• expansion of summer 2015 schedule

After experiencing years of declining enrollment brought on by a troubled economy and state budget cuts, the College actually experienced increases in enrollment in Fall 2014. The increase in enrollment, coupled with an existing backlog and state mandated priority for students, led to some classes at the College actually reaching capacity before registration opened for new students.

A comprehensive review of the situation by the College revealed that the bottlenecks for class registration had become so large that dramatic action was necessary. The College decided it needed to take action immediately to expand the number of classes offered in hopes of both triggering a “draw down” of the backlog and positioning itself to meet ongoing growth and demand.

“There are many students who are struggling to get the classes they need at College of the Desert. Having the winter session will allow students to progress at a faster rate to graduate and transfer. The winter session not only promotes student success, it also provides a timely and reasonable community college experience for our students,” said John Zepeda, President of Associated Students of College of the Desert. “I appreciate that the college is taking the needs of the students into consideration. I believe that this is the right step.”

The College will begin by hiring twelve (12) temporary full-time faculty for a limited term of two semesters, with recruitment to begin immediately for the Spring 2015 semester. Temporary positions will be available in the areas most in demand, including English, Math, Science, Speech, History, and Political Science.

“We know adding winter and summer intersessions really helps students reach their goals faster,” Kinnamon said. “The combination of adding more classes and restoring intersession will go a long way in addressing the backlog and meeting student needs.”

• Winter Intersession will begin on January 5th and end on January 23rd.
• Spring 2015 semester will begin on January 26th and end on May 22nd.
• The Winter/Spring 2015 Application for Admission will be available starting on October 13th.
• Our Winter/Spring 2015 Schedule of Classes will be available online the week of November 24th.
• The printed schedule of classes will be available for purchase from the COD Bookstore starting the first week of December.
• Use the following link to see our Winter/Spring 2015 priority registration dates.
• Students will be able to register for both our Winter Intersession and Spring term at the same time.