COLLEGE RECEIVES MIXED REPORT CARD.

Byline: Jim Skeen Daily News Staff Writer

Antelope Valley College gets high marks for its instruction, but needs to improve its parking, financial aid notification and class registration, a consultant's preliminary report said.

In an assessment aimed at finding ways to boost the college's enrollment, the consultant recommended the college:

Hire a dean of enrollment management responsible for recruitment and retention programs;

Create a position for outreach to prospective students, and;

Establish goals and develop plans for changing the way the college currently conducts business.

``The intent of doing the assessment was to see where we are and what we need to improve,'' said Linda Spink, Antelope Valley College president. ``We have some work to do.''

The preliminary report was prepared by David Crockett, a consultant with USA Group Noel-Levitz, based in Iowa City, Iowa. A final report is expected in two weeks.

The college's Enrollment Management Committee will be responsible for developing a plan addressing the consultant's final conclusions, Spink said. Led by Theo Mabry, vice president of academic affairs, the panel comprises faculty, staff and administrators.

The consultant's findings are based on a two-day campus visit and a survey conducted last month of 500 students.

The survey indicated students gave high marks to the college in tutoring, instruction, child care, helpfulness of library and bookstore staffs and the maintenance of the campus.

Areas identified as needing improvement included parking; early notification to students doing poorly in classes; timeliness of announcing financial aid awards; ease in registering for classes; parking lot lighting and security; availability of academic advisers at registration; helpfulness of financial aid counselors; and helpfulness of registration personnel.

The college's telephone registration process should get better with the installation next month of a new system, Spink said.

The college's self-examination is being triggered by declining enrollment and the subsequent loss of state funding.

To retain all of its allocated state funding, the college must have at least 6,626 full-time students - or their equivalent in part-time students - under a formula established by the state.

Last year the college had the equivalent of 6,384 full-time students, an enrollment level which cost it about $110,000 in funding.

With a full-time enrollment projection of 6,398 this year, the college faces the prospects of losing $100,000 to $110,000 more.

In contrast, growth money available in the state budget could give the college as much as $1 million if it were to boost enrollment to 7,237 full-time students.