To Increase Enrollment, Community Colleges Add More Sports

Since 2003, more than 40 athletics programs have joined the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) ranks. Membership now represents about 500 colleges and the group's executive director expects to keep adding colleges. Membership in the association began declining slightly in the early 1990s, as private two-year colleges, many of which were struggling financially, cut their athletics programs or closed altogether. The recent growth in numbers is being fueled mostly by public colleges, some hoping to attract more students and others trying to satisfy a growing number of 18- to 24-year-olds who are demanding a traditional college experience, including athletics. In this article, the author suggests that a college president must consider the following key issues before adding varsity sports: (1) paying for the programs; (2) athletic scholarships; and (3) reasons for competition.