Pre-Karina, Delgado Community College had 17,000 students; this year that number is more than 19,000. Another NOLA school, Nunez Community College, is also at enrollment levels higher than pre-Katrina. That growth mirror national trends, but comes - another national trend - at a time of less state funding, in schools which do not cover all expenses just from tuition.

Delgado has space issues. It is also in talks with the State University of New Orleans and the University of New Orleans, regarding articulation and integration of services.

The commentary following this article, from local citizens, is worth a read. For example:

I'm glad to see Delgado is finally being noticed for the tremendous asset it is for this community. So many students coming out of the public school system are ill-prepared for university coursework, and neither are they suited for employment. Delgado is doing double duty in helping kids brush up on their academics before entering 4-year schools and also providing adults with training and education for careers (or second careers). No other institution is capable of doing this. And, not everyone needs to go through a 4-year program! Funding for Delgado is essential to their continued ability to serve our needs.

This Boston Globe article by Robert Gavin includes a video interview with University of Massachusetts president Jack M. Wilson, which begins with him talking about the $1.9B of building the university has done in the last few years.

Underlying all the construction is the university’s growth. State funding pays for 14 percent of this year’s $2.8 billion budget, down from 28 percent a little more than a decade ago. But since 2003, enrollment has risen nearly 15 percent systemwide, to about 66,000 students, while revenue from tuition, fees, and other non-state sources has doubled to $2.3 billion. Federal and corporate funding of UMass research has jumped 50 percent to nearly $500 million last year. Fees from licensing technologies developed at UMass nearly quadrupled to more than $70 million.

Just as important has been a cultural shift borne of dwindling state support. University officials say, they have had to take an entrepreneurial approach to make the most of available resources.