THE LONG SLOW DEATH OF HISTORICAL GEOLOGY AT NORTH SEATTLE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Over the past twelve years, enrollment in geology courses at North Seattle Community College has plunged by 70 percent, exaggerating trends in geology enrollment seen in community colleges across the nation. Moreover, it is the courses that may require some previous geology course experience, such as historical geology, that seem to be suffering a disproportionate share of the loss of enrollment, again mirroring a trend seen nationwide. In the past five years, the historical geology course has been cancelled due to low (single-digit) enrollments. A variety of methods have been employed to boost enrollment, including the conversion of the course to a hybrid (partially on-line) course, advertising in the course schedule, and removing the physical geology prerequisite, none of which have reversed the declining trend.