While the Chabot campus in Hayward
had nearly twice as many students enrolled last fall, LPC is
growing at a much faster rate. New facilities are popping up
here all over: Math and English labs are just two of the newest
additions. Plans to build on the old student center have been
delayed -- again -- but groundbreaking should begin early next
year.
The new facilities are a big part of LPC’s growing population.
Karen Halliday, vice president of student services, said enrollment
at LPC is increasing at a much faster rate than at Chabot. She
said the number of students enrolled would steadily rise in the
future, both because of people moving into the valley and because
of all the new attractions.
“Last year, student enrollment was up around 4 percent,
this year it went up 7 percent,” said Halliday.
A 1998 census gave some interesting insights towards what
kind of people the school is attracting. Out of some 6,979 students
currently enrolled, 57 percent of those are female.
The age of college students at LPC varies dramatically. The
highest percentage of students (26 percent) is under the age
of 19, but forty- and over-fifty-somethings account for one-quarter
of all students.
While more than 70 percent of LPC students are white, compared
with less than a third at Chabot, there is still a good mix here,
considering the make-up of the nearby cities.
“We are more diverse in ethnicity than the surrounding
community,” said Halliday.
According to the 1998 census, 10 percent of LPC students are
Hispanic, 3 percent are African American, and Asian Americans
account for 6 percent
The largest percentage of students here live in Livermore
(37 percent), followed closely by Pleasanton (21 percent). Of
the remaining 42 percent, Dublin (7 percent), Tracy (7 percent),
and San Ramon (6 percent) are the largest contributors.