Good economic news for some is not always good news for others.

That’s the situation in which Jim Bensley, Northwestern Michigan College’s director of admissions, finds himself.

After a couple of years of rising enrollment, NMC’s spring semester numbers are down 5.3 percent. Last spring there were a record-number 5,194 students signed up for classes, compared to 4,917 during the current semester.

“As the economy gets better, students are more in the work world rather than in the classroom,” Bensley tells The Ticker.

NMC’s spring enrollment had been climbing steadily until this year. It soared from 4,483 students in 2009, to 5,114 in 2010, then crept up to last year’s record total.

“A year and a half ago, a lot of people were hard up and looking for more education,” says Bensley. “Now the economy is a bit better, and they’re looking at other options.”

So which programs are hit hardest by the decline in students?

“One area that sticks out is the associate degree in nursing,” says Bensley. “It’s still very popular, but there is a two-year wait list, and students just don’t want to wait two years, so they move on.”

The sudden slump in enrollment is being felt at community colleges across the state, according to data from the Michigan Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers. All but one of the 26 MACRAO members logged dips in enrollment for the current semester, according to a March report.

The only junior college that reported an increase in students was Kellogg Community College in Battle Creek, up a miniscule .07 percent. The declines ranged from 1.21 percent at Oakland Community College to a hefty 9.9 percent at Wayne County Community College.

To reverse the trend, NMC has launched an ad campaign touting the benefits of attending school during the summer semester. It includes radio spots, Facebook and other social media.

The school says summer classes, which begin June 13, are smaller than classes held at other times of the year, giving students more personalized instruction and increased opportunity to network with professors and other students. Another bonus? NMC’s more popular classes are often easier to get into during the summer. Finally, summer classes are shorter and more intensive – which is why a large majority of students ages 25 and older prefer the summer’s eight-week sessions, says Bensley.

NMC’s fall attendance hit its high in 2010 with 5,440 students enrolled. That slipped to 5,176 last fall. Given the lower enrollment trend, current projections for the upcoming fall semester are 5,050 students.

The slide in student numbers might be slight, but NMC administration isn’t taking the change lightly, says Bensley. “Every single day we’re thinking of how to get students here, keep them here, and how to provide them with the services that will help them earn their degree.”