Chemeketa enrollment starting to rebound after sharp pandemic decline

Jessica Howard noticed something different on Chemeketa Community College’s campus this fall.

Parking lots were full.

The college’s president, who took the job in the summer of 2019, said there’s “an incredible physical buzz on campus” for the first time she can recall. More students are sitting in common areas.

After years of declining enrollment, including a sharp drop during the Covid pandemic, Chemeketa is adding students back.

The college this fall counted 9,916 students,…