Community college enrollment fell by 10% nationwide last fall compared with fall 2019, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Preliminary spring 2021 data shows similar declines. But challenges posed by the pandemic have spurred a spirit of innovation, creating improvements at some public two-year colleges. The array of strategies for keeping the mission afloat include heightened communication, expanded affordability, and digital improvements. Why We Wrote This Community college enrollment took a bigger blow than higher ed overall this school year. But as these schools continued the work of enriching lives, some honed strategies for better serving – and retaining – students. “It’s reminded us of why we’re really here. We’re here for the students and to help them succeed,” Armineh Dereghishian, acting dean of outreach and student life at Los Angeles City College, says of her school’s enlistment of more than 100 volunteers to call 6,000 students who’d registered for fall and winter classes but hadn’t signed up for spring.