Edmonds College talks future of education at roundtable event

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, May 6, 2026

EDMONDS — Edmonds College officials highlighted the college’s progress over the past five years and discussed how technology is shaping education at a roundtable event Monday.

About 40 community members gathered at the Edmonds Waterfront Center to learn about the college. The event was hosted by the Edmonds Civic Roundtable, a nonprofit that holds nonpartisan discussion events for the Edmonds community.

A main topic of conversation Monday was how Edmonds College is adapting to a shifting technological landscape, particularly the rise of artificial intelligence, said Kim Chapman, vice president for instruction at the college.

“We know that the students who are coming to us now, their jobs aren’t going to look like the jobs that we graduated into, or even five years ago folks graduated into,” Chapman said.

The college now has seven bachelor’s degree programs in high-demand jobs, including robotics and artificial intelligence, information technology, and behavioral health support. In the past four years, the college has launched four new associate degree and certification programs: medical and dental assistant programs, data analytics, and a licensed practical nurse to registered nurse bridge program.

Edmonds College has been working with institutions across the country to navigate what AI means for higher education, Chapman said.

“(Edmonds College President) Dr. Singh talks about future proofing our program, so that we can look students in the eye and say, ‘Yeah, what you learn here is going to take you out into the real world and get a job,’” Chapman said. “We couldn’t say that right now if we didn’t look at how these jobs are changing.”

Another way technology has changed education is the prevalence of remote learning, Chapman said. Since implementing remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, about half of students attend now class in person while the other half are either enrolled in a hybrid or asynchronous model.

Remote learning has been especially utilized recently by students who may be scared to go to class because uncertainty around immigration, Chapman said.

“Some students weren’t coming to class very much,” she said. “And more and more, we learned there was fear in them coming to class. And so we said, ‘You know what? We have this model where they don’t have to come to class.’”

All of the college’s support services are available to students regardless of their immigration status, said Indra Paola Peláez, the vice president of enrollment and student services at Edmonds College.

“We want to make sure that our students know that we have a welcoming environment,” she said.

As of last year, 39% of students were experiencing food insecurity, and 51% were experiencing housing insecurity, Peláez said. Those percentages are likely higher this year, Chapman said. Since the pandemic, the college has seen an increase in students seeking mental health support, Peláez said.

While general enrollment is trending upward at Edmonds College, international student enrollment has decreased in recent years, Peláez said. Since the 2018-19 school year, international student enrollment has decreased by 30%.

This year, the college exceeded pre-pandemic enrollment levels with 18,000 students. About 10,000 are enrolled each quarter. Before the pandemic, the college had 17,000 students, and it dipped during the pandemic to 12,000 students.

But officials worry that Edmonds College could see an “enrollment cliff” in the coming years. Due to declining birth rates, the college predicts it will begin to see negative enrollment by 2041, Peláez said. The college has been working on creating different pipelines and pathways for adult students, she said.

“Not only are we looking at less students coming to college, but the students that are graduating from high school, they’re interested in other things,” Peláez said. “They want fast gratification. They want to do something fast and earn money.”

In 2023, the college received the Limitless Learning grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, along with 25 other higher education institutions and school districts in the state. The program aims to encourage high school students to go to college or complete training when they graduate.

“Nearly 40% of our high school graduates do not go into college or training, and that’s way too many,” Chapman said. “Many of them don’t know about the financial aid they can get. They don’t know about the different options.”

The college has been looking more at certification as a faster way for students to get the training they need, Chapman said.

“In the near future, students aren’t going to care as much because their employers don’t care as much if I have a degree versus if I have the skills,” Chapman said. “They want to know that folks have the skills, and so we need to move with what’s happening in the real world.”

Jenna Peterson: 425-339-3486;jenna.peterson@heraldnet.com; X: @jennarpetersonn.