At a meeting of the Council of Independent Colleges in Florida this week, most of the 60 or so college presidents gathered expressed their fears about failing to meet enrollment targets in 2010.

Whilst enrollments in Fall 2009 were met or even surpassed – largely by recruiting more adult and graduate students – it’s the coming year that most concerns small colleges, as the recession persists and families potentially tighten their belts.

“There is a theory that Fall 2010 is going to be the hard one,” said Paul Hennigan, President of Point Park University, Pittsburgh. He also asked the guests in attendance whether they were suffering “crisis fatigue” and low morale.

One new president replied that transparency was the key: “I opened up a dedicated e-mail that comes straight to me, and I respond to each individually,” she said. “People are much more understanding when they know what’s going on.”

Another president reported that “niche” markets are still doing well, whilst athletics programs are also proving popular. Another avenue being pursued by presidents is to bolster their efforts in recruiting students from community colleges, with one president dedicating “two or three recruiters to community college recruitment”.

Indeed, some small liberal arts colleges are facing their stiffest competition from community colleges. “Parents are increasingly reluctant to invest in a kid who doesn’t know where she wants to end up,” said one president. “The competition from community colleges is worse than it’s ever been.”

The steep rise in applications to community colleges, as reported late last year, could see the system strained beyond capacity and lead to declining academic standards.