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 SEM America |
| Strategic Enrollment Management WORKS |
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| SEM WORKS AMERICA E-NEWSLETTER, Volume 12, 2009 |
The President's recent announcement states that he intends to inject $12 billion dollars into community colleges over the next 10 years. This serves to boost the reputation of an institution that has humorously been referred to as the Rodney Dangerfield of higher education (get no respect). But Obama's American Graduation Initiative also serves to raise the status of community colleges from being an educational underdog to a critical pillar of the economy. Fitzpatrick & Austin of Time Magazine even go so far as to ponder if community colleges can save the US economy. This announcement comes at a time when community colleges are already making headlines on a regular basis for their unprecedented enrollment growth, along with their struggles to manage burgeoning enrollment during a down economy.
Based on Obama's recent endorsement of two-year colleges, this edition is dedicated to community colleges everywhere. Below are a series of links that look at the role of community colleges in society, their strengths, challenges, books/papers on community college issues, as well as upcoming conferences.
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THE ROLE OF COMMUNITY COLLEGES
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- "No Size Fits All": In this compelling article, David Brooks of the NY Times looks at the importance of community colleges in a society that is highly diverse and in an economy that is flailing. He goes on to discuss the significance of Obama's American Graduation Initiative and its associated $12 billion to the country as a whole. Read more
- Retraining for a Second Career: Massive industry layoffs across the US played a key role in surging enrollment numbers at community colleges over the past 10 years. And today many institutions are experiencing an increase in classroom participation as laid off workers access workforce investment funding in order to return to school. To read more about the impact of these layoffs on different states, click here.
- A Low Cost Option: Many community college students come from low-income families. This is hardly a coincidence. Community colleges have a mission of "access" and the first hurdle to access for many post-secondary students is finances. Without community colleges, many students would never be able to afford a college education. To read a fact sheet on community colleges and financial aid to students, click here.
- Community Colleges as a Gateway to Education: Community colleges are a gateway into a world of learning, growth, and employment opportunity for many who might otherwise never attend college. Some of the features of that gateway include affordability for low-income families; upgrading for those who struggle academically; English-as-second-language training for immigrants; and a second chance at a career for older workers who find are suddenly collecting unemployment when they thought their next major life transition would be retirement. To read Jill Biden's passionate article about the value of community colleges to society, click here.
- Foundation for Transfer to University: While many students have university as their ultimate goal, just as many are not ready to start there. For these students, community colleges offer a viable alternative where they can begin their four-year trek in a friendly environment with smaller class sizes, lower faculty to student ratios, and lower costs. But transferring from a community college is a tricky thing and the success of students who identify a bachelor's degree as their goal seems to be impacted by a host of variables. To read more on this important subject in a US State Department of Education report click here.
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COMMUNITY COLLEGE STRENGTHS
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- Leveraging the Obama "Nod": Obama's recent endorsement of community colleges through a $12 billion promise of federal funding elevates their status with local civic and industry leaders, strengthening their position and influence with their local communities. This can be as important an outcome of this announcement as the promise of the money itself. Read more
- Fast-track to Employment: Not every student wants to attend a four-year college or university. Many seek a hands-on career that can help to sharpen their skills and locate employment sooner rather than later. This article discusses how community colleges have the ability to make this option a reality for many who are not seeking a four-year degree.
- Experiencing Diversity: Given its mission of access, community colleges everywhere may house the most diverse student body among all institutions of higher learning. Consequently, a student in a classroom is just as likely to be sitting next to a senior citizen as to a 16 year old; to be involved in a group project with a Muslim as a Christian. And as students graduate and find their way into the world of work, their experience with such diversity may be one of the greatest gifts community colleges offer their future employer. Read more
- Four Strengths of Community Colleges: This article looks at four positive attributes of community colleges including the student's ability to explore career options before choosing; affordable tuition; strong academics, and active campuses. To read this article by Liz Funk, click here.
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COMMUNITY COLLEGE CHALLENGES
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- Enrollment Up - Budgets Down: One of the strange ironies experienced by most community colleges is that budget and enrollment are conversely correlated with one another during a bad economy. When the economy goes south - budgets go down and enrollment goes up. This can make it more difficult for two-year institutions to cope financially with the pressures associated with more students on campus. Read more
- Open Access - A Blessing and a Curse: Community Colleges have "open access" as one of their most identifiable trademarks. But "open access" comes at a price. The lower college entry barriers associated with this access can result in a higher incidence of academic problems for enrolled students, which in turn can result in increased problems with remediation and retention. To read about these challenges and others click here.
- Need for Tuition Increase: When polled, community college leaders cited that one of the biggest challenges they face is in attempting to balance the need to raise tuition with the financial woes of their low-income students who struggle to afford an education in the first place. To read more on this challenge as well as other challenges cited by these executives, click here.
- Rural Community Colleges Have Unique Challenges: While two-year colleges may experience challenges that four-year colleges do not - rural community colleges face challenges that urban community colleges do not. In this presentation by the Rural Community College Alliance, Randy Smith of Oklahoma discusses rural challenges such as a shrinking pool of potential high school graduates, increased competition for a limited number of students, and shifting funding formulas that put more pressure on local communities to support their community colleges. To read about these challenges and more, click here.
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BOOKS/PAPERS
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- Book: Access, Opportunity, and Success: Keeping the Promise of Higher Education (2006), by Martha E. Casazza & Laura Bauer.
- Book: The American Community College (2008) 5th edition, by Arthur M. Cohen.
- Book: The Dream Diverted: Community Colleges and the Promise of Educational Opportunity in America, 1900- 1985 (1989), by Steven Brint and Jerome Karabel.
- White Paper: Opening Doors to Earning Credentials: Impressions of Community College Access and Retention from Low-Wage Workers (2001), by Lisa Matus-Grossman, MPA Susan Tinsley Gooden, Ph.D.
- Newsletter: Community Colleges in the USA, (2007).
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This e-newsletter was edited by Maggie Killoran for SEM WORKS, based on publicly-available information. Neither the editor nor SEM WORKS assume liability for comments or information posted by others. Please send your comments to Kara Mohre, Director of Marketing at kmohre@semworks.net
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