Book Review: The American community college (6th ed.) by Cohen, A. M., Brawer, F. B., & Kisker, C. B.

Abstract

Cohen, A. M., Brawer, F. B., & Kisker, C. B. (2014). The American community college (6th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. 592 pp. US$75.00 (hardcover). ISBN 978-1-118-44981-3 US$64.99 (e-book). ISBN 978-1-118-71881-0It has been more than 30 years since the publication of the first edition of The American Community College. Much has changed in the intervening years, yet this expanded volume continues to serve as a seminal text for those with an interest in community colleges. In this edition, Carrie Kisker joins Art Cohen and Florence Brawer as an author. The intention of the book is to provide an overview of key functions of the community college, and the authors accomplish this goal in a broad assortment of topics covered in the text's 15 chapters. Each chapter presents a host of facts to help create a portrait of community colleges. The chapter topics include background on the evolving priorities and expectations of the community college, student composition, faculty identity, administrative issues, finance, instruction, student services, developmental education, liberal arts and transfer education, integrative education, occupational education, community education, scholarship and commentary, student progress and outcomes, and future trends. Also, an appendix dedicated to for-profit institutions rounds out the book.For the novice reader, an historical grounding of each topical area provides a valuable context to interpret the information presented and shows how the past drives current issues. Each chapter contains ample citations that allow interested individuals additional resources to pursue a topic in more depth. Finally, each chapter provides an issues section that summarizes key questions leaders, stakeholders, and others can answer based on their own situations and needs. For unit leaders, these questions can spur self-reflection to aid organizational change and can provide information on what others are doing when faced with similar challenges.A key strength of the book is the variety of college and state examples offered in each chapter. For example, the first chapter describes the founding and spread of community colleges in the United States and notes how the West provided a fertile climate for the expansion of community colleges. The authors noted, became the leader in community college development because of support from the University of California and Stanford University, a paucity of small denominational colleges, and strong support for public education at all levels (p. 20). Other founding stories are related for states such as Arizona, Mississippi, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, and New York to name a few. First, this technique showcases a host of approaches to similar problems facing community colleges. Second, it helps readers across the country situate their understanding by recognizing specific examples in their own states or in the college examples presented. Finally, the differences highlighted among colleges and states underscore the need to look at individual college and state data to inform decision making versus assuming that a solution applied in a neighboring college or region will automatically work. Issues of paradox become evident in the tensions inherent in community college operations, and it is in these tensions that opportunities for critique should emerge.The text showcases how the community college sector provides organizational slack to the system of higher education in the United States in the quest to accommodate expanded college enrollment. The community college stands on a long history of open access for those students not meeting admission requirements at other colleges or universities or those needing a second chance. The following important questions are raised regarding the paradox of access and quality: Should community colleges have an impact on society writ large? What should be the colleges' level of responsibility in addressing societal problems? …