Today's Community College Research Articles

Implementing Ethical Decision‐Making: Strategies for Today's Community College Presidents

AbstractReform initiatives have challenged community college leaders to reconsider what is right and wrong while also challenging our organizational cultures, advancing a new understanding of our mission, and forcing us to reconsider how we engage in the work of educating a public that needs us now more than ever.

Book Review: Unrelenting change, innovation, and risk: Forging the next generation of community colleges by Phelan, D. J.

Anyone in academe can attest to the saying that change is constant. For all sectors within higher education, this reality often poses significant leadership challenges, even for community colleges that have been perceived to be the greatest agents of change in postsecondary education. The level and direction of change confronting community colleges might rival any experienced in their past, leaving many scrambling to stay ahead of the curve, to energize staff and faculty for what lies ahead, and to find ways to effectively communicate what is happening to constituents within and outside the institution. At a time when external patrons frequently question the economic value of postsecondary education, there is much to consider in Daniel Phelan's commentary on the issues, challenges, and opportunities leaders face as they position the next generation of community colleges.Written to appeal to current and future leaders and board of trustee members more than to researchers, Phelan weaves together his extensive leadership experience in different college settings with contemporary leadership and management literature to explore a set of key questions for today's community colleges. What makes the text so compelling is the way that Phelan digs deeply into the issues and their consequences, and how he constantly examines these through the lenses of change, innovation, and risk. Rather than pose oppositional choices for leaders and their colleges, Phelan frames his discussion as a continuum of alternatives which may affect larger institutional goals. Again, this seems very straightforward for writing a leadership guide, but as Phelan indicates throughout the text, the complexity and murkiness of what leaders confront is often not straightforward or at least not something they can act upon in isolation.Phelan uses the extant literature and several personal experiences to illustrate the complexities and what is required of leaders (and others in the college) to work through them. For example, he shares a multi-year experience of the decision to build campus residence halls to show the preparation, seed planting, data gathering, negotiation, and space for reflection required to get buy-in to a proposal he at first thought was straightforward. This and many other examples shared in the book help show that if the goal is real change and innovation, then a good idea is only the start. Leaders must draw upon skills that reflect multi-framing, effective listening, the right balance of challenging ideas and providing support for anxiety produced by new ways of thinking, building and retaining trust when taking risks, and helping others find their roles and authority as disruptive innovations emerge. Phelan does not often refer to second order and deep change found in the organizational change literature nor does he focus only on first-order changes that do not challenge the mission, role, and vision of the college. He clearly intends, rather, to raise the reader's consciousness to the realities that lie ahead for community colleges as the world changes around them.After laying out his basic arguments and context, Phelan uses the metaphor of sailing--Innovation and Change Strategy Archetype for Innovation and Leading (SAIL) (p. 53)--to set-up the latter chapters of the book which address four issues of innovation and change (or battens, in nautical terms) that include leadership and institutional preparation, assessment, planning, execution, and evaluation. When applied effectively, Phelan argues these approaches increase the likelihood of improved change outcomes. …

Book Review: Handbook for student affairs in community colleges by Tull, A., Kuk, L., & Dalpes, P. (Eds.)

Tull, A., Kuk, L, & Dalpes, P. (Eds.). (2015). Handbook for student affairs in community colleges. Sterling, VA: Stylus. 376 pp. US$95 (cloth). ISBN 978-1-62036-203-7 US$45 (paper). ISBN 978-1-62036-204-4 US$35.99 (eBook). ISBN 978-1-62036-206-8.The Handbook for Affairs in Community Colleges describes the role of student affairs administrators in the community college setting. Editors Tull, Kuk, and Dalpes collaborated with an array of 28 authors to identify the nuances of student affairs in community colleges using historical context, theoretical frameworks, contemporary issues, and current best practices. Each contributor is an accomplished community college administrator or university faculty member whose research is based on the community college setting.From inception to today, community colleges have filled in the gaps providing access to students with wide-ranging academic backgrounds and aspirations. To this end, student affairs professionals address student needs that vary greatly. This book details the organizational, financial, and population differences for administrators in community college student affairs.The text begins with a dedication from the editors and foreword by Arthur Cohen on behalf of the late Florence Brawer. Following this, the preface addresses the intended audience, statement of need, contribution to literature, and chapter authors. This 17-chapter volume is arranged in four parts: and Contemporary Developments, and Leading Affairs in Community College Settings, Student Affairs Programs and Services, and Future of Affairs in the Community College.Part One: Historical and Contemporary Developments is comprised of two chapters providing an overview of student affairs in the community college. The chapters link demographics to social movements creating a vivid picture of the changing climate within the student affairs profession. Comparative data for 4-year public and private colleges provide a glimpse of the unique and highly diverse nature of the community college. The section begins with an introduction to the seminal texts and theories guiding student affairs work, linking them to the attributes of today's community college students. Later, the discussion goes beyond demographic information to capture what students hope to achieve and the factors affecting these goals. This section provides current examples of best practices, including the role the community college has in the evolving landscape of student development theory with particular attention to millennial students.Part Two: Organizing and Leading Affairs in Community College Settings is composed of eight chapters, which highlight leadership from a variety of perspectives. The text uses organizational theory to frame how differences in organizational structure and leadership affect student affairs and the community college as a whole. Strategies to improve the functionality and impact of student affairs offices are identified. The suggestions provide effective, real world possibilities in an era of limited budgets and high accountability. The perspective of the senior student affairs officer (SSAO) is captured from the viewpoints of president and practitioner. Part Two uses case studies to illustrate effective institutional change and highlights the financial challenges present for student affairs. A recurring theme in Part Two is the importance of collaboration to fulfill both academic and student affairs needs of the community college. Emergent themes include relationship building, mission support, and advocacy as an expert in student development. The authors look beyond financial challenges to identify evolving methods of funding, including development and the rise of the auxiliary enterprise on community college campuses. A comprehensive review of legal issues using community college litigation highlights areas in which the community college may be at risk. …

Book Review: Working with students in community colleges: Contemporary strategies for bridging theory, research, and practice by Kelsay, L. S., & Zamani-Gallaher, E. M. (Eds.).

Kelsay, L. S & Zamani-Gallaher, E. M. (Eds.). (2014). Working with students in community colleges: Contemporary strategies for bridging theory, research, and practice. Sterling, VA: Stylus. 208 pp. US$95.00 (cloth). ISBN 978-1-57922-915-3. US$29.95 (paper), ISBN 978-1-57922916-0. US$23.99 (eBook), ISBN 978-1-57922-918-4.This volume, edited by Lisa S. Kelsay and Eboni M. Zamani-Gallaher, centers around concrete approaches and strategies to serve the ever-evolving student body enrolled at community colleges. Engaging insights and perspectives from a wide range of experts, including scholars who write about 2-year colleges as well as practitioners and leaders who have served at these institutions, this book offers a thorough discussion of how to work with diverse students as they transition into and through community colleges.The book consists of three parts: Understanding Today's Community College Campuses, Supporting Today's Community College Learners, and Specialized Populations and Communities on Two-Year Campuses. Part One delineates various historical, policy, and learning contexts within which the contemporary community college is situated. The enduring and historically rooted open-door policy, as complementarily described by Kelsay and Oudenhoven in Chapter 1 and Munsch, Velazquez, and Kowpak in Chapter 3, is inevitably coupled with persistent challenges. Most notable is the lack of college readiness, especially among the disproportionately large number of traditionally underserved students enrolled at community colleges. Adding to the rising number of at-risk students is the unfavorable economic climate and policy landscape for community colleges, described by Jamrogowicz in Chapter 2. In Chapter 4, Procter and Uranis argue the importance of technological literacy-another evolving aspect of the contemporary teaming environment-and how inequitable access to technology can be a potential barrier for disadvantaged students. Together, these chapters paint a realistic snapshot of the environment facing today's community colleges. Despite the potential challenges presented by this increasing complexity, the chapters in Part One all highlight the role and responsibility of student affairs professionals in serving students to stay true to the open access mission.Part Two concerns key elements of supporting students, starting with a rich account (Chapter 5 by Munsch and Kelsay) of some new faces in today's community college student body, including undocumented students, international students, and displaced workers. Munsch and Kelsay articulate both the needs and barriers these students face and offer suggestions for helping them transition and succeed. In the collective pursuit of better serving this increasingly diverse student body, McFadden and Mazeika, in Chapter 6, illuminate the value and ways of bridging academic and student affairs to support learners. This section then engages a more specific focus on student orientation. In Chapter 7, Hale describes both the benefit of orientation for student development and the evolving formats and structures of orientation programs at community colleges. Part Two concludes with yet another emergent aspect of today's community college, residence life. In Chapter 8, Barber and Phelan build upon the narrative provided by the findings reported in The Heart of Student Success, published by the Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE, 2010), and further illustrate ways to improve residential programs that foster student learning.Part Three delves further into specific student populations and communities that warrant better understanding among those working with today's community college students. In Chapter 9, Lewis, Zamani-Gallaher, and Bonapace elaborate on the needs and potential barriers facing older adults and discuss exemplary practices that illustrate how to serve these students. Chapter 10 by Fagan and Dunklin addresses the rising veteran student population by illuminating a number of unique and alarming challenges veterans may face, such as mental health problems, substance abuse, and homelessness, along with potential best practices to address these students' needs. …

Teaching History Online to Today's Community College Students

When I began working toward a Ph.D. in twentieth-century U.S. history in 1996, I saw my future self as do, I imagine, many graduate students training as college faculty: lecturing, chalk in hand, to a group of note-taking students. Or, perhaps, seated among a group of enthusiastic young adults who have come to college prepared for the rigors of higher education and arrive at class daily with their assignments complete. Th e reality of my personal experience has been quite diff erent, infl uenced largely by the increased use of technology in the college classroom and the growth of online learning. Teaching U.S. history to community college students in the twenty-fi rst century, I have discovered, necessitates a fl exible approach to students’ learning styles and a willingness to embrace technology in both the on-campus and online classrooms. My journey into the use of technology in the classroom began simply with a computer and a projector. No longer did I “just talk” at the blackboard; I moved beyond telling the students what I wanted them to learn to also showing them. For each lesson, I displayed artwork, photographs, or maps to illustrate the key points. Th ough I have no quantitative evidence that my students’ work improved, I sensed immediately upon adopting this practice that the classroom atmosphere was changed for the better. A political cartoon from the War of 1812, for example, could be the foundation for a class discussion on British military relations with Native Americans. No matter if no one in the class had noticed the image in the textbook: I had placed it in front of them during class, and its presence alone fostered discussion. I embraced the use of technology in the classroom as a powerful tool for learning: a way to address diff erent learning styles (such as visual, verbal, or auditory) to reach students who might have tuned out more traditional modes of lecturing. Still, I never anticipated that one day I would be teaching entire courses online. Nor did I imagine a day when my students would have the capacity to access an infi nite amount of data in the palms of their hands. Yet in fall 2008, my second year as a tenuretrack assistant professor at the Community College of Rhode Island, the department

How Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts Programs Prepare Students for the Workforce and for Life

AbstractAlthough science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) and vocational training programs are presented as today's community college students' gateway to entry‐level positions in the workforce, liberal arts instruction plays a critical role in their training, by providing these students the skills that many employers require and that make them competitive workers, ready to live full lives. These are the requisite skills, and this chapter describes some of the ways certain liberal arts programs help community college students develop and refine them.

Cultural competence in nursing education: practicing what we preach

Nurse educators face challenges in how to teach and mentor an increasingly diverse student nurse population. This article reviews some of the difficulties and challenges associate degree nurse educators face in providing culturally competent nursing education for today's community college nursing students. Excerpts from interviews with students are provided to promote an enhanced understanding of the issues faced by this group. Strategies for use in the classroom and clinical setting are described.

Linking Scholarship and Practice: Community College Leaders, State Mandates, and Leadership Competencies

To be an effective leader in today's community college requires a sophisticated set of skills that are often learned through on the job training, mentoring, and professional development activities. Using case study methodology, this study examined how community college leaders in California use their skills to implement a state mandate related to faculty hiring. The findings describe the relationship between the skills used by study participants and those identified as essential by the American Association of Community Colleges; the study offers recommendations to support the alignment of these leadership competencies with doctoral program curricula.

Preparing Community College Leaders: The AACC Core Competencies for Effective Leadership & Doctoral Education

Community colleges in the United States face shortages of leaders prepared to assume administrative positions in the 21st century. To respond to this shortage, graduate programs are emerging with a specific emphasis on community college leadership; other graduate programs offer broader curricula focused on educational leadership, policy, or higher education. The community college environment is distinct from other types of higher education and requires specific leadership skills. The American Association of Community Colleges has identified six core competencies for essential leadership in today's community college. Using the core competencies as a framework, this study analyzed California community college leaders' perceptions of these competencies, including those which they believe can be acquired and developed through doctoral studies. Respondents also identified additional competencies that could be addressed in doctoral programs.

Outsourcing Student Housing in American Community Colleges: Problems and Prospects

Today's community colleges are experiencing tremendous growth at a time when higher education is experiencing little success in the fierce battle for public funding. Administrators believe that providing housing on college campuses increases enrollment and improves access, but they are having difficulty meeting students' demands for both quantity and quality of student housing. Community college leaders are challenged to find alternative ways to achieve new housing on their campuses. With resources already stretched, institutions sometimes struggle to find funding sources for these projects due to their impact on institutional debt service. Many colleges are turning to private foundations and corporations for their financing, construction, and management needs. This practice has increased dramatically over the past 10 years. To date, there have been over 214 privatized, nonrecourse-financed student housing projects on college and university campuses in the United States, with at least 11 occurring on community college campuses. Due to increasing demand, privatization of student housing is likely to increase. Very little literature exists addressing the evolution, problems, and potential of this practice, but administrators may need to have an understanding of the process as it becomes more commonplace on community college campuses. Interviews with community college administrators, student housing administrators, and representatives of private development and management corporations and a literature review were conducted. The results are synthesized into a history and overview of outsourcing student housing construction and management in the United States, including problems with outsourcing, strategies to avoid failure, future possibilities, and recommendations for future research.

Community college international education: Looking back to forecast the future

AbstractThis chapter traces the historical foundations on which today's community college international programs are based and concludes with strategies for strengthening and expanding the internationalization of community colleges.

Recent advances in retreats: Adapting the Great Teachers Seminar model to serve an entire college

AbstractDespite the advanced technology on today's community college campuses, the need for sit‐around‐the‐campfire human interaction endures. One way to bring this interesting dichotomy together is through a retreat based on the Great Teachers Seminar model.

LOOKING OUTWARD: CHANGING ORGANIZATIONS THROUGH COLLABORATION

Community colleges have long relied on informal and unstructured collaborations as a tool for both survival and success. Now that businesses and other organizations are entering into very sophisticated networks and alliances, community colleges will need to move into more structured forms of collaborations. As the pace of competition increases as we move into a complex knowledge industry, community colleges need to find alternatives to traditional closed operations and limited collaborations. This article describes the need for more complex collaborative relationships with external constituents and examines how these collaborations will affect today's community colleges. Existing forms of collaboration will be described as traditional, centralized, unstructured modes of collaboration. Although these collaborations will continue to exist in the future, as the community college environment becomes more complex, more structured collaboration will become increasingly more common. Examples of some of the emerging types of structured collaboration will be discussed as will the different ways in which administrators, staff, and faculty will react.

ARIZONA'S COMMUNITY COLLEGES

Over the past 40 years, Arizona has developed one of the most extensive community college systems in the country. Beginning as junior colleges, today's community college system offers coordinated university articulation, business and industry training, specialized degrees and certificates, distance learning, flexible courses, Internet access, and lifelong learning. With annual general fund expenditures exceeding $344 million in 1994‐1995, 35 community college sites in 12 of the 15 counties provided educational services to more than 300,000 students (headcount). With more than 78,000 full‐time student equivalents annually attending Arizona community colleges, student tuition rates and local financial support for the community colleges has increased in recent years, and state funding has decreased as a percentage of overall budgets. Innovation and high technology are hallmarks of Arizona's community college system, and the system is prepared to face the significant challenges of a changing workforce, an expanding population, and increasing financial constraints in the future.

NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE OF COMMUNITY COLLEGES

The U.S. community college movement has a rich tradition of serving as the United States's “people's college.” Through their commitment to access and comprehensiveness, community colleges enroll more than 50% of the nation's students who are enrolled in higher education. Courses and programs provide university transfer, occupational‐technical, basic skills, and cultural education to people from all segments of the community. Yet the needs and demands for services provided by community colleges are still great and require the community college to reevaluate its pivotal leadership role in the community. Today's community colleges are being challenged to increase their involvement in the affairs of the community, to continue and increase the diversification of their students and staff, to continue andaccelerate the continuing professional development of their staffs, to increase their collaboration with the economic sector, to generate increased and sustainable funding from the external community, and to demonstrate increased accountability to the people and other important stakeholders. The purposes of this article are to (a) trace the evolution of the community college movement, (b) briefly describe the contemporary community college, and (c) address some of the major issues facing community colleges as we bring closure to the present century and prepare for the 21st century.

DYNAMICS OF ENROLLMENT AND PROGRAM CHOICE IN COMMUNITY COLLEGES

Because community colleges offer an alternative track in postsecondary education, the dynamics of enrollment and success for its students do not necessarily follow the patterns for those in other forms of higher education. Unfortunately, much of the criticism of community colleges focuses on the class effects of enrollment in these institutions but does not consider as well the concomitant effects of age, gender, and program of study. To understand community colleges, therefore, researchers should focus on the characteristics that make these students unique. Following this premise, our investigation explores the reality of today's community colleges for all its students, not just those of traditional college age, nor those enrolled only in transfer programs. Although gender and socioeconomic status have a significant effect on determining a student's program of study, our findings also demonstrate the importance that age plays in explaining the dynamics of program enrollment. Furthermore, this study shows...

PARTICIPATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION AMONG ADULT WOMEN

Women students are one of the fastest growing populations on today's community college campuses and universities. Because of the number of female undergraduates over 25 continues to grow it is important for community colleges to become aware of the various reasons women participate in various stages of their lives. It is imperative that educators address the characteristics of women learners who participate and what programs and/or courses will best meet the needs of the women learners. By recognizing the appropriate programs for adult women students the community college will continue to be the leader of meeting and assisting women in their educational goals.

Counseling for today's community college students

AbstractCommunity college counseling is eclectic and collaborative in nature, operating across the entire college and standing at the very core of a strong student services program.

Community College Responsiveness: Myth or Reality?

Change-rapid and accelerating-is a salient characteristic of American life today. This phenomenon has distinct implications for educational institutions: they must be open to change if they are to continue providing the services needed by the citizenry that establishes and supports them. If not, they will surely be replaced by other institutions that do meet society's needs. In fact, there are indications that Americans feel their schools and colleges are not performing satisfactorily. A possible cause of this disaffection is the failure of these institutions to change rapidly enough to keep pace with the changing needs of the people they are designed to serve. One American institution that prides itself on the ability to respond quickly and appropriately to its constituents' desires is the college. Its history is one of adapting to new situations by adding new functions to those initially assigned to it. Founded at the turn of the century, it originally provided college-parallel work to the growing numbers of high school graduates seeking further education-a need that existing institutions of higher education were either unable or unwilling to fulfill. This single-purpose junior college, as it was then aptly called, has evolved into today's community college, to which citizens turn for occupational training, developmental studies, and general education as well as for a college-parallel curriculum. How did this metamorphosis come about? How has it happened that the public two-year college has been so completely transformed during its relatively short life span? In order to answer these questions, it is