Community colleges in the United States

After a series of very heated meetings, fully reported in the local press, the county was forced to conform to the state government's wishes.

Because the role played by rural community colleges in preparing excess rural youth for productive careers in urban centers is not well understood by policy makers, these smaller institutions do not receive sufficient state funding to offset their weak tax bases and, because of their relatively small size, they bear much higher per-student costs when compared to urban community colleges.

[10] [11] One in four families of part-time college faculty are enrolled in at least one public assistance program, such as food stamps, Medicaid, or the Earned Income Tax Credit.

Mr. Whiteford, the area's district superintendent, inquired of the University of Missouri to determine if credits from Saint Joseph Normal School could transfer into a baccalaureate program.

Coincidentally, Dr. Hill was actively involved in the American Association of Universities and calling for the establishment of junior colleges for this purpose.

A two-year, terminal education, was seen as more socially efficient for students who could advance past high school but not continue to attain bachelor's degrees.

This national vocational movement gave junior colleges a target population, but numerous students wanted more than a semiprofessional education; many maintained a desire to transfer.

Throughout this time period, there was a move for more public two-year institutions along with a trend to separate from high schools and affiliate with higher education.

With the change in affiliation came a new status which encouraged junior colleges to develop additional credibility through the creation of professional criteria and use of scientific methods.

[24] suggests one perspective for the emergence of two-year post secondary institutions of the past century: they began in the private sector after the Panic of 1893.

After this preliminary period, Baylor University accepted the two-year students and provided the junior and senior years of their academic plan.

These examples of two-year structure innovations with transfer missions in the private and public sector provided a pragmatic approach for the preservation of existing institutions.

This need for a class of workers to implement the decisions of the theoreticians demanded an educational delivery system other than the traditional four-year college or university.

The 1970s also marked a shift to faculty development, including more instructional training for the unique student body and mission of community colleges.

[31] During the 1980s, community colleges began to work more closely with high schools to prepare students for vocational and technical two-year programs.

[citation needed] Some of the issues currently faced are explored in community college resources[permanent dead link‍] compiled by the Association for Career and Technical Education.

[clarification needed] In 2015, President Barack Obama proposed making community college tuition free to many residents of the United States.

Thanks to a large increase in funding for higher education, Oregon is able to financially afford the costs of providing free community college to students.

The board of trustees selects a president or chancellor of the community college to serve as the chief executive officer and lead the faculty and staff.

Faculty and professional staff are in the best position to shape and implement curriculum and research policy, to select academic colleagues and judge their work; and The perspective of all front-line personnel is invaluable in making sound decisions about allocating resources, setting goals, choosing top officers and guiding student life.

Students range in age from teenagers in high school taking classes under a concurrent, or dual, enrollment policy (which allows both high school and college credits to be earned simultaneously) to working adults taking classes at night to complete a degree or gain additional skills in their field to students with graduate degrees who enroll to become more employable or to pursue lifelong interests.

[63] More than half of Native American, Hispanic, and black undergraduates are enrolled in community colleges, rather than 4-year institutions, a testament to their service to underrepresented populations.

The North Carolina system has a similar agreement, whereby specific courses are designated for mandatory transfer credit to all statewide public four-year institutions.

Effective and passionate instructors can provide remedial students with social capital, leading them to services ranging from tutoring and counseling.

[85] Remedial students who attend community college orientations and receive more contact with tutoring, advising and mentoring services find these options to be rewarding.

Community college students are placed into remedial coursework according to their performance on placement-based testing they take prior to beginning classes.

The push in shifting students to enroll in remedial courses at community colleges stems from philosophical beliefs and reputations that these are the most appropriate places for instruction.

[102] Community colleges possess few admission requirements, meaning these types of institutions see a higher number of remedial students.

[92][103] Technology-enhanced classrooms, complete with SmartBoards, computers and online networks, can increase the level of motivation that remedial community college students place toward their academic work.

[104] Remedial students obtaining academic assistance via college writing centers can also be helpful for enhancing their skills, as well as observing the interdisciplinary nature of classroom concepts and learning strategies.