New Quality Standards Coming to Community Colleges

Community colleges provide a plethora of opportunities for traditional and non-traditional students alike. These two-year institutions offer fast, affordable higher education to high school graduates who are not ready for the university and older students looking for a new direction in their career path. One element of a community college that is often overlooked is the ability for students to play sports at the junior college level. From football to women’s softball, many campuses across the country provide the chance for students to participate in the sport of their choice for fun, competition, and even a possible career.

Benefits of Sports at Community College

The addition of a robust athletics program at community colleges offers a host of benefits to students, as well as the school. While these programs are not traditionally big money makers for the colleges, the advantages offered may make the cost of the programs worthwhile to many college campuses.

“It provides a full college experience,” Gary Branch, president of Faulkner State Community College, explained to the GadsenTimes. Branch is also the president of the Alabama College Athletic Conference.

David Mollahan agrees. The president of Marion Military Institute told the Times, “It’s beneficial to higher education. Our programs, I think, are worth it.”

Although some in the community college arena lament the cost of such programs, particularly at a time when budgets are getting tighter and tighter, Raymond Staats, president of Gadsen State Community College told the

To save money and streamline the higher education process, Connecticut has merged the state’s college system to create a central governance board for 12 community colleges, four universities, and Charter Oak State College – an online college. The only state school that will remain independent under the new structure is the University of Connecticut. While many applaud this change as an effective way to improve the state’s college system overall, others are concerned about exactly how this new merger will impact individual schools with very different missions.

How the Merger Happened and What Students Can Expect

According to a report at Inside Higher Ed, Connecticut state legislators launched the merger in July, when they created the new Board of Regents for Higher Education to oversee the institutions in the state. Two of the primary reasons for the decision were to save money on higher education overall, as well as to coordinate higher education in the state to ensure students received an education that would prepare them for a lucrative and available job in the future.

“The State of Connecticut has to look across higher education,” Gena Glickman, president of Manchester Community College, told Inside Higher Ed. Glickman added that the state needs to determine “whether or not we’re facile enough to meet the needs of each student.”

The new Board of Regents will consist of 19 board members who have not yet been appointed,

Even though community colleges are seeing higher enrollment levels than ever before, not all these new students of higher education are getting the type of college experience they were hoping for. According to a new survey conducted by Pearson Foundation and Harris Interactive, many community college students feel unprepared for the rigors of college coursework. Students are also getting shut out of classes at many schools, leaving many waiting longer than two years to complete their degree and certification programs.

Harris Interactive conducted The recent survey online on behalf of Pearson Foundation in August and September 2011. The survey polled 1,205 community college students on various issues regarding school, including ease of getting necessary courses and the difficulty level of college-level coursework compared to high school classes. The survey results have been published on the websites of both Pearson Foundation and Harris Interactive. Several news sources have reported on the findings as well.

Preparation Lacking for Students Entering Community College

According to the Harris Interactive website, the survey found that more than half (52%) of all community college students felt unprepared for college-level coursework. Many felt their high schools did not adequately prepare them for higher education by placing a higher emphasis on basic skills, offering more courses, and making courses more challenging.

Amy Evans, a spokeswoman for Cisco College in Texas, told the Abilene Reporter-News that about one-third of the students who enroll at Cisco require some developmental education to prepare for the

Community colleges have been fertile breeding grounds for students who want to exercise First Amendment rights over the years. However, one group in Seattle that is trying to do the same may be overstaying its welcome on a local community college campus. Seattle Central Community College has become the makeshift campground for the newly formed movement Occupy Seattle. However, after weighing the costs involved with added security and clean-up crews that have become necessary since the group moved in, community college officials are now looking for a way to oust Occupy Seattle from their campus.

Strange Bedfellows

According to a report in The Seattle Times, Occupy Seattle moved onto the campus of Seattle Central Community College after city officials told them they were not allowed to pitch their tents in a municipal park. The community college appeared to be a prime location for the movement since the school had no rules regarding camping on campus. According to Seattle Pi, a local teachers’ union even invited the movement in and offered them free classes to help expand their cause.

The publication also reports that community college officials were never warm to the idea of allowing members of the movement to set up shop on their grounds and tried to ban the group at first. However, without a rule in place to prevent it, the response to Occupy Seattle eventually had to be a reluctant “yes.”

The Examiner

“The president has made it really clear that, of course,