Enroll in a Community College and Four-Year University Simultaneously

Leisure has become a multibillion-dollar business in the United States, with camps, cruises, and other recreational activities gaining steam across the country. As the industry grows, so does the need for qualified professionals working in the various aspects of leisure and recreation. To answer the call, community colleges are beginning to offer degrees in "leisure" to help those interested in this profession get started on a lucrative, rewarding career.

About the Leisure Industry

Recreation workers deal with a wide range of environments and duties, from organizing arts and crafts at a children's camp to running organized sports leagues for corporations or communities. Jobs may be seasonal or permanent, and the large majority of positions are part-time. Because competition is stiff for full-time positions within this industry, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, additional education and training can go a long way in helping you secure the position you want.

Recreation employees may work in a wide range of settings, including:

• Cruise ships
• Nature parks
• Summer camps
• Community centers

While many employees in this industry spend many of their working hours outdoors, directors and managers primarily enjoy a desk job, organizing activities, and managing staff from an office. The employment outlook for this industry is good, with faster than average growth expected in many areas.

This video reports on the recreation and leisure services programs at Georgian College.

Training in Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City Community

Many students join the military after high school to pay for post-secondary education after their service is complete. However, veterans moving from active service to a college environment often have more than a bit of difficulty making the transition. To help the process, numerous community colleges are providing the support veterans need to have a successful college experience.

Creating a National Model in Arizona

According to a recent report in the East Valley Tribune, five Maricopa community colleges will offer more services to the veterans who enroll after active duty. The East Valley Veterans Center is slated to open in January 2011 and will serve the campuses of Chandler-Gilbert, Mesa, Scottsdale, Gateway, and Rio Salado. The center will offer a convenient, centralized location for veterans entering one of these colleges to find out about benefits, admissions, and services available to them.

Yvonne Lawrence, the coordinator of the recruitment program for military education at Rio Salado College, told the Tribune that the basic idea behind the center is to simplify the college process for veterans.

"We’re basically trying to cut some of the red tape in getting veterans enrolled, getting them access to their educational benefits from the VA and reintegration from active-duty service to civilian life," Lawrence said.

The Arizona center will be staffed by four full-time members plus part-time staff as needed. The center will also provide work-study positions so that student veterans can work in office positions while attending

A recent "addition to killing" essay written by a student at the Community College of Baltimore in Maryland has shaken the campus and left the student barred from attending classes. The essay, titled, "War is a Drug," refers to an addiction to killing that the student developed after serving in Iraq. Since the essay was published in the campus newspaper, the student, Charles Wittington, has been removed from campus until he receives a psychological assessment stating that he is not a danger to fellow students and staff at the college.

Wittington's Service

Charles Wittington was in the army infantry in Iraq from October 2005 to June 2007, according to a report at CNN. During that time, Wittington survived three attacks from improvised explosive devices, and he had to be medically evacuated out of Iraq in 2007. After Wittington's discharge, he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. He also lost a finger in one of the attacks. Currently, Wittington is on medication and receiving counseling to help him cope with the aftermath of his war experience.

Wittington did not find the transition from the armed service to civilian life an easy road. At one point, Wittington went on a drinking binge that resulted in him crashing a car and hurting a number of people. Wittington spent three months in jail for the incident, according to the Baltimore Sun. When he was released, he enrolled in Community College of Baltimore in an

The significant role community colleges will play in the country's economy has been underscored by the White House over the past few months, with the first annual community college summit taking place in Washington this fall. However, for community colleges to become the relevant players that President Obama wants them to be, the current dismal graduation rates at community colleges across the country will need to increase. To that end, the "Achieving the Dream" initiative has been implemented to recognize community colleges performing above national standards and use those tools to elevate other colleges to a higher level.

Achieving the Dream is committed to assisting community colleges to serve their students better so more students can realize academic and professional success. Colleges participating in the movement agree to carefully analyze their current procedures and student outcomes and develop and implement new strategies to improve student outcomes overall.

In addition, participating colleges agree to monitor their progress and report their findings to Achieving the Dream so that other colleges can benefit from their knowledge and experience. This year, the organization learned three important lessons on improving learning from two participating community colleges in their pool.

This video offers suggestions for improving student success.

Reducing Achievement Gaps = Increased Student Retention

Valencia Community College in Florida offered several programs for under-prepared students coming to the campus for the first time –