Trends and Current Issues

Get information on the latest trends and issues affecting community colleges today. Explore the impact of community colleges on the global economy, get information on how community colleges have changed over the years, and see how the latest technologies are being employed on campus.

View the most popular articles in Trends and Current Issues:

How Have Community Colleges Changed the Face of Education?

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How Have Community Colleges Changed the Face of Education?
Community Colleges have existed for more than 100 years. They have changed significantly in that amount of time. Here is the history of community colleges and how they've changed the face of American public education.

Years ago, attending college was a privilege that many people simply didn’t have. Though tuition rates were much more affordable back then, it was entirely possible to enter the workforce without a degree and to steadily rise through the ranks. Today, however, a college degree is a necessity for even entry-level positions, and even then it is difficult for recent graduates to find a job. Current tuition prices also leave students saddled with hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt.

There are currently over 5,300 colleges and universities in the United States and, collectively, they are known as the American higher-education system. Of those, there are nearly 1,500 community colleges, and each year, more than one-third of undergraduate students choose public and private two-year colleges over traditional four-year colleges and universities.

As the number of community colleges and community college students continues to rise, the greater the effect they have on the American higher-education system. Keep reading to learn about the history of community colleges and how they have changed over the years – you’ll also learn how they have affected higher education in the United States.

In this TED talk, Dr. Hanna Jaff Bosdet explains the importance of higher education.

Understanding the Importance of Higher Education

Before we get into the details of how community colleges have changed the face of the American higher-education system, let’s take a look at the importance of

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Online Options At Community Colleges

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Online Options At Community Colleges
Community colleges have responded to the needs of working adults with online options.

Working adults have long struggled with the challenges of balancing their careers, their families, and their educational goals. Community colleges offer traditional and non-traditional students the opportunity to work toward their educational goals without the lifestyle changes that come with the traditional four-year college experience. But, even with the flexibility of early morning, evening, and even Saturday classes, adult students can find it difficult to attend even local college campuses.

Convenient, Expensive, Private On-line Universities

Private online universities, sometimes called for-profit universities, actively market the convenience of attending college courses online, anytime, from anywhere. While online universities offer a convenient option for working students, they are typically far more expensive than public community colleges. For example, the total cost of a two-year degree at the online University of Phoenix is approximately $22,000, while the same two-year degree from a community college in New York would cost an in-state resident about $9,000. Community Colleges Respond to a Need for Convenience

Richard Lock explains the 7 top benefits of online learning in this video.

Community college administrators understand that students often choose much more expensive college options because of convenience. As a result, they are taking steps to make community college more accessible to all students by introducing new modalities for online learning, including:

Sometimes called hybrid classes, blended classes combine traditional on-campus classroom instruction with

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How to Know if Community College is Right for You

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How to Know if Community College is Right for You
Figure out if community college is the right move for your education, your career, and your life.

So you’re ready to make a big decision about your next step in life – is community college the right choice for you? A community college offers students a wide range of benefits and is a good choice for many people. Some students go through a lot of preparation to determine what they want to do after they graduate and where they want to go in life. Adults too may find themselves at a crossroads where they have the option to return to college for a degree or further training. Thousands of students, in every state, enroll in community college and find the experience to be very worthwhile. Community college might be especially good for you if you can answer yes to any of these points.

1. Cost is a major factor in your decision.

Tuition is usually a lot cheaper at a community college than it is at a four-year college or university. You can save money by taking classes at a community college, and even if you transfer to another college for a higher degree, those first few years of education will cost you less at the community college. Two years at a four-year school could cost you $40,000 but those same two years at a community college may cost half that or less! This option is great for recent high school graduates, adult students, and returning college students who need more education and training but do not have a lot of funds.

Mabel G. Freeman, Ph.D.

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6 New Features for Community College Students

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6 New Features for Community College Students
Check out the new features waiting for community college students heading back to school, from new security procedures, to campus housing, classes and degree programs.

As community colleges strive to bring their training in line with 21st-century workforce needs, more technology is coming to schools across the country. For example, Diverse Issues in Higher Education reports that Prince George’s Community College has added innovative technology to the school’s state-of-the-art nursing program. The school invested $43 million into a new Center for Health Studies in an effort to accommodate a growing population of STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) students at the school.

Simulated mannequins are now used inside the center to teach nursing students the finer points of diagnosis and patient care. The nursing lab also boasts transparent mirrors where professors can observe students during diagnosis trials. Updated equipment, including sonography and surgical tools, are similar to those used at nearby hospital facilities in the Prince George area.

This video describes the STEM program at Holyoke Community College.

“Since nursing and health fields, in general, are among the fastest-growing jobs, we really wanted this building to help make room for more health science students,” Angela Anderson, dean of the division of Health Sciences at Prince George’s Community College, told Diverse Issues in Higher Education.

More Classes

Other community colleges across the country are adding to their class selection, thanks to more money in the budget for this academic year. The Press Democrat reports that the course catalog at Santa Rosa Junior College is getting

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Community Colleges and the Skilled Worker Shortage: Fact or Myth?

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Community Colleges and the Skilled Worker Shortage: Fact or Myth?
We look at concerns about the skilled worker shortage and alternative views about the problem. We’ll also explore how community colleges play a key role in building up the workforce, if a shortage does indeed exist.

The “skilled worker shortage” has become popular fodder for educators and business leaders alike. The perceived shortage has pushed for more partnerships between businesses and local community colleges and even more effective vocational programs at the high school level. However, some economists and other experts argue that the labor shortage is a myth, construed by educators and others who are interested in promoting their own interests by expanding the base of mid-level skills in the country. So is the skilled worker shortage a hard fact or mere myth? The answer may be much more complex than one might think.

Jobs Sitting Empty

One compelling argument in favor of the skilled worker shortage is the fact that many jobs at this level are sitting vacant today. Bloomberg Business Week reports that as many as 600,000 manufacturing jobs in the United States remain unfilled. Those numbers come from a recent report published by Manufacturing Institute.

According to the Business Review, New York alone could see a worker shortage of 350,000 by 2018, as the need for skilled employees in the technology sector continues to rise. The Society for Human Resource Management cites numbers from the McKinsey Global Institute that show the world could be short 40 million college-educated workers by 2020. Developed areas of North America and Europe alone could see a worker gap of up to 16-18 million workers by 2020.

While the numbers sound grand, individuals are urged to take a

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Recent Articles

What are Community Colleges Doing with Labor Department Grants?
What are Community Colleges Doing with Labor Department Grants?
The article explores how community colleges are utilizing Labor Department grants, particularly the TAACCCT program, to develop workforce training programs. It highlights various initiatives across different states, focusing on industry-specific training and skill development in emerging sectors.
For-Profit Universities Looking to Partner with Community Colleges
For-Profit Universities Looking to Partner with Community Colleges
This article examines the trend of for-profit universities, particularly the University of Phoenix, seeking partnerships with community colleges. It discusses the potential benefits and controversies surrounding these collaborations, focusing on transfer agreements and workforce training programs.
New Analysis Shows How California Community Colleges Could Cut Millions in Spending
New Analysis Shows How California Community Colleges Could Cut Millions in Spending
The article discusses a California Watch analysis revealing potential savings in California's community college system through administrative consolidation. It explores the implications of such cost-cutting measures and the challenges in implementing them within the state's education system.