College Policies

While students enrolled in community colleges across the country in record numbers, these same campuses are simultaneously facing drastically reduced budgets. Because community colleges receive a large portion of their funds from the state, community colleges in states that are experiencing budget crises are hard hit financially. From California to Maryland, two-year institutions are skating on thin ice financially, and the students are feeling the toll of their states’ budget crises.

This video reports on what to expect with budget cuts.

California: Students Paying More as Community Colleges Deal with Overcrowding

In July 2009, California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger cut funding to the state’s community colleges by $812 million, writes Dean Murakami in Perspective, the quarterly publication of the Community College Council of the California Federation of Teachers.

Unfortunately, the situation gets worse. Over $1 billion of the budget for January to June 2010 is being deferred until July 2010, the next fiscal year. Murakami writes that this deferral means that many districts will struggle to pay their employees and meet other institutional costs. Additionally, the Community College Council is concerned that the deferred money may end up being cut in order to balance the 2010-2011 budget.

Students at California’s community colleges are feeling the direct results of this budget crisis. Student fees have increased to $26 per unit, and classes and programs are being cut as community colleges scramble to

Each day, 36 individuals in the United States die from drunk driving, and another 700 are injured. In 2019 alone, nearly 10,500 individuals died in alcohol-impaired accidents, equivalent to one-third of all traffic accident deaths in total, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The college student population, unfortunately, accounts for a disproportionate amount of these tragic statistics. In 2001 alone, more than 1,700 college students were killed in alcohol-involved incidents, and 80% of these cases involved drunk driving. In the same year, more than 31% of college students admitted to drinking and driving, according to AAA of Southern California.

Thankfully, community colleges are playing an important role in reducing and preventing instances of drunk driving. Through various substance awareness programs, informative classes, and even volunteer designated driving programs, community college students are being commended for their role in the fight against drunk driving.

This video illustrates some of the drunk driving training a community college can offer.

The initiatives at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges

The initiatives which the Eastern Iowa Community Colleges have put in place are fairly typical of the initiatives other colleges have taken to make their communities aware of substance abuse programs. From their website: "It is our intent and obligation to provide a drug-free, healthful, safe, and secure campus environment in order to promote an optimum learning environment.

The college recognizes

While mixing religion with education was once reserved for private schools, some community colleges have created faith-based programs for their campuses. These community colleges hope to provide the right environment for students who desire a comprehensive spiritual and educational experience.

However, many school leaders cautiously question how the more spiritually-minded community colleges will fare amidst a diverse population of “faith-based” and non-practicing students nationwide.

“Faith-Based” Models in Higher Education Institutions

Religious denominations underpin over 1,200 higher education institutions, but each “faith-based” school can function uniquely. For example, as College View further reveals,

“The opportunities for spiritual growth vary from school to school—as do the requirements for participation. At some schools, religious services and classes are offered…at other schools, participation is required or at least expected.”

Students often decide on the underlying religious denominations and how strictly these religious beliefs structure the campus environment. Students considering a “faith-based” school can choose from several types of structural options, including:

• Schools that celebrate a religious history dating back to the school’s founders. However, these schools may or may not include the particular origin of religion as a major part of their modern-day instruction or campus functions.
• Schools are dedicated to traditional evangelical values, wherein the campus structures its conduct guidelines based on religious beliefs and values. For example, some community colleges affiliate with Southern Baptist, Mennonite, and other Reformed Denominations.
• Schools open to non-evangelical beliefs, wherein colleges adhere to the values of Catholicism, the Seventh Day Adventist Church, Judaism, or other religions.

Of

With the H1N1 spreading across college campuses from Washington to Massachusetts, community colleges are taking action to shelter their students from any potential outbreak.As reported by CNN, according to a presidential advisory panel, the potential spread of the virus could contribute to as many as 90,000 U.S fatalities this season. Expected to break out in the fall, experts estimate that 30 to 50 percent of the U.S. population may become infected.

Advisors further predict that schools and shared community areas pose the greatest threats for contamination and contagiousness. To prepare for an array of plausible H1N1-related challenges, community college leaders are avidly planning to confront the virus on campus.

This video reports on how to prevent the H1N1 virus.

Community College Preparation for the H1N1 Virus

As reported by the Gazette News, Prince George Community College (PGCC), located in Largo, Maryland, is one of many community colleges making preparations against the H1N1 virus. Since Prince George Community College enrolls more than 40,000 students, leaders are concerned that the large number of students enclosed in shared common areas can lead to rapid virus outbreaks. To proactively address the H1N1 threats, “The college has a pandemic team in place composed of about nine people from different departments.”

PGCC has developed guidelines to help the school employ specific responses for an array of potential

The pandemic of 2020-21 has wreaked havoc on higher education budgets worldwide. Here in the United States, while each state faces its own specific economic setbacks, all community colleges have been forced to endure significant spending reductions and employee lay-offs.

According to financial experts, community colleges are the most susceptible to these budget cuts, as community college enrollment tends to soar when the economy falters. In fact, Wake Technical Community College, one of many North Carolina institutions, experienced a 14 percent increase in student enrollment from just last year alone! Considering that public educational institutions subsidize the actual cost of teaching students, the increased enrollment puts greater financial demands on the campus at a time when their budgets are being slashed.

With soaring enrollment rates, college leaders fear that they will not be able to provide students with the ideal resources, smaller class sizes, and one-on-one time with instructors. Yet, in spite of these national concerns, some leaders are still raking in higher salaries—regardless of their school’s budgetary shortfalls.

Ron Polaneczky writing in The Philadelphia Inquirer notes that "according to a recent survey conducted by his organization, the compensation of public community-college presidents range from $81,000 to $390,000, not including extra benefits for housing and car expenses. The size of the salary is influenced by the size of the school, its location and the number of its students and employees."

Community College Pay Raises: