Why President Obama is Hailed as the Community College President

The face of college education in America is changing, especially on community college campuses. While community colleges were once unfairly labeled as “13^th grade,” these two-year institutions now provide opportunities for high-achieving students to challenge themselves. Indeed, many high school valedictorians and honors students are enrolling in community colleges after highschool.

Community Colleges Increasingly Serving the Best and the Brightest

Prompted partly by economic concerns, several top high school students are choosing to forego enrollment at prestigious four-year universities in favor of spending their first two years in an honors program at a community college. Indeed, the savings can be dramatic, and these students can save $80,000 by attending community college first instead of a private college.

These honors programs, most highly selective and academically rigorous, are designed to provide academically talented students with intellectual challenges for an affordable price. They are more popular now than ever.

This video explains honors programs.

Honors Programs at Two-Year Colleges Are Thriving

A recent article in the Washington Post reported that applications to community college honors programs are growing quicker than general applications, which are also rising. Honors programs of particular note include:

* The Montgomery Scholars program of Maryland's Montgomery College. This highly selective program, which is ten years old, has only 25 seats available and received a record 275 applications for Fall 2009, according to the Post.

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Smartphones in Community Colleges

Community college students often work in addition

If the combination of flour, sugar, and eggs delight you, then it may be time to consider a career in baking! Today’s community colleges offer specialized baking and pastry arts programs that are perfect for budding culinary artists. Whether you want to start your own bakery or work as the head pastry chef for a five-star restaurant, you can knead your start right at your local community college.

A Career in Baking and Pastry Arts

A Growing Field

Some Americans looking to find new job prospects in these challenging economic times are finding that an age-old skill – preparing delicious food for others to eat – may be the answer to their modern-day job search. An increasing number of community colleges offer training programs that are specially designed for students who would like to embark upon lucrative careers as bakers and pastry chefs. Fortunately for those who love to create delicious baked goods, the job market for professional bakers and pastry chefs appears to be thriving. With proper training and certification, an amateur baker can turn himself or herself into a well-paid professional culinary artist.

What Bakers and Pastry Chefs Do

A pastry chef develops recipes and prepares desserts, which may include cakes, pies, cookies, breads, rolls, sauces, glazes, custards, pastries, and candies. Pastry chefs often work for upscale restaurants, hotels, private clubs, and catering companies. They may also work in retail or wholesale bakeries. The National Restaurant Association reports that in a

The acceptance rate at community college has existed at the opposite end of the spectrum from the nation's elite private universities. At community colleges, any student who had a desire to pursue an educational goal and the money to pay the course fees was welcome.

However, as community colleges nationwide face historical surges in enrollment, some are being forced to take the unprecedented move of rejecting students. For example, CUNY community colleges in New York are contemplating stricter admission policies, as reported by the Columbia Spectator. At the Borough of Manhattan Community College, transfer students with a 2.0 GPA or lower will be automatically placed on a waiting list starting in Spring 2010. Other students who applied for classes for the fall semester received admissions for the spring.

The Causes of Rejection from Community Colleges

There are many guilty parties that have contributed to community colleges that no longer uphold "all welcome" admission policies. While the troubled economy plays a role, systematic shifts in employment have also contributed to students being turned away from community colleges.

This video examines the reasons why community colleges reject admissions applications.

The Recession

During economic downturns such as the current recession, community college enrollment tends to swell for a number of reasons. Older workers who have been laid off or who are having trouble finding work may decide to return to the