Community College News

The community college system in Massachusetts received a “double whammy” this month, with two different reports citing similar problems with the state’s schools. The first report was released by the Commonwealth Corporation and the second, released just a few days later, was completed by the Boston Foundation. Both reports found the statewide community college system to be lacking in terms of preparing Massachusetts residents for industries in demand throughout the state. The good news is that the reports also issued recommendations to make community colleges a better deal for state students.

The Commonwealth Corporation Report

The primary concern of the Commonwealth Corporation report, titled “Critical Collaboration,” was the fact that Massachusetts community colleges are not properly aligning their training programs with the specific needs of the healthcare industry, according to a report at Sentinel and Enterprise. Currently, healthcare is the number one industry throughout the Boston area, accounting for 19 percent of all of the jobs in the city. However, while healthcare jobs are abundant in Massachusetts, both students and employers are finding the community college network increasingly difficult to navigate for the purpose of preparing students for employment and providing employers with adequately trained healthcare workers.

According to the report, community colleges are not creating important standards that ensure sufficient academic performance from students. Despite the fact that more students than ever are graduating from community colleges in the state, those with degrees are not properly matched to the workforce needs of the

Community colleges that are a part of Achieving the Dream have shown they are committed to student success through a range of proven methodology. Those that are named leader colleges each year demonstrate exceptional standards of performance and practice, even among schools that have already been named as some of the top performers in the country. This year’s list of leader colleges provides a broad spectrum of community colleges spanning from coast to coast. We’ll take a look at some of the top community colleges on the 2011 Achieving the Dream leaders list and explore what it takes to become a part of this prestigious organization.

Four Principles Emphasized by Achieving the Dream

When it comes to improving student outcomes at community colleges across the country, Achieving the Dream subscribes to four basic principles that are highlighted on the organization’s website:

• Committed Leadership – This principle states that leaders of community colleges are committed to the success of students across all demographics, rather than simply focusing on enrollment numbers.
• Use of Evidence to Improve Programs and Services – Schools use data collected to determine gaps in student success and formulate effective strategies for bridging these gaps.
• Broad Engagement – The success of students at a community college is dependent on collaboration between faculty, administration and student services, as well as constructive feedback from students themselves.
• Systemic Institutional Improvement – Using the data collected, Achieving the Dream schools create and regularly evaluate programs designed to enhance student success.

Community college students can face many challenges on the road to a degree, including financial strains and the delicate balance between school, jobs and family responsibilities. Many community college students feel the stress of college life in negative ways, which can directly impact their ability to succeed in school and beyond. A large number also report mental health issues during their community college years, which include stress, depression, and anxiety. In response to some of these complaints, the California community college system recently announced the distribution of nearly $7 million in grant money to help students cope with the pressures of life and survive their college experience.

This video explains Proposition 63 or the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA).

Funding to be Split Among California Schools

According to a report at Los Angeles Business, the grants will be funded by the California Mental Health Services Authority. The $6.9 million allotted for the mental health needs of community college students will be split among 12 community colleges located throughout the state. The Signal reports that the funding will be used for training of staff and faculty, suicide prevention and peer-to-peer services. At least some of the money will be directed at students who are veterans and suffering from related mental health disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.

“Our most recent data shows that stress, anxiety, and depression are among

High unemployment rates continue to be a big thorn in the side of a sluggish economy showing little improvement. Making that thorn even more painful is the fact that many companies actually do want to hire – but cannot find the skilled labor force they need to do the jobs that sit vacant. Is there a way to fill the voids in the workforce and improve economic conditions at the same time? A new federal grant hopes to do just that – by providing community colleges nationwide the financial opportunity and incentive to train up a new generation of skilled workers in the industries where the country needs them most.

The Important Role of Community College

Many financial and labor experts have predicted that community colleges would be the key resource for training a new generation of skilled labor. These institutions of higher education have traditionally been more pragmatically-minded than many of the four-year universities that provide lofty or purely theoretical degrees without much thought as to how those degrees will be used in the real workforce. Community colleges work more closely with companies in the community to provide specific training needed at any given time. They also have the flexibility to change with the times, offering degree programs that provide the most opportunity after the certificate is earned.

The Obama Administration has long agreed that the path to lower unemployment and a more robust economy must include community colleges. Last fall, the President launched the

Community colleges across the country are growing by leaps and bounds for a variety of reasons. Some displaced workers are returning to school to gain additional training in industries that are currently hiring. High school graduates who are unable to afford tuition at a four-year university are now looking to community colleges as a viable option – at least in the short term. Finally, the focus on community colleges by President Obama has resulted in more Americans considering this option for continuing their education.

While growth at community colleges is good news for the schools and students nationwide, the additional enrollment has posed a problem for some schools that simply don’t have the space to accommodate a larger student body. The answer for some has been to look for ways to expand their campuses to allow for more classrooms and more student opportunities. We’ll take a look at a handful of the community colleges that are preparing for the expansion process this year.

Location, Location: New River Community College Looking for a Place to Expand

New River Community College is one school that is literally bursting at the seams. According to a report in the Bluefield Daily Telegraph, this West Virginia school is feeling the growing pains of an expanding student body. The school is eyeing a number of locations in the community to grow their current campus they share with Mercer County Technical Education Center on Stafford Drive.

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