Community College News

Community colleges that are a part of Achieving the Dream have shown they are committed to student success through various proven methodologies. Those 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 from coast to coast. We’ll 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 community college leaders 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 – Students' success at a community college depends on collaboration between faculty, administration, student services, and constructive feedback from students.
• Systemic Institutional Improvement – Using the data collected, Achieving the Dream schools create and regularly evaluate programs designed to enhance student success.

While these four principles apply to all of the Achieving the Dream community colleges, some of the schools

Social media sites like Facebook have been amid more than one free speech controversy in recent years. A community college student is at the center of this latest clash after posting scathing remarks about a certain school policy directly on the school’s Facebook page. So where does free speech end and the rules of proper conduct begin? If one examines this particular case, he or she will quickly discover that the lines are still fairly muddy in this relatively new area of First Amendment rights.

About the Facebook Poster

Marc Bechtol is a 37-year-old marketing student at Catawba Valley Community College in North Carolina. According to NBC-2, Bechtol’s disgruntled attitude arose after he learned that his college would offer a debit card that doubled as a student identification card on campus. Bechtol alerted the school that he did not want the card and didn’t want his personal information, such as his social security number, shared with financial entities outside the college. Bechtol said Catawba Valley agreed to his request.

And the Controversy Begins

However, it wasn’t long before Bechtol received the school debit card in the mail and discovered that the financial company issuing the cards, Higher One Financial Services, had access to his personal information, including his social security number. After the initial debit card was issued, Bechtol also began receiving email offers for credit cards from other banks. In addition, Bechtol began receiving additional email marketing from Higher One, offering additional benefits

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

With a current administration pushing community college graduations and mostly bleak data regarding completion rates at both two and four-year institutions nationwide, there is a bright spot to celebrate. A recent report released by the American Association of Community Colleges shows that completion rates at community colleges are increasing across the country, particularly with students of color. This particular study shows that many schools across the country may be on the right track after all, although community college officials stress that there is still plenty of work to be done in regards to college completion.

The Road Ahead: Completion and Transfer Rates

The report, titled, “The Road Ahead: A Look at Trends in the Educational Attainment of Community College Students,” takes a look at the attainment of different types of college credentials over the past 20 years, according to a press release at PR Newswire. The report also looked at the degrees earned vs. the increasing rates of enrollment to determine if the higher demand for a community college in recent years is actually translating to a workforce that is better prepared to meet the demands of a global market.

The report found that over the past two decades, the increase in completion rates has been double the percentage rate of enrollment at community colleges across the country. Between 1989 and 2010, the number of students earning credentials increased by 127%, while enrollment during the same time frame increased by 65%. The numbers are

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