Why Community College

The latest President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll is out. And some of the community colleges that made the grade are making repeat appearances on the list. These schools have shown exemplary performance in civic engagement and community service. The President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll was first established in 2006 by the Corporation for National and Community Service to recognize schools of higher education that go above and beyond their basic educational responsibilities to serve their surrounding communities more effectively. We'll take a closer look at this prestigious honor and some of the community colleges that made the grade this year.

About the Honor Roll

Since he took office, President Obama has issued a national call to service as a major cause for his administration. The president wanted to acknowledge the schools of higher education around the country that went the extra mile to meet the needs of their communities and find solutions to common social problems. As a result, the President's Honor Roll for Community Service was created. Appointees for the annual honor roll are chosen through the Corporation for National and Community Service work in collaboration with the Department of Education, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Campus Contact and the American Council on Education.

Many factors go into the selection of colleges and universities for the honor roll. According to the website of the Corporation for National and Community Service, some of the features schools must exhibit

First-generation college students face many challenges when they are the first in their family to head off to the ivied halls of higher education. While that first trip to a college campus can be exciting, it can also be filled with anxiety and uncertainty. These college students don't have anyone in their families to offer support and first-hand advice on succeeding in post-secondary education. However, these first-generation students are often much more successful in their academic endeavors when colleges understand and meet their needs during their first few weeks on campus and beyond. This article looks at some challenges first-generation community college students face and what schools can do to make the transition a little easier.

What is a First-Generation Student?

First-generation community college students are the first in their immediate family to attend postsecondary school after high school, according to a report at ERIC Digests. This means that neither of the student's parents has attended college. Those whose parents have an associate degree would not be considered first-generation college students, even if the parent never went on to earn a bachelor's degree. Many first-generation community college students decide to earn a two-year degree before transferring to a four-year institution. However, only a small percentage of community college students actually achieve their transfer goals.

Many first-generation students come to community colleges from different backgrounds and cultures. According to a report from the American Association of Community Colleges, approximately 36 percent of first-generation students

Community colleges have traditionally been focused on getting in, getting an associate degree in two years or less, and getting into the workforce as quickly as possible. Those who wanted to continue their education had to take on the headache of transferring all of their community college credits to a four-year institution. Today, a number of community colleges are offering bachelor's degrees to student who complete associate degrees and want to take their training and education to the next level - without leaving campus.

What's Different about Community College Bachelor's Degrees?

While many students are clamoring for a spot in a four-year community college program that costs much less than a similar degree from a nearby university, community colleges are stressing the point that they are not trying to be just like the four-year postsecondary institutions. First, most community colleges offering bachelor's degrees are doing so as an extension of their own associate degree programs. Students earn the associate degree first to become eligible to apply for the bachelor's program.

These bachelor's degrees will also differ from traditional university offerings because they will be limited to degree programs that can take students directly into the workforce. In keeping with the long-standing tradition of community colleges to raise up a new generation of work-ready adults, these programs are designed specifically with a profession in mind. Instead of offering liberal arts programs in political science or English, these bachelor's degrees will be in specific fields like

The Boom

According to a recent report announced on PR Newswire, the rate of enrollment at community colleges has been on a steady incline for the past decade. Community colleges make up the largest post-secondary education sector, with nearly 44 percent of all the undergraduates in this country. From 2008 to 2009, that increase hit a spike, with an 11 percent increase during that academic year alone. Between 2007 and 2009, the total increase in community college enrollment hit an all-time high of nearly 17 percent.

These percentages indicate that the total number of community college students on campuses across the country has increased by 1.4 million since 2007. It is no coincidence that this is the same year that the recession officially began, and many adults lost their jobs. Today, the total number of credit-earning community college students is approximately 8.2 million. There are an additional five million non-credit students gracing campuses across the country as

Community college students interested in LGBT studies, whether to obtain an associate degree or transfer to a four-year university, often found slim pickings in this area at most colleges nationwide. Schools that did offer courses in the subject often did so as part of their women's or English studies. However, one community college in San Francisco wants to be on the cutting edge of a whole new trend – by offering a major in LGBT studies that would be the first at any community college in the United States.

City College of San Francisco: LGBT Pioneer

City College of San Francisco is no stranger to firsts. According to a report in the Bay Area Reporter, this community college was the first to offer individual LGBT courses as far back as 1972. In 1989, the school established its own gay and lesbian studies department, the first of its kind in the United States. When Ardel Thomas, Ph.D., was brought on as chair of the department in 2006, one of her first orders of business was to begin the work involved with creating an LGBT major at City College.

"One reason we didn't put the major forward before is that up until recently there were no other programs you could actually go to," Thomas told the Reporter, citing the scarcity of LGBT major or minor studies at four-year universities. "Now, however, LGBT studies and queer studies are recognized internationally as a field