How to Take Online Community College Classes for Free

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 2009 was designed to create jobs and promote economic recovery after the recession. Many community colleges are cashing in on stimulus funding that allows them to increase their student loads and improve training that will help students find lucrative careers after graduation. Learn how these community colleges use stimulus monies to their fullest advantage.

Medical Technology

Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio, and Los Rios Community College District in Sacramento, California, have received money to participate in a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services program. This program is designed to train students on how to convert current medical records to a computerized, paperless system. This program will be a part of the national effort to meet requirements that every U.S. citizen will have an electronic medical record by the year 2014, according to TMCnet.com.

Cuyahoga Community College and 17 other community colleges in the area are slated to receive about $7 million the first year, with a subsequent $7 million the following year. The Los Rios District, along with 14 colleges in California, Nevada, Arizona, and Hawaii, will share $5.4 million in federal funding for the first year and another $5.3 million for the second, according to a report in the Sacramento Bee.

The program will involve cross-training students in the medical and information technology fields. Students will be able to complete their training in six months or less in some locations,

While Goldman Sachs has found itself in plenty of hot investigative water over the years, the investment bank has also contributed significantly to the development of small businesses via community colleges. Goldman Sachs launched 10,000 Small Businesses, an initiative geared toward the creation and growth of small businesses across the country.

An Associated Press report published on Diverse Issues in Higher Education stated that Goldman Sachs teamed up with billionaire Warren Buffett to support small business owners in a variety of ways. The advisory council for the 10,000 Small Businesses initiative was co-chaired by Buffett, Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein and Harvard Business School Professor Michael Porter.

Overcoming Obstacles

According to the Goldman Sachs website, Goldman Sachs partnered with Warren Buffett, the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City and community college associations to provide for three factors that have been identified as primary barriers to the growth of small business in the United States:

• Access to Financial Capital: Goldman Sachs has invested in lending and support through Community Development Financial Institutions to increase the amount of growth capital available to small businesses.
• Business Education: Additional education and training are available to business owners through partnerships between Goldman Sachs, local community colleges, universities, and other educational institutions.
• Networking and Mentoring Support: Goldman Sachs works with local and national organizations to provide access to networking, advice and technical training for small business owners to help them grow their companies.

While all three of these factors are

Transitioning from a high school environment to a college campus is never easy, but for some students, the change is quite nearly impossible. The difficulties faced can be due to a number of factors. According to a report by Gulf Coast Community College, the reasons that students leave college include having academic difficulties, too many family or job-related responsibilities, not enough money to pay for college related expenses, and a lack of personal motivation to continue with their studies. Additionally, students whose parents did not attend college, and students who have a learning or emotional disability also face challenges as they attempt to get a college education.

However, these at-risk students can successfully obtain a degree. Community colleges across the country have special programs that seek to help at-risk students stay in school. As mentioned in the Gulf Coast Community College report, providing academic guidance services, transition programs for high school students, and targeted interventions for specific at-risk populations are among the most effective interventions colleges can use. Northern Virginia Community College, more commonly known as NOVA, has instituted an innovative program to help non-traditional and at-risk students achieve academic success and even go on to earn a four-year degree. NOVA’s program can serve as a model for what other colleges can and should do to help at-risk students.

What is an At-Risk Student?

This video explains what an at-risk student is.

Many community college students today understand all too well the frustration of trying to put together a schedule each semester but finding themselves on waiting lists. The overload leaves numerous students requiring more time to complete their degrees – and postpones their opportunities in the professional, post-academic world.

One community college has come up with what they believe is a solution to this collegiate quandary.

What if you could skip to the front of waiting lists, just by paying more? Students at Bristol Community College in Massachusetts will now have the chance to register for an academic "fast track" that will allow them to graduate faster – for an increased tuition rate, according to reports by The Boston Globe and USA Today.

This video reports on the healthcare program at Bristol Community College.

A Proposal by the Princeton Review

The idea comes from the Princeton Review, a company that had previously been primarily involved in assessments and standardized test preparation. Since the acquisition of Penn Foster, a career training provider, a few months ago, the Princeton Review has jumped into the world of continuing education. Like a few other for-profit colleges, Princeton Review is currently in the process of teaming up with community colleges that offer allied healthcare degrees to provide faster access to degrees. These programs will come at a higher price tag than standard programs at