More Sustainability Coming to Community Colleges Nationwide

After a full year of carefully assessing community colleges around the country, the Aspen Institute has recognized the top five performing schools with acclaim and hefty financial prizes. The awards were announced at the National Press Club in Washington D.C., where educators, business leaders, and lawmakers were all in attendance. These five schools represent a broad base of institutions of higher education, in terms of demographics, location, and areas of specialization.

About the Aspen Institute Award

The Aspen Institute began their quest for the top community college with a shortlist of 1,000 community colleges across the country. According to the Aspen Institute website, colleges were assessed on the following criteria:

• Student Learning
• Degree Completion and Transfer Rates
• Equity in Education
• Employment and Earning Potential after College

Improvement was also an area of careful scrutiny, particularly in regard to completion rates. With these factors in mind, the Aspen Institute was able to narrow the initial list of 1,000 schools to 120 by this past spring. From there, the organization chose 10 finalists to award prizes; one top school was awarded $600,000, four runners-up each received $100,000, and five additional schools each received a glass trophy for their efforts.

In this video, The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program Executive Director Josh Wyner explains the most compelling ways he's seen community colleges accomplish learning and labor market goals.

The Focus on Community Colleges

The role of community

Many community colleges across the country are struggling with higher enrollment rates and lower budgets, thanks to economic woes and a record-high unemployment rate. In California, budget cuts will soon be forcing community colleges in the state to tighten their belts even further – a move that many education experts warn could hurt the state over the long term. In addition to higher fees, colleges will also have to look at where they can cut back in their courses and services: decisions that students will feel for some time to come.

What the Numbers Look Like

According to the Fresno Bee, Governor Jerry Brown recently announced major budget cuts for the state, in the areas of education, senior services, and child care. Higher education was hit hard in the recent budget slashing, with community colleges losing a total of $102 million over the next calendar year. The budget cuts will take place on January 1, leaving schools scrambling to figure out what needs to stay and what has to go in their current financial planning.

To help cover the budget shortfalls, the California legislature is expected to approve a $10-per-unit fee increase that should cover a percentage of the reductions. This increase will translate to $46 by summer 2012. This increase is up from the current rate of $36 per unit, which was introduced last fall. Before that initial hike, students were paying $26 per unit, reflecting a 57-percent increase in fees overall since the

When President Obama took office in 2009, he adopted the ambitious goal of raising college graduation rates in America to 60 percent, translating to five million additional college graduates by 2020. Achieving this lofty goal has already proven easier said than done, as education costs continue to increase nationwide. This month, the President called a meeting with college officials, who were invited to the White House to discuss with the President how to make college less expensive and more productive. The task is far from negligible, as many issues must be addressed before Washington will see an improvement in the current state of the community college system.

The Latest Meeting

According to a report at Inside Higher Ed, the latest meeting between President Obama and college leaders was unusual on three counts. First, the meeting was called rather last minute, with college officials scrambling somewhat to make it to Washington for their appointment. Second, the meeting was held behind closed doors, without journalists or others privy to the shared information. Finally, the President attended the meeting instead of a representative from the President’s staff, as is the norm with most meetings.

The Washington meeting was well-attended, with representatives from large state systems, private institutions, and a community college system in attendance. The three representatives from state systems included Nancy Zimpher, chancellor of the State University of New York; Francisco Cigarroa, chancellor of the University of Texas System; and William E. Kirwan, chancellor of the University

The state of Wyoming is demonstrating its commitment to higher education this month with the first-ever community college summit. The summit, sponsored by the Wyoming Association of Community College Trustees, drew educators from around the state to discuss the changing role of community colleges and the best ways to meet student needs in the future. The governor of Wyoming, Matt Mead, was also on hand for the event and addressed the gathering regarding recent decisions made at the state level for community college and the importance of higher education for the state.

Summit Brings Colleges, Businesses Together

The Wyoming Community College Summit brought together all seven of the state’s community colleges and included more than 100 educators from those schools. The summit also saw participation from industry partners and business owners from the state who frequently hired community college graduates for their open positions. KWGN reports that these businessmen and women offered input into what their needs were regarding employees.

“You’ll hear all of them today say, the community colleges are essential to their ability to hire and train productive employees and to grow their businesses,” Steve Bahmer, executive director for the Wyoming Association of Community College Trustees, told KWGN.

The meeting between business owners and community college officials could pave the way for new programs at local community colleges based on the changing needs of businesses in the state. Washington has long touted this type of coordination between the business world and higher education,