Community College: Two Year Degree Programs

Discrimination has become a point of focus at Maricopa Community Colleges in Phoenix, Arizona, as the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights has launched an investigation of some of the practices of the college system. The investigations are in response to concerns raised over two key issues: the request for immigration status from some students and the failure to provide appropriate services to non-English speaking students.

Concerns Raised by Civil Rights Center

Concerns over these issues were initially raised mmigration status. Accordiby a non-profit organization based out of Phoenix, the Civil Rights Center. Information on this organization is limited, but according to a report in the New York Times last year, the bare-boned group is run out of the Phoenix home of its director, Silverio Garcia Jr. Last year, Garcia filed a class-action complaint with the Department of Education, alleging that teachers in Phoenix schools were improperly transferred due to speaking accents that some children had difficulty understanding.

“This was one culture telling another culture that you are not speaking correctly,” Garcia told the New York Times.

The complaint, filed in May 2010, was closed in late August 2011 after the state agreed to alter its policy, stating that only teachers who were fluent in English could teach students learning English. State officials said accents were not a part of their monitoring process to determine whether teachers should remain in the classroom.

This year, Silverio Garcia’s organization has once again targeted Phoenix

Healthcare Careers: In-demand Careers

Community colleges have become a popular place to jumpstart a new career, whether you are entering the professional workforce for the first time or looking to change career paths. One of the hottest degree trends at these two-year schools right now is health care, with plenty of choices in areas of study and ample job opportunities after graduation. You might work directly with patients or find an administrative position in the healthcare industry – and it all begins with training at your local community college.

Why Community College for Health Care?

Many interested in the healthcare field make the mistake of thinking a four-year degree is necessary to land a well-paying job in the industry. However, several graduates who come into their jobs with two-year associate degrees can make excellent salaries with minimal training time. Some of the top jobs in health care requiring an associate degree can earn an average salary of $50,000 or more, and opportunities for advancement and salary increases are always possible. When you offset this salary change with education costs that are a fraction of what they would be at a four-year school, you can see why many are choosing the community college route to launch their healthcare careers.

This video describes the healthcare program at Sampson Community College in Clinton, North Carolina.

Another advantage of choosing a community college for your healthcare degree

Although STEM, an acronym for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics subjects is touted as the wave of the future for practical fields of study that can launch lucrative careers, it appears that women back in the 2000s were not taking full advantage of the STEM opportunities presented at community colleges today. The gap was a concern for employers who wondered if there would be enough skilled workers to fill their positions in the future. Why were women appearing to shy away from STEM degree programs? There were many reasons for the drop, but the primary focus of educators and employers wass to help women overcome the challenges of STEM studies in order to produce a qualified, competitive workforce for the 21^st century. And those efforts appear to have paid off.

An Upward Trend

When this article was written in 2012, the trend was downwards. Data in 2020 suggests that the number of women pursuing fields of study in STEM subjects appears to be increasing. According to a report at the Community College Times, women earned 34 percent of two-year STEM degrees in 1997. In 2020, according to USAFacts, the number of women graduating in STEM subjects shows steady year-over-year growth.

The Association of American Colleges and Universities states that a college education remains the brightest path to a future of mobility and economic security. The STEM fields offer a particularly lucrative path, with higher than average salaries and projected job

Not everyone who makes headlines today came from an Ivy League institution; in fact, some did not attend a four-year university at all. Those who did often got their start in the humble beginnings of their local community college – a school that may be highly underrated for its ability to churn out graduates poised to make a real difference in the world. Take a look at these 10 famous community college graduates to see how two-year schools can provide the foundation for a bright future.

Ross Perot

This two-time presidential candidate ran on the independent ticket in 1992 and 1996. A successful businessman in his own right, Business Insider reports that Perot worked for IBM before leaving the company to start his own business, Electronic Data Systems, in 1984. After Perot sold that company to General Motors for $2.4 billion, Perot started a second company, Perot Systems, Inc. That business was acquired by Dell in 2009 for $3.9 billion.

Before beginning his long and illustrious business career, Perot began his quest into higher education at Texarkana Community College. After taking classes at his local community college, Perot transferred to the Naval Academy, where he graduated in 1953.

Tom Hanks

This Oscar-award winning actor, known for his stellar performances in flicks like “Forrest Gump” and “Saving Private Ryan,” reportedly couldn’t land roles in theatre productions during his college years. According to the Huffington Post, Hanks first attended Chabot College in Hayward,