States across the country are all chasing what are becoming known as "new-age" technologies. These are technologies such as biotechnology, nanotechnology, bio-informatics and others. These technologies offer the potential for long-term economic growth and well-paid jobs to employees working in these sectors. As these technologies mature,…

As community college enrollments continue to rise, the role of the college in the community expands to keep pace. Yet, academic programs designed to meet the needs of an ever more diverse population often lag behind. Traditionally, college has been a place for students to open doors to diverse ideas; here, students bring diversity with them, along…

Despite recent talk about the worsening condition of the U.S. workforce, more highly skilled workers are still needed to help America maintain its competitive edge. But that insight doesn't exactly constitute a "Eureka!" moment for community college leaders. In reality, community colleges have been working with industry executives and…

The article provides a vision of how Beyond Crossroads can serve as a departmental guide to inducing systemic change at a two-year college. Curricular change does not mean just changing the content taught, it also means changing the way it is taught, the way learning may be assessed, and the ways in which faculty and administrators may evaluate…

This book showcases 22 programs at and for community colleges that contribute to the development of teachers in elementary and secondary schools throughout the nation. They represent 2+2 transfer programs from community colleges to 4-year colleges and universities, associate degree programs, post-baccalaureate programs for "career switchers," …

Remediation is the most common approach to preparing students academically and socially during their early stages of college. However, despite its profound importance and its significant costs, there is very little rigorous research analyzing its effectiveness. The goal of this article is to provide a conceptual framework for the evaluation of…

This handbook contains eight sections and thirty-four short chapters on topics related to being a member of a California community college governing board. The eight sections are: (1) California Community Colleges; (2) The Governing Board; (3) Toward An Effective Board; (4) Policy, Planning and Monitoring; (5) The Board and the CEO; (6)…

The Rostrum is a quarterly publication of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) An SLO Terminology Glossary: A Draft in Progress by Lesley Kawaguchi; (2) A Tale of Two Data Elements by Mark Wade Lieu; (3) Sustainability and the Academic Senate by David Beaulieu and Don…

English as a second language (ESL) programs in community colleges are as diverse in the models they follow as the students they serve. This volume provides a detailed look at how faculty and administrators are tailoring their ESL programs to best serve the needs of their students and the missions of their institutions. The authors of the thirteen…

"Higher Education Counts" is the annual accountability report on Connecticut's system of higher education. Since 2000, the report has been the principle vehicle for reporting higher education's progress toward achieving six, statutorily-defined state goals: (1) To enhance student learning and promote academic excellence; (2) To join with…

The 2006 survey is the seventh annual survey of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program conducted by The Evaluation Center. This survey collects information about the general characteristics of the ATE program's grantees and their work activities, accomplishments, and impacts. This fact sheet presents…

P-16 Initiative Grant funding is intended to allow community colleges to address the need to strengthen student preparation within the P-16 education spectrum in Illinois in two ways: (1) Dual Credit/Dual Enrollment; and (2) Teacher Preparation and Professional Development. Regarding (1): In Fiscal Year 2005, $1,279,000 was allocated to the system…

With large numbers of underprepared students enrolling at community colleges, faculty are beginning to recognize that developmental education is a collegewide responsibility that needs to be fully integrated with the college's broader curriculum and varied missions. (Contains 1 table.)

Redefining the community college's historical commitment to open access requires an analysis of the community college within the larger system of higher education. In 2002, Middlesex Community College in Bedford, Massachusetts (MCC) was selected as one of 12 leaders nationwide to head a cluster group of colleges. A total of 7 diverse institutions…

This paper describes four key strategies to promote the strengthened classroom experiences that ultimately are requisite to both increased levels of college completion and deeper levels of learning. In this report, the term "classroom experiences" refers to any activity that takes place as part of a regularly scheduled course. The key strategies…