Community colleges are undergoing an evolution that is unprecedented since they were created. State and federal mandates, greater calls for accountability, and a stronger push for student success are causing community colleges to review and retool their campuses and their focus. In other words, change IS the new norm. It is time for community…

Community colleges have a history of being capable of adapting to change, and the current world of competing budget priorities, fast-changing technology, and postsecondary competition challenges these colleges as never before. The result is a need for strong leadership across all levels of administration, especially at the department chair level…

This memo estimates the main economic benefits of tuition-free college in Illinois. These economic benefits are compared with the costs of making tuition free. In addition, the authors consider possible fiscal benefits of tuition-free college and whether these fiscal benefits for Illinois will offset the fiscal costs of making tuition free. This…

College presidential transitions are inevitable. A successful transition, as measured by: (1) an effective and orderly transfer of executive authority and influence between the outgoing and incoming chief executives, along with; (2) the continued advancement of the college, can never be guaranteed. Conceiving, developing, and managing a deliberate…

The Wyoming Community College System strategic plan charts an exciting course forward for the next five years. The 2021-2025 strategic plan is crafted to provide a direction forward for the Wyoming Community College System and compliment the many statewide educational initiatives including the individual community colleges' strategic plans, and…

This document provides ideas for collaboration between English, Math, and credit ESL faculty and institutional research, planning, and effectiveness (IRPE) professionals in the California Community Colleges to examine local impacts of AB 705. The ideas from this document were generated and collated from regional workshops and events hosted by the…

The California Community College system is the largest system of higher education in the world, with 115 colleges organized into 73 districts, serving over 2 million students. By design, California's community college districts incorporate all of the state's territory. Virtually all Californians are within commuting distance of a community…

The purpose of this dissertation was to understand how a new two-year college was designed and implemented within the context of and as a response to the completion agenda by focusing on the decisions and actions of the Administrative Leadership Team (ALT). The research was framed around the completion agenda themes of access, affordability, and…

"Career Pathways: From School to Retirement" brings together leading workforce researchers and practitioners to provide new perspectives on school-to-work and workplace career pathways. This groundbreaking book explains the transformations that have taken place in the workplace over the past several decades and how those transformations…

This report investigates communication and data sharing between K-12 and community colleges to identify best practices. This wide-ranging topic encompassed many efforts that impact student recruitment, retention and success in their postsecondary education. To prioritize the most pressing issues, this report focuses on recent system-wide findings…

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA's) research on historical flood risk, 98 percent of U.S. counties have been impacted by a flooding event. Not only do flood events occur in and impact all regions of the United States, but they are also costly. Therefore, it is in the interest of communities for institutions of higher…

The Student Success and Support Program (SSSP) in the California Community College (CCC) system changed the matriculation process in 2012. New students entering the system were required to receive support services in the form of initial assessment, initial orientation, counseling and advising, educational planning, academic probation, and…

The constitution and statutes of Nebraska assign the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education the responsibility for comprehensive planning for postsecondary education in Nebraska. The purpose of the "Comprehensive Statewide Plan for Postsecondary Education" is to provide direction for the future of postsecondary education in…

This chapter advises community college leaders how to achieve mission balance by using strategic planning to make mission-critical decisions and take decisive action.

Branch campuses are the open doors to those who would not otherwise be able to attend college. They are an open-access, four and two-year public regional campus. Because of open access, many students come to the branch campuses academically underprepared, struggle with math and writing deficiencies, and have difficulties acclimating to college.…