Community colleges are a valuable and important commodity in the education system in the United States. As of 2015, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) reports that there are 1,123 active community colleges, with 28 community colleges in the state of Michigan. The AACC further reports a headcount of 12.4 million students based on…

A growing number of states allow community colleges to award bachelor's degrees as one strategy to meet workforce demands, address affordability, and increase access to educational opportunities. Offering bachelor's degrees traditionally has been the domain of four-year institutions, while community colleges have been established to award…

In 2012, five foundations launched the Credit When Its Due (CWID) initiative that was "designed to encourage partnerships of community colleges and universities to significantly expand programs that award associate degrees to transfer students when the student completes the requirements for the associate degree while pursuing a bachelor's…

While promoting postsecondary credential completion is a national priority intended to help graduates secure good jobs, the value of credentials in the labor market from the perspective of employers is not well understood. Specifically, more attention is needed to understand how credentials align with employer needs. Through in-depth interviews…

Policymakers, educators, and the public agree that postsecondary credentials are crucial for economic success, and high school graduates and displaced workers are increasingly seeking credentials at community colleges. Yet little attention has been paid to understanding how credentials align with employer needs and how community college programs…

Educational credentials are clearly linked to economic success, but the reasons for this link are not clear. Common theoretical approaches provide explanations but lack direct employer perspectives on credentials' meaning and the context in which employers make sense of credentials. In this study, I used an alternative perspective based in Meyer's…

Innovation often happens at the margin. For the past 5 years, in the academic equivalent of an ecotone, Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan has built and continues to refine offerings in its 4-year Bachelor of Science degree in Sustainable Business. Emerging out of the demands of a rapidly changing business world and the sustainable business…

Purpose, scope, and method of study: Considered a significant strategy to foster school readiness and close the achievement gap, efforts to increase the education level of preschool teachers have garnered widespread support. Research pointing to the inadequate and outdated preparation of preschool teachers as well as a shortage of baccalaureate…

The importance of college degree completion for U.S. society and economic competitiveness makes it imperative to improve educational outcomes for Latino students. Institutional leaders, educators, and policymakers who recognize this imperative are challenged to determine what they can do to improve educational outcomes for Latino students.…

This cooperative education survey of student employee salaries and benefits supplies information to educational practitioners throughout the Midwest interested in providing their student employees with reasonable and fair remuneration for their work. Two survey questionnaires were used, one for bachelors' degree programs and another for associate…

This publication offers an estimated analysis of the employment supply and demand for 1992-93 associate, baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral graduates of Michigan colleges and universities. An opening section briefly outlines the methods and definitions used for the analysis, in particular noting that placement directors and academic planning…

This publication offers an estimated analysis of the employment supply and demand for 1994-95 associate, baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral graduates of Michigan colleges and universities. An opening section briefly outlines the methods and definitions used for the analysis, in particular noting that placement directors and academic planning…

The current employment market for 1986 college graduates from Michigan was assessed by placement directors from 29 Michigan four-year institutions. The directors rated supply and demand based on information obtained from follow-up studies of recent graduates, campus interviewing statistics on employer requests by major and degree level, numbers of…

Follow-up data on 1983-1984 bachelor's degree graduates of 14 Michigan public and private institutions are presented. For each field of study, data are provided on: average monthly and yearly starting salaries, the number of graduates, the percentage unemployed, the percentage employed in Michigan, and the percentage in graduate school. The…

Information is presented from an employment survey of Michigan college graduates, focusing on destinations, average starting salaries, and unemployment for 1987-88 at all degree levels. Some of the study findings are as follows: (1) after completing their degrees, graduates could be working full-time, pursuing other educational goals, or still…