Student persistence remains an important focus for higher education professionals. National conferences and other professional development opportunities regularly highlight information on resources, supports, and programmatic efforts that are most effective at helping college students persist. Retention is a key performance indicator for…

Now, more than ever, more adults must earn college credentials in order to earn family sustaining wages and to help fuel and sustain a robust national economy. That means that institutions of higher education must do all they can to help adult students enroll in college and complete a postsecondary credential. Achieving the Dream emphasizes a…

State community college systems and their two-year colleges have spent the 2010s reexamining and redesigning decades-old developmental education tracks to ensure students get what they need--and only what they need--with an eye toward moving them more quickly into college-level courses and, eventually, the degree or certificate they want.…

On February 18-19, 2016, representatives of 10 states participating in the Credit When It's Due (CWID) initiative attended a convening held at the University of Utah. The meeting was led by the CWID Research Team and sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and The Kresge Foundation, on behalf of the CWID Funders Collaborative. The…

Several federal grants prioritized the role of community colleges in education and training in recent years, and one of the most substantial investments was the Trade Adjustment Act Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) program of the United States Department of Labor (DOL). Beginning October 2011, these $2 billion capacity-building…

The economic news has been dire--from growing unemployment numbers to the slashing of state and local budgets. Schools have been forced to look at cost cutting measures--from larger classes to the elimination of some programs. Yet, amid all the bad news, there is some good news to be found for career and technical education (CTE)--and some…

This essay recounts the authors' experiences as community college faculty members in a learning community (LC) linking first-year composition with a class in life-career planning and development. The authors begin with a learning community story shared recently over drinks with a group of community college English teachers. They use the story to…

The bricks-and-mortar infrastructure of community colleges has not nearly kept pace with increases in student enrollments. Not only are colleges bursting at the proverbial seams, but, according to the American Graduation Initiative, many two-year institutions "face large needs due to deferred maintenance or lack the modern facilities and…

This report reviews the development of the strategic planning process for Minnesota community colleges, citing progress that has been made in achieving the goals established in "The Strategic Plan of the Minnesota Community College System" and offering revisions and modifications to the plan in light of ensuing developments. First, an…

The outgrowth of a strategic planning process initiated by the Minnesota Community College System (MCCS), this report includes mission and work statements for the system and explains plans for dealing with enrollment fluctuations over the next 10 years. Section I outlines the report's purpose, explains the organization of the strategic plan, and…

This paper traces the development of the University Center at Rochester, Minnesota. The Center provides a means for the delivery of programs and services to students taking courses at Rochester Community College, the University of Minnesota Rochester Center, and Winona State University-Rochester Center. The three institutions of higher education…

The nature and scope of the enrollment problem in Minnesota, plans and policies to deal with the problem, statewide policy implication of the problem and ways to effectively meet the challenges posed by the problem are discussed. A summary and analysis of enrollment trends in Minnesota are provided in Chapter 1, including specific projected…

Student educational outcomes and the quality of instruction are now being monitored by several programs at Worthington Community College (WCC) in southwest Minnesota. WCC, one of the 20 community colleges in the Minnesota Community College system, currently serves 875 students, and has been intensifying its efforts to serve the whole service area…

Recommendations of the Commission on the Future of Minnesota Post-Secondary Education are presented. A mission statement is proposed for adoption by the state, along with four principles to guide policy development. While the Commission does not recommend closing of any campuses in 1984, it suggested that criteria and procedures be developed for…

A COMMITTEE OF THE CITIZENS LEAGUE RECOMMENDS THAT THE MINNESOTA STATE LEGISLATURE ESTABLISH COMPREHENSIVE "COMMUNITY" COLLEGES TO REPLACE THE PRESENT PARALLEL AND UNCOORDINATED DEVELOPMENT OF VOCATIONAL-TECHNICAL POST-HIGH SCHOOLS AND JUNIOR COLLEGES, THE FORMER OFFERING NO ACADEMIC COURSES AND ONLY THE LATTER PROVIDING TRAINING IN THE…