This document focuses on how effective grant development and management can help generate added revenue for community colleges. Some general tips for grant management include: reviewing and maintaining the college's mission; aligning the grant department with all other development departments of the college; and using an experienced grant…

Now that the growth period for community colleges is over, and public funding has stabilized or decreased, many colleges are turning to alternative funding sources as a means of financing new projects and maintaining services. Among the funding approaches are the following: (1) grants development, which requires a library of material on funding…

This digest presents a summary of historical and contemporary community college funding sources and challenges. It identifies four main categories of funding: (1) state and local appropriations; (2) tuition; (3) federal funds, grants, and contracts; and (4) endowments. The discussion of state funding covers lump sum appropriations, funding…

In response to declining local and state appropriations for public education, community colleges have taken steps to formalize fundraising efforts by creating institutional foundations as recipients of tax-deductible contributions. Large-scale external fundraising at community colleges began as a result of the 1965 Higher Education Act and the…

Faced with reduced public funding, many two-year colleges are seeking money from government agencies and private foundations to change procedures or develop materials in areas that would otherwise be neglected. Simultaneously, several of the most well-known public and private funding sources are becoming increasingly receptive to proposals…

Not for profit community college foundations play a major role in overall resource development. Because foundations are legally and organizationally independent of the college, they are able to promote the well-being of the college without the statutory limits imposed by the governing board and staff. Foundation money is not restricted to basic…

Community colleges generally conduct little research. Further, there is no generally accepted national research agenda for community colleges, no consistently funded national agency charged with studying the institutions as unique entities, and few educational researchers directing their attention toward them. The research that is undertaken on…

There are clear advantages as well as disadvantages in encouraging greater mission convergence between community colleges and proprietary schools, such as for-profit vocational schools and career colleges. Proprietary schools have long attracted controversy related to their financial aid and fundraising practices, while at the same time fulfilling…

This digest discusses a variety of methods that community colleges have employed to integrate health care into the curriculum and campus services. Providing health care in community colleges is particularly challenging due to the lack of institutional resources, as compared with four-year colleges and universities where the residential living…

Despite the costs of implementing technology at community colleges, the benefits gained include increased instructor creativity, increased student interest and learning, and greater flexibility of instructional delivery. Instructional technology may be implemented in two ways: first, the use of technology as a simple add-on to enhance current…

Projecting the future for U.S. community colleges into the early 21st century involves projecting the future for the United States in general. Based on trend data, it can be expected that the number of community colleges will not change, except to the extent that public universities organize additional two-year branch campuses or community…

Community colleges are publicly supported institutions offering comprehensive programs of career-related, remedial, and freshman and sophomore studies, along with community services. Technical institutes, on the other hand, primarily offer preparation for technological occupations, while junior colleges focus primarily on freshman and sophomore…

since the economic difficulties of the 1980s and 1990s, community colleges have had to reconcile limited resources with open door admissions policies and a broad institutional mission. College budgets have not generally increased sufficiently to compensate for rising costs, with state-level financial support for higher education falling by 9.5% to…

Distance education (DE) is increasingly seen as a powerful vehicle for delivering various types of education, including career and technical education (CTE). Fast-paced, pervasive changes in the economic, social, and technological foundations of education and educational delivery, including the increasing use of information and communications…