Currently, a majority of two-year colleges in the United States are located in rural areas. Small, rural-serving community colleges are instrumental to the survival of the communities they reside in, as well as vital to the stakeholders they serve. How does being a rural community college present specialized challenges and in what ways do the…

This article discusses the sad state of affairs in academic recruitment and retention--of library upper management. Anyone who has taken part in searches for library directors or deans knows frustration first-hand. At times there may be more open leadership positions around the country than there are applicants for them (any applicants whatsoever,…

Modern automobile maintenance, like most skilled-trades jobs, is more than simple nuts and bolts. Today, skilled-trades jobs might mean hydraulics, computerized monitoring equipment, electronic blueprints, even lasers. As chief executive officer of Grainger, a business-to-business maintenance, repair, and operating supplies company that…

This interview took place in several meetings over a period of two weeks in late spring, 2008. Carl Ehmann had spent the past five months working with multiple California community college districts to resolve numerous, and multilevel, shortages in senior leadership positions. Robert A. Frost and Ehmann had come into contact through Frost's…

While most college presidents have mastered many basic tools of the digital environment, such as e-mail, Internet browsing, text messaging, most of them have yet to figure out social media--a glaring omission that remains one of the clearest dividing lines between generations young and old. Though most of them have yet to fully embrace social…

Too often, conversations and policy debates about higher education ignore a key group of students, the forgotten majority: adult, "nontraditional" learners. In particular, the author argues, community colleges have lost some of their initial edge in the adult market, and are not growing to meet the needs of nontraditional students. She explores…

The key to economic and social development lies in the knowledge and skill base of human capital. This report, presented to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance, calls for vigorous action on the part of the Government of Canada, in concert with the provinces and territories, to protect the Canadian economy from a skills shortage…

This article presents an interview with Maura Harty, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs. In this interview, the Secretary answers probing questions about international education, visas, and ways that community colleges can remain involved.

This chapter summarizes useful and relevant resources and information on the topic of serving minority populations in community colleges, and presents information about several programs and services that have been successful in ensuring minority student success.