Community college early childhood education programs prepare students for a career path that enjoys plenty of demand, although that's at least in part due to low wages that make hiring and retaining good workers a challenge. That challenge has become more acute during the COVID-19 pandemic, given the literally hands-on nature of the work. Demand…

The Center for Collegiate Mental Health found that between 2009 and 2015, colleges saw an increase in counseling center use by up to 40 percent, despite only a 5 percent increase in enrollment. The most common concerns among college students are anxiety and depression. Experts point out that this increase could be attributed to students being more…

Six years ago, Front Range Community College President Andy Dorsey sat down with his team and looked at the college's completion and graduation rates. Like a lot of colleges, they were in for a shock. It is not that they had expected to see 80 percent completion rates. But they certainly were not expecting to see only 43 percent of their students…

Community college sports teams don't play in nationally televised bowl games or championship tournaments that inspire betting pools in offices across America, but athletic teams at community colleges, especially those in rural areas, play a vital role in attracting a cohort of students who are culturally diverse. This article discusses the…

As the focus on student success and completion intensifies on campus, community college leaders know the only way to stay viable is to change the culture of their institutions. With state and federal coffers in perpetual free fall, that means leveraging existing resources to spur reforms. Some colleges have attempted to do this through the…

As community colleges across the country strive to improve completion rates and serve a growing number of students returned home from war, the need for programs that meet the unique needs of veterans--including job training, social acclimation, referral programs for mental health counseling, and academic tutoring, to name a few--is more pressing…

Aware that rising costs could force some community colleges to compromise their long-standing open-door policies, administrators have put in place programs and incentives to offset the higher price of the average community college education. This article features ideas and programs to help struggling community colleges cope with rising costs such…

At the 2004 AACC Annual Convention, Sybil Jacobson, president and CEO of MetLife Foundation, announced the two recipients of the 2004 MetLife Foundation Community College Excellence Award. The award, won by City College of San Francisco (CCSF) and Community College of Denver (CCD), honors two colleges that have made great strides in helping…