Over the last several years, the guided pathways approach to whole-college redesign has become a national movement in community colleges. Approximately 300 colleges are implementing guided pathways reforms as part of formal state or national initiatives, and many more are doing so on their own. Some of the earliest colleges to implement guided…

In fall 2018, Community College Research Center (CCRC) researchers conducted site visits at eight community colleges implementing guided pathways to learn how they are managing the whole-college change process involved. These colleges are among the 30 nationally that were in the first cohort of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC)…

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…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the course design decisions and pedagogical practices of American literature teachers at three rural community colleges of varying size in North Alabama. Fink's (2003) Integrated Course Design (ICD) model provided a framework for this study, and the researcher attempted to determine if and to…

The survey on hot topics was added in 2007 to the annual survey of state directors of community colleges conducted by the University of Alabama Education Policy Center. The survey data provided an opportunity for examining the personal attitudes toward the hot topics and the associations between these attitudes and state contexts. This study finds…

There has been much advancement regarding diversity in today's society, so much that that diversity can be found in many facets of institutions of higher learning throughout the world. However the gains, the fact remains that in today's society implementing diversity within higher education institutions remains a challenge. The purpose of this…

The report represents the objectives of Directions 1984, a comprehensive systemwide assessment and decision-making effort being undertaken by Alabama's two-year college system. Introductory material highlights the role of Alabama's two-year colleges in providing educational opportunities, explains the philosophy underpinning the Directions 1984…

Wallace State Community College in Hanceville, Alabama, took the Community College Futures Assembly challenge for the 2006 Bellwether Award from FAST COMPANY's release of "The Rules of Business: Timeless Truths from the Best Minds in Business" to identify its own substantive question for this year's competition: "The New Rules of…

Governor George C. Wallace's role in creating two-year colleges in Alabama in 1963 is detailed. It is argued that the legislation resulted from political activity, not concerns of professional educators. Wallace broke a 107-hour filibuster in the Alabama Senate primarily because of his desire for popularity. (Author/MSE)

Materials developed by the Alabama community, junior, and technical colleges as part of a state-funded professional development effort are presented. The first sections provide information on Alabama's systemwide professional development activities; the organization and characteristics of the community, junior, and technical college system;…

This report delineates the strategic plan of the Alabama College System, representing the culmination of a cooperative endeavour between the Alabama College System and the business community to identify the current needs of business and industry, design programs, and reduce the time between the emergence of technological innovations and their…

This paper presents the recommendations of a task force appointed by the Alabama State Board of Education in May of 1997 to guide Alabama's two-year college system's development and direction as it re-engineered itself to enhance services to its constituents. These recommendations are to be used by the State Board of Education, in conjunction with…

The four volumes of the Alabama State Commission on Higher Education's 1988 Inventory of Academic Programs capsule an extensive variety of instructional programs offered by Alabama's 57 public institutions of higher education and the many private universities and colleges. Volume IV focuses on public technical colleges and technical college…

This report summarizes recent actions and decisions by The Alabama College System. Discussed is the Board's recent revision of the mission statement of the College System to emphasize institutional effectiveness. A description is provided of recent institutional consolidations and mergers, and schools that were re-designated as community colleges.…

This report presents the evaluation results gathered from a 2-year study of a drug prevention program involving a consortia of nine colleges and universities located in Alabama and Florida. The consortia effort was intended to: (1) strengthen their respective drug prevention activities; (2) develop policies governing alcohol and drugs; (3)…