As community colleges across the country look for ways to promote student success, the need for scaling effective approaches is critical. This guide builds on a framework of four phases of scaling developed in Job For the Future's (JFF's) previous publication, "Thinking Big: A Framework for States on Scaling Up Community College…

Nearly all young people in the United States aspire to a college degree, but many fail to complete college in a timely manner. Does this lack of attainment reflect abandoned college plans? I analyze mixed-methods data from a five-year study of 700 low-income mothers at two Louisiana community colleges. Hurricane Katrina displaced respondents and…

It is a truism of American social policy that our nation has great success generating innovative programs that improve outcomes for participants--but that we are far less effective at moving from small, "boutique" programs into broadly applied solutions that improve the prospects of large numbers of individuals. This is certainly true in…

"Surprise" is a word and concept seldom associated with higher education policy or with one of its most demanding projects, the development of a statewide articulation and transfer program. Legislators who mandate articulation enterprises and officials who care for these behemoths present themselves as thoughtful managers who cherish…

At its annual joint board and commission meeting (Washington, DC, November 10-11, 2010), American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) focused attention on college completion by presenting two panel discussions on the completion agenda, followed by breakout sessions in which participants were assigned to focus groups tasked with providing…

The integrated online planning and budget development system at Baton Rouge Community College is an innovative approach to systematically link college strategic priorities and unit plan objectives with financial resources. Using two industry standards (Microsoft Access and Sungard Banner), a user-friendly program was developed that has facilitated…

When Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005, it inflicted wind and flooding damage on all but one of the five campuses and centers of Delgado Community College, the oldest and largest two-year institution in Louisiana. Hardest hit was Delgado's main location, the City Park Campus in New Orleans, where three to six feet of flood…

This report outlines the Louisiana State Board of Regents' goals for higher education in the state. After summarizing the history of higher education in Louisiana, demographic and economic trends, and the role of higher education in the state, the report discusses five specific goals: (1) improving access to higher education for all citizens…

Organizational culture influences whether or not community colleges maintain local support as well as overall institutional effectiveness. This paper discusses culture and the context of culture at River Parishes Community College (RPCC) a new institution within the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, currently in its fifth academic…

The Department of Justice and the state of Louisiana have reached agreement on a desegregation plan that calls for establishment of a community college network and spending on new programs and buildings at predominantly black Southern University of Grambling State University. The state's governance system, criticized as fragmented, will remain.…

Describes the status of two-year colleges in Louisiana, arguing that only one of six colleges could be considered a "true" community college. Advocates the development of a statewide system to respond to increasing enrollment. Describes the Community College Task Force, appointed to organize a system despite opposition from technical…

In October 1981, a five-person panel of experts was appointed to study the postsecondary programs in the Caddo-Bossier area of Louisiana and to develop recommendations relative to allegations made by the United States and denied by the state, that Louisiana was continuing to operate a racially dual system of higher education and had failed to…

In determining the feasibility of establishing a new, two-year community college in St. Tammany's Parish to serve a three parish area, this study examined data on socioeconomic and population descriptions of the proposed service area; follow-up studies of high school students for previous years; and area high school and post-high school programs…

A federal court ruling to desegregate Louisiana state colleges and universities would require substantial changes, including creation of a single governing board and system, designation of Louisiana State University as a selective flagship institution, creation of a community college system, reduction of program duplication, and affirmative…