Uses the imagery of pioneer life to underscore the uncertainty of today's community college mission. Discusses the community college characteristics that represent a significant departure from traditional higher education: equal opportunity, open admissions, community involvement, comprehensive curriculum, and teaching orientation. Proposes…

Public two-year colleges, which enroll more than half of all Illinois undergraduates enrolled in the public sector are bearing the brunt of the shift from "mass" to "universal" higher education. But recent evidence raises serious questions about whether a dual track system in higher education is being established which…

As community colleges extend the educational franchise to increasing numbers of non-traditional students, educators face the dilemma of reconciling demands for academic quality with equal educational opportunity. Among these non-traditional students are Hispanic-Americans, one of the fastest growing populations in the country, who experience an…

Although the City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) are rooted in the tradition of providing transfer education to Chicago's working class youth, the current administrative acceptance of a market-oriented, vocational philosophy has resulted in a decline in general education courses and has jeopardized equal access to higher education. This vocational…