The items in this report represent the proceedings of a national conference that explored ways in which community colleges can serve the nontraditional student. The report contains the program for the two-day conference, a list of the participants and their addresses, and excerpts from speeches on the following topics: assessing past performance…

Modeled on the British Open University, Everyman's has adapted the idea of learning at a distance to Israel's particular needs. Focus is on self-instructional texts and kits and home laboratories for courses like electronics. Students also get staff help, have radio or television lessons, and attend regional study centers. (LBH)

Externally imposed enrollment limits and resultant reduced funding will effect the type of student recruited by community colleges. Should the non-traditional, high risk student be discouraged from enrolling, the consequences for educational as well as national social policy appear great. (LH)

Experience at Evergreen has shown that it is possible to make interdisciplinary programs work well and to do so at an undergraduate, open-admission, liberal arts state college. About one-third of the students are enrolled in a full-time interdisciplinary program of 40 to 90 students, staffed by two to five faculty members. (Editor/LBH)

Discusses open-door admission policy. Whether students might be admitted to the institution but be blocked from specific programs by tightening criteria is tested by the use of Muller's IQV method designed to compare qualitative variations. Results indicate minority students at Northeastern Illinois University have access to all programs. (Author)

It is noted that "undervalued metropolitan universities," which generally have open enrollment, low tuition, and a large proportion of nontraditional students, often also have a diffuse and unclear public image. A model positioning concept for these institutions, used by Wright State University (Ohio) is proposed and described. (MSE)

An analysis of developments at the Open University since 1973 indicates that there has been little reduction in average cost in real terms and that no improvement is likely on known developments to 1979. Reasons for this are explored, and suggestions for improving the situation are offered. (Editor/LBH)

Instead of a campus, the Community College of Vermont has four regional field sites. At regular intervals, the community is asked what it wants and needs to learn. Teachers are found, curricula developed, and instruction begun. At the end of a course students and teachers write narrative evaluations of learning outcomes. (Author/LBH)

The Open University is playing a significant part in "compensatory" education by providing degree-level courses for large numbers of adults who for one reason or another did not go on to degree-level education after leaving school. It has attracted a large number of students from working-class backgrounds. (Author/LBH)

The Regents External Degree Program of the University of the State of New York, Thomas A. Edison College, and the Board for State Academic Awards of Connecticut are external degree institutions serving new functions in American higher education. Without admissions requirements, they are making higher education available to many who could not…

Reports on monetary awards made by MetLife Foundation Community College Excellence Awards to two colleges: West Hills Community College (WHCC), California; and Sinclair Community College (SCC), Ohio. The awards spotlight the singular role outstanding community colleges play in helping underserved youth and adults succeed in college and career.…

Proposes human potential seminars on topics such as "study skills" or "library use" as alternatives to traditional freshman orientation courses. Examines the implementation of the seminars at Lurleen B. Wallace Junior College and discusses their effectiveness in improving the self-concept and retention of high-risk students.…

The author discusses an outreach framework focused on retaining nontraditional students at small open-admissions institutions. By using both campus and community resources, this approach integrates social work and counseling disciplines in an attempt to meet the needs of this populations more effectively. Components of the program, implementation…

Recommends adjustments in institutional organization based on a determination that students will succeed, regardless of how long it takes or how much effort is expended by the institution. Arguments are advanced for making curricular, media, method, and administrative changes to meet the needs of the nontraditional student. (Author)

Nontraditional students in the community college can profit from their composition courses if these courses give them the chance to discover what words can do and to use that discovery to best serve their own interests and ambitions. To serve these aims, composition courses should be based on the following assumptions: students are to be accepted…