More African Americans have enrolled into higher education; however, persistence in school has remained a challenge, especially in community college. Many African American students have been required to take remedial education to remedy deficits, but research on effectiveness of these courses remains unclear. Academic and social…

In 2019, twenty community colleges joined Strengthening Guided Pathways and Career Success by Ensuring Students Are Learning, a two-year project led by the American Association of Colleges and Universities. The project draws on the guided pathways framework to support institutions as they (1) map academic pathways and degree programs to student…

This study examined what employers identified and rated as important and satisfactory skills and competencies during the interviews of community college graduates in North Carolina. A replication of the original study conducted by Baird (2016) in the Northeast region of the United States examined graduates from four-year higher education…

Increasing the number of transfers and graduates in engineering who start at community colleges (CC) requires strategic partnering between institutions. Reflecting on the results of a five-year partnership between a large, multi-location CC and a large four-year university, we present the goals, conceptual framework, specific results, and best…

Community colleges are a 20th-century phenomenon. This sector of higher education started in 1901 and historically served any number of varying purposes, such as teacher training, homemaking, and, potentially, transfer credits for admission to a four-year college and the receipt of a baccalaureate degree. In the early 20th century, because of its…

Students 25 years of age and older comprise one-third of the population in public two-year institutions, and these students face significant disadvantages in first-year retention and eventual graduation. Successfully passing college math and college English are important steps for adult students in building momentum toward a degree. Classroom…

Objective: To examine health concerns among community college (CC) students by (1) identifying and coding the self-reported health issues facing CC students and (2) examining demographic and psychosocial variables associated with health categories. Participants: 946 CC students (Mage = 26.37) recruited from January 2017 to February 2017 who…

Community college students are experiencing food insecurity at high rates, and students with children are especially vulnerable with as many as 67% being food insecure. To understand food access in certain populations, previous research has examined the food shopping strategies implemented by families to manage a tight budget. In this study we…

Real differences do exist among the generations in terms of attitudes, behaviors, expectations and motivations that have an impact at work and in the classroom, in spheres of activity like building teams, dealing with change, motivating and managing, and teaching. But community college leaders and other administrators and faculty can leverage…

The more polarized American politics become, the more challenging it becomes for institutional leaders of all stripes to maintain a balanced approach and not get crosswise with anyone. Community college leaders are no exception to this reality--and they say succeeding in this environment requires an artful combination of underscoring the natural…

Under-resourced community college students struggle to meet their basic needs, often facing food and housing insecurities, all while trying to focus on their studies. A handful of institutions have increased the graduation rates of their under-resourced student populations by creating holistic models that provide a variety of financial, academic,…

Under-resourced community college students struggle to meet their basic needs, often facing food and housing insecurities, all while trying to focus on their studies. A handful of institutions have increased the graduation rates of their under-resourced student populations by creating holistic models that provide a variety of financial, academic,…

Researchers continue to examine psychological safety and its impact on individual performance in both work and learning environments. Psychological safety in the learning environment reduces perceived learning threats and barriers while also promoting an atmosphere that increases engagement and commitment to learning roles. Growing evidence…

We estimate the education and earnings returns to enrolling in technical two-year degree programs at community colleges in Missouri. A unique feature of the Missouri context is the presence of a highly-regarded, nationally-ranked technical college: State Technical College of Missouri (State Tech). Compared to enrolling in a non-technical community…

Many community college students do not finish their 2-year degree on time, and there are several institutional barriers that prevent students from taking 15 college credits per semester. Students are not aware of the academic and economic benefits of taking 15 college credits per semester. A 15 to Finish communication campaign, which has been…