Community colleges are a unique part of the American higher education system that promote access and opportunities for many students who might not otherwise attend a college or university. The purpose of this article is to address community colleges in three parts: their historical relevance, their organisational mission and structure and their…

The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) collects institution-level data from postsecondary institutions in the United States (50 states and the District of Columbia) and other U.S. jurisdictions (see appendix A for a list of other U.S. jurisdictions). This "First Look" presents findings from the preliminary data of the…

It is currently unknown how many Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) exist at community colleges. This study investigates the percentage of public and Tribal community colleges that have active IRBs. It also examines the potential relationships between states that allow community colleges to confer baccalaureate degrees, or that have articulation…

This article focuses on how Kansas State University (K-State) built partnerships with all 19 community colleges in Kansas and streamlined the process of providing place-bound adult students with access to complete a bachelor's degree while continuing to live, work, and serve in their home communities. Kansas State University (K-State) has been an…

This paper reports findings from a national random sample survey of more than 600 young Americans, asking them for their views on jobs, college, and their own economic prospects. The survey was designed to shed light on questions such as these: (1) How do young Americans think about college and jobs as they become working-age adults and begin…

Uses the example of British polytechnic institutions' conversion into universities as a warning to the United States to avoid transforming community colleges into baccalaureate-granting institutions. Asserts that conversion places undue burdens on community colleges while altering their historic mission. (NB)

Makes a case for United States community college baccalaureate degrees by focusing on the Canadian college and university system, which allows its community colleges to grant baccalaureate degrees. Argues that more students will earn bachelors degrees at lower costs to both students and taxpayers without disrupting the community college mission.…

This paper focuses on the discussion of community colleges as baccalaureate-degree granting institutions. The discussion is based on research projects undertaken in both the U.S. and Canada that investigate the institutionalization of degree programs at community colleges. Colleges in British Columbia and Alberta are baccalaureate as well as…

This paper advocates the community college bachelor's degree (BA). The author presents the Canadian system as a possible model for the emerging United States trend toward community college BA programs. He argues that the U.S. binary educational system is vertical, separating institutions according to levels of learning, while the European and…

Findings from the 1987 Early National Estimates survey of more than 600 institutions of higher education show that the U.S. higher education enrollment continues to hold steady even though the traditional college-age population of 18- to 24-year-olds is still declining. The data also show that: (1) total college enrollment is approximately 12.5…

There is a strong and growing argument for higher educational attainment in the United States. The jobs that are expected to support the economy in the coming years will depend on a skilled workforce that is able to learn and adapt quickly to new challenges. However, demographic patterns demonstrate that relying on the traditional K-16 pipeline to…

The role of the social sciences and the humanities in a knowledge-based economy was examined in a comparative study of the income and employment outcomes of secondary-, postsecondary-, and graduate-level study programs in technical fields, the social sciences, and the humanities in 1991-1996. Special attention was paid to the following areas: the…