This is the first comprehensive and contemporary history of the largest and most diverse public system of higher education in the United States. Serving over 2 million students annually--approximately one-quarter of the nation's community college undergraduates--California's 116 community colleges play an indispensable role in career and transfer…

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…

Studying history offers us important lessons: it helps to point out concepts which repeat and suggests errors so that we can adjust our path. This study attempted to uncover changes in higher educational mission statements over time in the western New York area. By exploring changes in institutional mission statements, the researcher hopes to add…

The author observes that community college administrators perform their duties on ambiguous and uncertain intellectual and environmental landscapes, so they continually search for meaning and purpose in organizational life. This article proposes a straightforward approach to answering several questions related to the quest for meaning and purpose,…

Much has been written about two-year education in Alabama during the governorships of George C. Wallace, but little about two-year education prior to his first inauguration in 1963. Yet nearly a third of the forty-three junior, technical, and community college institutions that eventually formed the Alabama Community College System had been…

A fundamental factor in the internal dynamics of a college is its culture. Central to understanding organizational culture is to minimize the occurrence and consequences of cultural conflict and help foster the development of shared goals. Modifying organizational culture is important. Without culture change, there is little hope of enduring…

Defines community-based education through the values it represents, upon which community-based college programming is built. Traces the concept to the beginnings of the community college movement and relates recent trends that have given impetus to the movement. (AYC)

Describes the status of two-year college development in the 1950s, tracing events that led up to the overwhelming demand for two-year colleges in the following decades. Asserts that if a college is to truly serve its community, it must comprehensively and continuously assess the community's needs. (AUTH/EMH)

This study was commissioned to provide data related to program and facility needs of the community college proposed in the Lewiston-Auburn area. A brief history of the two-year college movement in general, and in Maine in particular, is followed by descriptions of three area surveys. The High School Survey of 2,246 junior and senior year students…

Reexamines the origins of America's community colleges to include the leadership contributions of local residents, members of civic associations, and elected school trustees. These new histories will emphasize the influence of broad national forces such as industrialization and egalitarianism in stimulating student demand and public support for…

Looks at the historical roots of community services in community colleges. Offers suggestions for keeping community colleges on the frontier of the development of these institutions (e.g., bringing the program into the instructional mainstream, emphasizing program planning, encouraging instructional innovation. (DMM)

This study examines the coverage of the Metropolitan Community Colleges of Kansas City (Missouri) by the printed media. It discusses the importance of developing an image for the district and briefly surveys the history of community-junior colleges in Kansas City since 1915. The Sanford-Greendahl Copy Value Rating Scale was applied to all printed…

Traces the 20-year history of the Michigan Community College Community Services Association. Defines community services/continuing education, and points to the challenges and opportunities that will face the field in the coming decade. (DMM)

Describes the development of Iowa's 15 area community colleges since their founding in 1965. Reports that the 15 colleges now operate 28 campuses and have since their inception focused on building partnerships with the community. Notes that educational programs have expanded from vocational training and the first two years of a B.A. degree to…

Article provided a look toward the past and the future, highlighting the community colleges' links with both secondary and postsecondary education, as well as other community agencies. (Editor/RK)