Students entering into higher education institutions today represent America's growing diversity. Much of the increase seen is due to the large numbers of students from different ethnic backgrounds and the changing demographics of immigrants who have migrated to the United States. As a result of this research, the perceptions and experiences of the faculty and students support the finding that multicultural education should play a significant role in community colleges. The common themes identified included similar statements about; a lack of cultural diversity, language and cultural barriers, and challenges with multicultural competencies. The findings concluded that educators can build on the strengths of cultural diversity and help students acquire knowledge to become successful in academic programs. Specific multicultural education strategies may be established for integrating multicultural approaches in the community college. Findings also concluded that curriculum content is crucial to academic performance and is an essential component of culturally responsive learning. Finally, these findings include the need to better prepare faculty to work with ethnically diverse student populations by eliminating some of their misconceptions. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]