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This issue, entitled ‘Leadership in an era of change’ and edited by Desna L. Wallin, includes the following chapters: ‘Looking to the future: change leaders for tomorrow’s community colleges’ by Desna L. Wallin (p .5-12), this chapter examines the idea that the old ways of managing, organizing and leading fall short in today’s rapidly changing environment and that a different set of leadership skills are required; ‘Leading partnerships: competencies for collaboration’ by Marilyn J. Amey (p. 13-23), this chapter discusses the concept that leading a partnership requires being an effective organisational analyst and systems thinker, being knowledgable about the organisation’s strengths and weaknesses and knowing how partnering will be of benefit; ‘Dynamic leadership development in community college administration: theories, applications and implications’ by Matthew J. Basham and Raghu P. Mathur (p. 25-32), this chapter focuses on the need to create dynamic teams and develop the skills and talents of both leaders and managers; ‘Minding the gap: filling a void in community college leadership development’ by Dale F. Campbell, Syraj Syed and Phillip A. Morris (p. 33-39), this chapter examines the University of Florida’s leadership program which incorporates leadership assessment and executive coaching to develop emotionally adept and self-aware learners/leaders; ‘Learning to be reflective leaders: a case study from the [National Community College Hispanic Council] NCCHC Hispanic leadership fellows program’ by Leila Gonzalez Sullivan and Colleen Aalsburg Wiessner (p. 41-50), this chapter examines the leadership program developed by the NCCHC in which the habits of reflective learning at individual and institutional levels are emphasised; ‘University-based community college leadership programs: where future community college leaders are prepared’ by Janice Nahra Friedel (p. 51-58), this chapter examines a new EdD program at California State University Northridge where the goals include preparation of competent and reflective leaders who are committed to moral and ethical actions and are capable of being agents of change; ‘ Leading from the middle: preparing leaders for new roles’ by Larry Ebbers, Kitty S. Conover and Anisha Samuels (p. 59-64), this chapter focuses on local ‘grow your own’, statewide and national leadership programs which can provide opportunities for aspiring middle managers to plan for their own future; ‘Beyond the headlines: wounding and the community college presidency’ by Deborah L. Floyd, Pat Maslin-Ostrowski and Michael R. Hrabak (p. 65-72), this chapter describes a framework for understanding the human side of leadership during a crisis experience and offer practical recommendations to better equip aspiring and practicing community college presidents; and ‘Epilogue: change leadership and leadership development’ by Robert C. Cloud (p. 73-79), this chapter concludes by placing the volume in the context of the history of leadership and brings together the major issues and challenges of change leaders and leadership management. Show less

Featured article include: 'Meeting the challenge' by Corey Murray and Ellen Ullman (pp. 22-29), in which the authors highlight community colleges' aim to again make the U.S. the world's number one producer of skilled graduates; 'Re-imagining the community college' by Barbara Jones-Kavalier and John Rouche (pp. 30-37), which notes that community college leaders need to employ creativity and innovation to help colleges meet the changing needs of students; 'Pell power' by David Baime and Christopher Mullin (pp. 38-42), which reports on how the Pell grant, a popular long-standing federal grant program, continues to prove its worth for community college students; 'Ready for prime time' by Roxanne Fulcher, Peggy Honore, Brenda Kirkwood and Richard Riegelman (pp. 44-51), which discusses the need for public health education to be integrated into all community college undergraduate education, as well as four-year courses; 'A good fit' by Bob Violino (pp. 52-56), examines how community colleges weigh up the potential benefits, and drawbacks of outsourcing; 'Year one' by Angela Oriano-Darnall (pp. 58-62), in which the authors look at how colleges can improve student retention by gauging progress for entering students. Show less

Understanding the role of subbaccalaureate programs in preparing students for the workforce has become increasingly important, particularly in quickly changing fields that require well-trained technical workers, such as information technology (IT). To better understand the role of community colleges in educating IT workers, we examined two key issues: (1) students' employment outcomes by the type of community college IT preparation they complete, and (2) the type of employers that tend to hire community college IT students. Specifically, we analyzed data on students who were enrolled in an IT program at any Washington State community and technical college during the 2000-01 academic year and who completed their program or left college by the spring of the 2004-05 academic year. We examined information on students' course-taking in college and their employment before, during, and after their college enrollment. Our investigation of employment outcomes by type of community college preparation suggests that employers prefer workers with higher-level credentials. Of the four groups we analyzed, students with both an associate degree and a certificate in IT had the strongest employment outcomes in terms of likelihood of employment, hours worked, and earnings. They were followed by students with an IT associate degree, and then by students with an IT certificate. Students who earned no credential but concentrated their study in IT by completing four or more courses had the weakest employment outcomes, underscoring the importance of completing full programs and earning a credential. Compared with workers overall, IT students were more likely to work for medium sized employers. They were also more likely to be employed in temporary services and educational services industries. Our findings highlight the importance of community college efforts to engage with the full range of local employers as well as the potential need for different engagement strategies, depending on the employer.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

Nearly 60 per cent of students with disabilities who attend postsecondary institutions attend community colleges. Individuals with disabilities paralleling their peers without disabilities need the postsecondary education opportunity to develop vocational skills, the time to mature, and the experience of living with others. A transition program, a K-12 and community college partnership, was developed to support students in this mission. A narrative inquiry methodology was utilized to understand the community college experience of students with disabilities in a transition program. Findings indicate that the program benefited the individuals. It did this by supporting completion of a vocational program leading to gainful employment and as a transition into adult roles and status. The program also provided opportunities that enhanced the individuals' self-esteem, and it facilitated the individuals becoming more independent and responsible.

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Fifty years ago, state policymakers and higher education officials adopted California's Master Plan for Higher Education. This plan still largely defines policies concerning the state's public higher education systems: the California community colleges (CCC), the California State University (CSU) system, and the University of California (UC) system. Most would agree that the Master Plan has served California and its students well for many decades. Today, however, higher education in California faces two crises: the budget problem and the education skills gap - an impending shortfall of the projected supply of college graduates relative to demand. Updating key components of the Master Plan is a crucial part of the effort to close the education skills gap.

This report proposes three strategic modifications to the plan: eligibility goals for the CSU and UC systems should be gradually increased to new levels by 2025. The share of the state's high school graduates eligible for UC should grow from the top 12.5 per cent to the top 15 per cent of high school graduates. The share eligible for CSU should grow from the top 33.3 per cent to the top 40 per cent; the Master Plan should set explicit goals for transfer from the community colleges to UC and CSU. A target for larger shares of bachelor's degrees awarded to transfer students at both systems should be defined; and a new component of higher education policy that focuses on outcomes - specifically, completion rates - should be added to the Master Plan.

Excerpts from publication. Show less

This issue, entitled 'Contemplative teaching and learning' and edited by Keith Kroll, includes the following chapters: 'The case for a contemplative philosophy of education' by Rick Repetti (p. 5-15), this chapter introduces, illustrates, and explains how contemplative practices, contemplative studies, and contemplative pedagogy differ. It reviews the research in favour of contemplative education and argues that contemplative pedagogy is engaging and transformative for both students and faculty; 'Community college as liminal space' by Maria R. Lichtmann (p. 17-28), this chapter explores the potential of impasse - the lack of good jobs, entrance into a four-year college, vocational direction - to be a contemplative space for reflection and transformation and the potential of the community college to turn impasse into invitation; 'The classroom is a sangha: contemplative education in the community college' by Robert Haight (p. 29-38), this chapter proposes that a contemplative approach to education has the potential to lessen student anxiety, increase student happiness, and prepare students to build a personal foundation. Contemplative practices can be infused into any course to help increase attention, concentration, awareness, and compassion toward oneself and others; 'Waking up to ourselves: the use of mindfulness meditation and emotional intelligence in the teaching of communications' by Dan Huston (p. 39-50), being present is necessary for communicating effectively. In this chapter, the author explains how he has been using mindfulness meditation to help students nurture this ability in his introductory communications classes, helping them develop emotional intelligence and altering neural pathways in the process; 'Being allowing and yet directive: mindfulness meditation in the teaching of developmental reading and writing' by Kate Garretson (p. 51-64), this chapter describes aspects of contemplative practice that connect it with best practices in developmental reading and writing instruction, including classroom activities that engage students with both; 'Contemplative practices in human services education' by Jacqueline M. Griswold (p. 65-75), this chapter explores the correlation between stress and human services practice and discusses the ways in which contemplative practices can be incorporated as a critical component of human services education; 'The sound of starting where you are: contemplative practice and music pedagogy' by Matthew Ruby Shippee (p. 77-89), this chapter provides a firsthand account of the author's seven years of teaching community college music majors contemplative practice deeply integrated with conventional music pedagogy. Along with outlining a conceptual framework, he provides specific teaching examples based on experience designing and teaching Creative Musicianship, a course for music majors at his college; 'Offering reflection to an organization' by Ann Faulkner and Guy Gooding (p. 91-100), this chapter describes the experience of a multiple-campus community college district with reflective practice as a form of professional development; 'Vocatio: the importance of exploring an ancient concept for community college students' by Clifford 'Kip' Scott (p. 101-110), this chapter describes the author's experience of introducing the ancient concept of vocatio (or calling) to community college students in a first-semester mandatory course, Introduction to College Studies; and 'Contemplative practice in the classroom' by Keith Kroll (p. 111-113), this chapter offers a summary of the contemplative practices discussed in the volume. Show less

Featured articles include: ‘Achieving your vision’ by Andrea Orr (pp. 20-25), which describes how to make sustainable living a reality on campus, with a discussion of life at Butte College, an environmentally conscious community located in the middle of a wildlife reserve in northern California; ‘Designs for success’ by Daniel LaVista (pp. 30-33), which highlights a massive building project to make Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) a leader in green facilities; ‘Planet activism’ by Kim Fernandez (pp. 34-39), which looks at how students further their environmental passions through participating in clubs and groups within the college environment; ‘Positive energy’ by Kevin Coyle and Maria Flynn (pp. 40-43), in which the authors discuss how green-jobs training prepares students for new careers; ‘The completion agenda: to what end’ by Terry O’Banion (pp. 44-47), which examines how an emerging philosophy shifts the focus from student access to success. Show less

A New York Times article recently quoted an immigrant from Ecuador who was amazed at how little she knew of the community college system: ‘I didn’t know what a credit was.’ Turns out, she’s not the only one. It may be surprising to learn that although most college graduates earn around 120 credits to get a bachelor’s degree, there is no way to know whether a credit earned at one college signals the same amount of learning as a credit earned at another. The Department of Education is only now working to find a common understanding of the term ‘credit hour’ after years of defining eligible postsecondary programs by the number of credits they offer. Its definition misses the mark by equating credit with time spent learning rather than with the learning outcomes. [This article considers the Department’s proposed definition of a credit.]

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The development of a typology of community college students is a topic of long-standing and growing interest among educational researchers, policy-makers, administrators, and other stakeholders, but prior work on this topic has been limited in a number of important ways. In this paper, I develop a behavioral typology based on students' course-taking and other enrollment patterns during a seven-year observation period. Drawing on data for a population of 165,921 first-time college students, I identify six clusters of behaviors: transfer, vocational, drop-in, noncredit, experimental, and exploratory. I describe each of these student types in terms of distinguishing course-taking and enrollment behaviors, representation in the first-time student cohort, predominant demographic characteristics, and self-reported academic goal. I test the predictive validity of the classification scheme with respect to long-term academic outcomes. I investigate the relationships between the primary classification scheme and several alternative classification schemes. Finally, I demonstrate the replicability of the classification scheme with an alternate cohort of students.

Published abstract. Show less

Students with severe and persistent mental illnesses (e.g., schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders; moderate to severe mood, anxiety, dissociative, eating, or personality disorders) are attending community colleges in increasing numbers. Their need for counseling services presents counseling centers with unique ethical issues to consider. This article presents those issues and discusses possible actions that counselors can take to protect the rights of their clients, the institution, and themselves.

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