When the going gets tough, the tough get...innovative. That's the approach some forward-thinking community college leaders are taking as their institutions set about the task of restocking the nation's workforce in the face of historic enrollments and severe, if seemingly unending, budget cuts. Recognized by the Aspen Institute as the most innovative community college in the nation, Florida's Valencia College has a reputation for making bold reforms in the face of tough challenges. Nearly half of Valencia's students are minorities and many are low-income, according to Aspen. Yet, more than 50 percent of its students graduate or transfer within three years of entering college, compared to less than 40 percent for community colleges nationally. One reason why is LifeMap, a blended in-person and online counseling service that offers academic and career planning and advising. The career-development service helps students hone their skills and interests, choose a major, evaluate job options, and develop a plan for how to achieve life and work goals. Meanwhile, the Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) in Charlotte, N.C., a major player in economic development in Charlotte, prides itself on meeting the hiring needs of companies that relocate to the region or expand existing facilities in the area. CPCC has spent the last two years building "workforce pipelines" that match specially trained students with the hiring needs of local employers.