Having garnered national attention, high failure rates in developmental education present a significant barrier to state and national policymakers' goals of increasing the percentage of adults who earn a college credential. However, a majority of the research fails to consider why students place into developmental education. This piece…

In this article, the author writes from the perspective of a community college research practitioner, an institutional researcher whose daily work is intended primarily to affect policies, procedures and understanding of student learning and institutional effectiveness. The audience for this work is composed of faculty, administrators, staff,…

Now, more than ever, the baby-boomer administrators are retiring in massive waves. Some researchers have predicted as high as 75% turnover by 2011 for education alone. For many years, not much attention has been placed upon succession planning or developing new leaders in some colleges; others have tended to create stockpiles of leadership…

Recent literature on African Americans students at the community college level represents an eclectic body of material. Broadly speaking, this literature has focused on questions concerning African American learning styles, cultural determinants to success, retention issues, and comparative achievement with other minority groups. While the…

Argues for greater two-year college faculty involvement in grant proposal writing. Lists available library resources on funding sources; reviews types of grants provided by government agencies; discusses community, national general purpose, special purpose, family, and corporate foundation support; and describes the specific steps in writing a…

Provides a primer on multimedia instructional technology, including examples of applications from the Maricopa Community Colleges. Identifies needed equipment and software components, the players in multimedia development and use; various uses of multimedia; and issues to consider. Looks at ways community colleges have overcome problems and…

Explores the use of local area networks (LAN's) in learning laboratories and how they are improving learning outcomes for certain student populations (e.g., deaf and developmental students). Describes how LAN's alter the instructor's role and how instructors can manage student-driven classrooms. Offers guidance on implementing a network system.…

Describes how automation has transformed the library and how super-catalogs have affected the process of doing research. Explains how faculty and librarians can work together to help students to use the available databases effectively, by teaching them Boolean logic, standard record formats, filing rules, etc. (DMM)

Details a number of strategies community colleges can use to deal with the high costs of educational technology, including partnerships with business/industry; computer networks such as BITNET and INTERNET; philanthropic foundations; and working with companies attempting to establish a market for new products. Offers examples of successful…

Recounts how several community colleges have reaped public relations successes through positive media coverage. Explains strategies for working with the media to get good coverage of college events and trends. Offers examples of award-winning communications efforts. (DMM)

Details the changing role of Learning Resources, encompassing academic computer centers, distance learning centers, collegewide information services, and other instructional components. Discusses the challenges of accommodating changing technology and student diversity. Offers advice to community college administrators on integrating Learning…

Perceives the key challenge facing community colleges in the 1990s to be the development of leadership that represents the diversity of the colleges' students and local constituents. Considers the components of a plan for changing institutional values, climate, and learning environment. (DMM)

Provides a step-by-step guide to developing a college marketing plan. Identifying a target market and determining an appropriate mix of promotional strategies are considered key to the process. Highlights the college president's role in the marketing process, indicating that, although the president is the chief marketer, all employees must be…

Presents three essays examining topics that community college leaders should consider in utilizing advanced technologies to meet constituents' needs. Considers installing new technology, ownership of technology created by faculty and students, and the implications of using new technologies in the context of the requirements of the Americans with…

Suggests that the nature of the community college workplace and culture may undermine efforts at diversity. Argues that the emphases on fast-paced work environments and dynamic personalities of the colleges work against diversification efforts and that biases behind the idea of a "proper fit" for a job should be challenged. (MAB)