As an unsettled economy continues to behave in volatile ways, forecasters are predicting that a new generation of innovative technologies holds the promise of both driving economic recovery and sparking an extended period of economic expansion in America. If such forecasts are on target, there will be many opportunities for businesses and…

Economic downturns have decreased most community college budgets as no other time in history. Public revenues are down significantly. Enrollments are up. Competition from the private sector is increasing. This environment, which developed with surprising rapidity, presents a challenge for community and technical college leaders and a paradigm…

The rapid rise of the information technology industry, with its need for highly skilled technicians, programmers and support personnel, has accelerated the demand for education and technology training throughout the world--and has accelerated the rise of credentialing and certification programs. Two affiliate councils of the American Association…

This past year, Jobs for the Future studied strategies that community colleges are using to improve the quality and effectiveness of their services to low-income youth and adults. Much of this research was conducted for the MetLife Foundation Community College Excellence Awards Initiative. Across the country, in urban, rural, and suburban…

Community college leaders recognize that being at the center of the economic and workforce development universe brings many privileges, but there are also challenges and consistent demands for accountability. The center of such a universe can be an unstable place unless there are talented and committed individuals at the core who share the same…

This article talks about Certified Manufacturing Specialist (CMS), a Georgia training program that has successfully addressed the needs of both students and partners in business and industry. The program helped business reduce the learning curve for new employees; improved productivity, quality, and safety; reduced material waste; eased the…

This article comprises the results of a qualitative study designed to examine community college leaders' attitudes toward problem-based learning as a method for teaching leadership. The respondents in the study participated in a year-long community college leadership academy, which used problem-based learning as the primary instructional method.…

Teacher education faculty need to bridge college course knowledge to actual practices in early childhood classrooms. Historically, faculty have lectured about best practices and then students have attempted to integrate these concepts into their own teaching with children. This article highlights one community college's use of digital photography…

The 2004 State of the Union address included an announcement that $250 million was being allocated to community colleges for workforce development programs. This indication of support was good news in light of the recent trends for level funding or cutting back on educational programs, and demonstrates the perceived benefits of workforce…

With the average age of faculty members exceeding 55, it is expected that "large numbers of community college faculty may retire at virtually the same time and in the near future" (Gahn & Twombly, 2001, p. 260). In the wake of their exodus, it is a reasonable assumption that community colleges will be faced with hiring many new full- and part-time…

To effectively communicate with potential students, it is important to utilize their preferred information sources. Survey data were gathered from 716 high school students who planned to attend college. There were communication source differences based on race and intent to attend two-year vs. four-year institutions. Important information sources…

This article presents recent citations with abstracts that describe some of the skills necessary for successful leadership in the community college. They include descriptions of various graduate leadership programs, and discuss development activities for deans and other community college leaders, such as forums and mentoring programs.

Hispanic students are less likely to persist at community colleges than white students. The study reported in this article suggests that students with appropriate study behaviors are more likely to persist. The study investigated the study behaviors of Spanish-speaking Hispanic students at one Hispanic-serving community college using the…

In 1991, the Missouri Business and Education Partnership presented the state's Department of Higher Education with a plan of "differentiated institutional missions," with the goal of improving public four-year colleges and universities in terms of student success, institutional effectiveness, and system wide efficiency. The objective was to have…

This paper addresses recruitment of Health Information faculty for community and technical colleges, an issue of crucial importance because many faculty hired during the enrollment boom of the 1960s are retiring. The design for this research was a factorial experiment, involving a two-way analysis of variance. The participants (N = 194) were…