Community colleges have been criticized for lowering the educational aspirations of their students. This paper suggests that this contention is subject to serious measurement errors. Evidence is presented from several surveys.

Adjunct faculty play a major role in the success of America's community colleges. Part-time faculty bring industry expertise, professional know-how, and workplace experience to the classroom. They also provide an economic benefit to the institutional bottom line. Yet they are often regarded by administrators and full-time faculty alike as…

Community college presidents face an uphill struggle in preparing their institutions for the rapidly changing technological learning environment. Visionary presidents in rural community colleges are presented with yet another challenge: that of finding themselves on the wrong side of the digital divide. This article describes how presidents of 12…

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…

Many colleges use some form of an employee performance appraisal process. Yet, despite prevalent use, the performance appraisal process is facing growing criticism. The author reviews the literature regarding the process of performance appraisal in higher education, focusing on articles supportive of the use of the performance appraisal, and those…

The senior year of high school has become identified as a national concern and issue. It has been studied by special education commissions, state education agencies and state legislative bodies. Dual credit and dual enrollment programs are expanding throughout the country to address this problem. This article addresses sample outcomes of success…

Community colleges utilize open-door admission policies to provide educational opportunities for all students, including those who are academically under-prepared in one or more areas. Current approaches to assisting under-prepared students include the targeted delivery of remedial courses in math, English, and reading. This approach typically…

A growing number of community college faculty incorporate Internet technology into their course delivery, including the use of a supplemental Web site for classroom courses. This study employed hypothetical scenarios and experimental research design to examine students' initial perceptions of teacher credibility and their expectations for learning…

Organizational culture influences whether or not community colleges maintain local support as well as overall institutional effectiveness. This paper discusses culture and the context of culture at River Parishes Community College (RPCC) a new institution within the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, currently in its fifth academic…

The study reported in this paper surveyed eight campus deans in the Louisiana Technical College Greater Baton Rouge/Northshore District II Service Delivery Area about the institutional infrastructure for providing workforce training and continuing education to their respective communities. Study results indicated that while all campuses in the…

This paper chronicles the process undertaken by one community college to analyze its Developmental Studies Program. A participant/observer faculty member involved in the college's assessment activities contemplated the institution's complex past, the challenging present, and the unfolding future. An interesting account explicating committee…

The Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) was created in 1999 to bring together into one governance body almost all of the state's community and technical colleges. Driven primarily by the need for increased workforce training capabilities, Governor M.J. "Mike" Foster and other top governmental officials promoted the idea as a…

Student services in community colleges have an important role to play in meeting student needs and increasing retention rates. As an emerging community college in the state of Louisiana, South Louisiana Community College (SLCC) developed a program for at-risk students designed to be integrated throughout the institution. A comprehensive review of…

A qualitative case study in 15 community colleges across the country found that learning assistance centers and specialized skills labs are an important means of increasing students' academic preparedness for postsecondary study. Since these facilities provide instruction or support in reading, writing, and math skills, it appears that they play a…

Beginning community college faculties have many responsibilities associated with teaching. Technology can alter and enhance some of the traditional expectations for teaching and learning. New professionals will benefit by becoming familiar with existing and new technology and by recognizing the college mechanisms and support systems available to…