Community colleges have traditionally been considered forerunners in their provision of distance education opportunities for higher education students. Recent data from distance education research at several community colleges, however, indicates students taking online courses in the community college setting are often not being supported at levels equivalent to traditional courses at many of these institutions. Much of this research reveals that student achievement in online courses is impacted by factors that are typical in the large population of nontraditional students and of the practices used at these schools. Although student achievement in online community colleges has been documented to be comparable to that of traditional courses, student course "completion rates" are significantly lower in online course offerings. This paper argues that by enhancing a suite of integrated supports for students and faculty, retention rates in online courses can be improved, thus further strengthening the role community colleges have always played in the higher education setting.