A hand up for single mothers
Single mothers who enroll in community college don’t exactly lead a cushy life — and that can work against their ultimate success unless colleges help address their challenges. Ed FinkelEd Finkel is an education writer…
Articles by Ed Finkel
Attracting four-year students for the summer
Whether it’s because of the lower tuition, the ability to gain credits while living at home, a particular course they want to take, or a preferable option to a summer job, an increasing number of…
Statewide systems join forces for summer programs
For varying lengths of time, community colleges have been working to market their summer course offerings to university students who are looking to pick up extra credits at a lower cost. Ed FinkelEd Finkel is…
Clearing transfer pipelines
Across the nation, state community college systems and individual colleges are heeding the call to better advise students on their pathways and ensure that those pathways move along smoothly and logically. They are taking steps…
Creating a cyber-secure campus
Just before the holidays, several high-ranking officials at San Juan College in Farmington, New Mexico, received urgent e-mails from the college president that said the president was in a meeting with fundraisers and needed them…
Concurrent enrollment as a gateway to college
Imagine finishing your associate degree before you get a high school diploma. That’s been the life path for a small but growing number of students in recent years in states like Colorado and Minnesota that…
Betting on niche programs
Programs like nursing, welding, computer science and communications are found at many if not most community colleges. And then there are degree and certificate offerings like cannabis cultivation, slot machine repair and gunsmithing technology that…
What’s peace got to do with it?
Many community college students arrive on campus from atmospheres rife with conflict— difficult home situations, crime-ridden neighborhoods and even war-torn or lawless countries. Many of them will graduate into workplace environments that, while relatively unlikely…
Advancing futures with college Promise programs
As the national debate about the prospect of free community college heats toward a boil, state and local College Promise programs continue to expand with a mix of public and private funding aimed to provide…
A growing part of the election conversation
It’s not a searing hot-button issue like the recent Supreme Court controversy, Russia investigation, tax cuts or healthcare. But free community college — pushed into the mainstream conversation during the 2016 Democratic primaries by Bernie…