Defining our future
I recently read something that inspired me to carefully reflect on community colleges. In a passage about the history of the sector, it noted that “great challenges faced the United States … including global economic…
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DataPoints: More education, more earnings, but….
In general, the higher the degree earned, the higher the earnings. For example, an associate degree increases lifetime earnings over a high school diploma by 25%, according to a new report from the Georgetown University…
Ore. college opens first community college writing residency in U.S.
A first-of-its-kind program opened this fall at Oregon’s Portland Community College (PCC). The Carolyn Moore Writing Residency is the first and only writing residency that is hosted by a community college in the United States….
A game-changer for a generation
A group of kindergartners in Virginia recently brought home good news to their parents: their college tuition, textbooks and fees would be paid for when they graduated from high school. In fact, all current K-12…
Washington Watch: Evolving guidance on federal vaccination mandate
Community college leaders across the country are striving to optimize the health and safety of their campuses related to Covid. While much is being done voluntarily or guided by local and state governments, the federal…
Answering the workforce call
When Anthony J. Iacono took over as president of County College of Morris (CCM) five years ago, he inherited a strong academic transfer school for students moving from high school to four-year colleges — and…
If you build it, will they come?
There is perhaps no perfect time for community colleges to build new facilities as the pandemic and other factors impact student enrollment. Fall 2020 admission at community colleges dropped 10% from a year earlier, according…
Embracing workforce development
We may not agree on much, but everyone agrees on the critical importance of equipping hardworking Americans with the education, technical training, and much-needed skills to succeed in the workplace and help our economy do…
Helping immigrants transition to the U.S.
Armando Carignan wanted to live in the U.S. since he was five years old. He watched hundreds of hours of American comedy, admiring the nation’s culture, language and the possibility of a good career. “I…
Default rates continue downward trend
New federal data show that the student loan default rate for community colleges saw a large decrease in fiscal year 2018 — dropping 3.6 percentage points to 11.5%. The big dip is, in part, due…