The power of partnerships
A decade ago, Marion Technical College did not have the means to pursue meaningful grants. The two-year institution, which shares a campus with Ohio State University, lacked a dedicated grant office as well as a…
Leadership
Roll call on community college research
The Council for the Study of Community Colleges — an affiliated council of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) — just hosted its 67th annual conference. Top of mind for researchers and leaders in…
Congress created Workforce Pell. Now states must make it work.
Workforce Pell is no longer a policy idea. It’s becoming a governing reality. Congress created the program, and the U.S. Department of Education has now proposed rules for how it will work. Students can begin using the…
The Workforce Pell bar most programs won’t clear isn’t earnings
When Workforce Pell passed as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the policy conversation immediately turned to one question: will our programs pass the earnings test? The data has a clear answer. Yes….
Hidden in plain view
Newly released reports from the Hidden Innovation Infrastructure (HII) research project reveals the roles community colleges play in regional economic development that are often unseen and underappreciated. Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Advanced…
Improving women’s experiences in internships
Editor’s note: This article is based on a paper, “The Road Less Travel: Women’s Internship Experiences in College Automotive Technology Programs,” written by Townsend, Creamer and Mayhew, that has received the Distinguished Paper Award from…
5 intentional shifts for the community college student success movement
The movement to increase community college student success has never been short on ideas. For two decades, hundreds of institutions have reshaped what student progress looks like and the meaning of institutional responsibility. Faculty and…
Leading true systemic change: Relevance, momentum and student success
Community colleges aim to expand opportunity and stay relevant to the people, employers and communities we serve. At Monroe Community College (MCC) in New York, we believe that to achieve different results for today’s learners,…
Learning to embrace uncertainty
No one tells you that becoming a community college president means carrying hundreds of stories with you every day. When I stepped into the presidency at Coahoma Community College (Mississippi), I believed my years of…
Leveraging storytelling in politics
Community college marketing and communications staff play a key role in providing the visuals and storytelling in a college’s efforts to educate and influence lawmakers and other stakeholders. That may seem obvious, but it’s sometimes…