commentary

AACC statement on the president’s proposed budget

President Biden’s budget proposal showcases his commitment to the nation’s community colleges and the millions of students they serve. By significantly increasing the funding to programs and services aimed directly at supporting community college student…


Washington Watch: Different paths to same goal

Two bills have been introduced in the 118th Congress to provide Pell Grant eligibility to students in short-term workforce education programs. While the end goal of both is the same, they take different paths to…


It’s not personal

Leadership is not easy. It requires you to balance today’s needs while striving to reach tomorrow’s goals. You must respect the culture while implementing needed change. It is arduous and wonderful when those goals are…


ChatGPT: Or how I stopped worrying and learned to love the bot

Higher education seemed to embrace the concept of AI for administrative systems and student relations support. There was a lot invested in technologies that could “personalize” systems and connect students with departments, divisions and support…


A bright idea for Fulbright

The 2024-2025 Fulbright U.S. Scholar competition opened recently. It closes September 15. It was 20 years ago in fall 2003 that I was honored to participate in this program as a community college professor. The experience has greatly…


Black history woven into its fabric

Black history is woven into the fabric of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) whose tapestries are rich in Black culture, tradition, triumphs and tribulation. The University of the District of Columbia, which is the…



10 trends to watch in distance learning

As we all know, prior to the Covid pandemic, the growth of online enrollments at colleges and universities had been phenomenal. As late as 2019, online enrollments were on average 25% of overall community college…