commentary

Hiring, onboarding investments are critical to success

Lakeshore Technical College’s hiring and onboarding model was transactional and short-term, focusing on paperwork more than culture and relationship-building. The college hired and onboarded employees at various times without consideration of developing a positive working…



A central role in reducing K-12 teacher shortage

K-12 teacher shortages are a continuing and growing challenge throughout our nation. In Illinois, for example, the estimated shortage of teachers, substitute teachers and other staff positions in 2021 was 6,200, up from 4,800 in…


Washington Watch: A deeper look at public opinion of higher ed

Public Agenda and USA Today recently released extensive public opinion research results that reflect some competitive edges for community colleges, amidst broader and substantial concerns about the value and affordability of college. The data may…


Building, maintaining tomorrow’s highway construction workforce

It takes a strong, capable highway construction workforce to keep the nation’s transportation industry and economy moving forward. To identify, recruit, train, support and place qualified individuals into needed roles, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s…


Adjusting to the speed of change

I try to stay up to date on trends that affect our work at the nation’s community colleges. Certainly, we have all heard about the Great Resignation, remote learning and working and other sticky changes…


Is it time to expand your distance learning program?

As community colleges plan to return to more in-person classes this fall, a number of distance learning programs are exploring the possibility of expanding their online programs going forward. After all, almost all of our…


Washington Watch: Advocates in Action returns this fall

After a two-year hiatus due to the Covid pandemic, the American Association of Community Colleges’ (AACC) Advocates in Action meeting is back, set for September 22-23 in Washington, D.C.  Register today! Community college presidents, trustees,…



Supporting the mental health needs of rural students

According to a report from the Association of Community College Trustees, roughly 3.4 million students currently attend rural community colleges in the United States. Couple that fact with data from 2021 that shows 50% of…