Steady SAILS during the pandemic
Early in the pandemic, an adviser in Lorain County Community College’s successful Students Accelerating in Learning (SAIL) program got a frantic call from one of her students. She was at a local gas station, out…
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Designing the path to a bachelor’s degree through community college
Justin Smock had started along a well-trodden path. Like many others, he graduated from high school and went straight to community college to earn an associate degree. He felt a tug toward sign language interpretation…
Washington Watch: Executive Order on race and sex stereotyping
Last week, President Trump issued an Executive Order with the stated goal “to promote unity in the Federal workforce, and to combat offensive and anti-American race and sex stereotyping and scapegoating.” Its scope includes diversity training…
Washington Watch: Measurable Importance of State Investment in Higher Education
Washington Watch is produced by the AACC office of government relations and policy analysis. Three-fourths of all college and university students attend public institutions. Who pays for that education? At its most basic, there are…
Washington Watch: House Dems pitch slimmer HEROES Act
House Democrats this week reintroduced a slimmed-down version of the HEROES Act that passed the chamber in May. Its $2.2 trillion price tag, down from $3.3 trillion, makes it roughly the size of the CARES Act,…
Respect, compassion important to crisis communications
Editor’s note: This article is provided by the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR), an affiliated council of the American Association of Community Colleges. Getting in front of communications is challenging during any crisis. When that…
Washington Watch: Community colleges’ role in preparing essential workers
Washington Watch is produced by the AACC office of government relations and policy analysis. The term essential worker was not coined during the COVID-19 pandemic. Whenever an emergency or crisis arises, such as a hurricane…
Washington Watch: Training grants deadline approaches, ED issues final ‘free speech’ rule
As most of Washington is on standby waiting to see if congressional leaders and the White House reach a deal on another pandemic recovery bill, there were two developments this week regarding Trump administration actions…
The economic case for more funding
The battleground for higher education dollars is largely between community colleges and public universities. Both obviously merit public funding because they provide valuable economic services to citizens, in general. The question is how to divide…
Washington Watch: Costly FAFSA Verification Process
Washington Watch is produced by the AACC office of government relations and policy analysis. FAFSA completion analyses typically focus on the applicant. Who and how many complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)?…