Dale F. Campbell

Missions, Values, and “Flying Monkeys”: Critical Issues for Community Colleges Today and in 2019

A focus group (N = 36) consisting of board of trustee members, community college presidents, senior administrators, administrators, and faculty members from community colleges around the United States developed the top six critical issues faced with respect to instructional planning and services; planning, governance, and finance; and workforce development. Thereafter, the delegation of more than 100 voted on various aspects of these issues. The findings detail a shift away from pragmatic problems or opportunities of today, such as K–20 alignment, retention, and sustainability, to more life-long learning, globalization, and focus upon innovation and partnerships.

Student Development Among Community College Participants in Study Abroad Programs

For decades, institutions of higher education have provided study abroad opportunities for college students wishing to increase and expand their intellectual and social skills. While many universities around the country have supported successful international exchange and study abroad programs, there is little research on community college study abroad programs and their impact on student development. Therefore, this article examines specific vectors that impact student development before and after study abroad participation in nine community colleges using Chickerings Theory of Student Development and SAS statistical methods.

Critical Issues Facing America's Community Colleges: A Summary of the Community College Futures Assembly 2008.

Three focus groups consisting of board of trustee members, community college presidents, senior administrators, administrators, and faculty members developed critical issues facing community colleges with respect to instructional planning and services; planning, governance, and finance; and workforce development. Thereafter, the delegation of more than 200 voted on various aspects of the most critical issue divulged in the 2008 Community College Futures Assembly: general education assessment is coming. The findings, including opportunities and challenges, potential implications for community college administrators, and future research topics are also discussed, mostly in the context of workforce development opportunities.

The Relationship Between the Employment of Part-Time Faculty and Student Degree and/or Certificate Completion in Two-Year Community Colleges

Prior research studies associated the employment of part-time faculty with student degree and/or certificate completion (Benjamin, 2002; Ehrenberg & Zhang, 2005; Jacoby, 2006; Leslie & Gappa, 2002; Umbach, 2008; Umbach & Wawrzynski, 2005). To date, institutional-level data have been utilized to investigate whether such employment adversely associated with student degree and/or certificate completion in two-year community colleges. Little research, however, has been conducted to study such association utilizing both student and institutional-level data (e.g., Eagan & Jaeger, 2009; Jacoby, 2006). In this study, we draw data from Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and The Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS: 04/09), and employ a multilevel logistic regression model to investigate whether the proportion of part-time faculty is negatively associated with individual student’s likelihood of degree and/or certificate completion. Analytical results indicate the proportion of part-time faculty in community colleges is not negatively associated with student’s likelihood of degree and/ or certificate completion.

Leadership Strategies for a Competitive Environment

ABSTRACT The Community College Futures Assembly convenes annually as a national policy forum for key opinion leaders to work as a “think tank” in identifying critical issues facing the future of community colleges and to recognize Bellwether Finalist colleges as trend-setting institutions. Ten Bellwether finalists in each of the three award categories are competitively selected and featured as presenters at the Assembly. Finalists then share the lessons they have learned with representatives of colleges interested in replicating their programs.

A Comparative Analysis Between Researchers, Innovative Practitioners, and Department Chairs of Critical Issues for Turnaround Leadership in Community College Instructional Programs and Services 2010 and Beyond

The Community College Futures Assembly has met annually in Orlando, Florida since 1995 to serve as a showcase for best practices in community colleges as well as a think tank for research into the critical issues facing community colleges. Select conference attendees would have the opportunity to participate in focus groups with respect to critical issues facing community colleges. Later, the entire assembly would have the opportunity to rank order the top issues identified by the focus groups. In addition, the authors presented the findings to the audiences at the annual conferences of the Academic Chairs Conference and the Council for the Study of Community Colleges for comparative analysis. Results and limitations of the research and directions for future research in the instructional, programming, and services category conclude the paper.

Trends Reshaping Colleges.

The annual Community College Futures Assembly is usually a trend-setting experience and this year was no exception. This special issue highlights lessons learned from the institutions who competitively presented and broke new ground at the 2002 Assembly. The theme, Trends in the New Economy , was evident in each presentation and the vehicle of web-casting demonstrated how the community college could be reshaped by technology. Attendees were introduced to the ideas reshaping the new economy by the keynote speaker Britt Beemer and the Bellwether Finalists presented viable examples of college adaptation to these reshaping trends. Important pre-assembly workshops introduced innovative concepts relating to the future of community colleges, including access to baccalaureate degrees. The stimulating presentations, enthusiastic camaraderie, and great meals set the stage for all attendees to take home trend-setting information to their institutions and communities. This introduction focuses on the experience of attending the 2002 Community College Futures Assembly. Approximately 200 community college trustees, presidents, vice-presidents, deans, faculty members, and other decision makers representing 25 states attended the Assembly which was held in Orlando, Florida. The Assembly is sponsored annually by the Institute of Higher Education (IHE), University of Florida (UF) and cosponsored this year by Dell Computers, Saville & Holdsworth, and the numerous organizations identified in this introduction. The assembly has provided quality learning experiences since 1995 and is proud to be an independent national policy forum recognized by the Association of Community College Trustees for its Trustee Education Recognition Program.

20 Years of Best Practices: 2014 Community College Futures Assembly Raises Questions on 2020 Community Colleges

Since 1995, the Community College Futures Assembly has served as a national independent policy think tank for identifying critical issues facing community colleges and recognizing exemplary programs nationwide. Convening annually in January in Orlando, Florida, the assembly provides an interactive learning environment where tough questions are raised, critical issues are discussed, and policy implications are vetted. The focus for 2014 Community College Futures Assembly was the future direction of community colleges, highlighting decision makers’ views on the approaching challenges. This paper provides a brief analysis of the 2020 community college, focusing on several emerging themes including student centered learning, increasing competition, and the link between degrees and jobs.

Stop the Presses! Using the Journalism Field as a Case Study to Help Community College Administrators Today.

A focus group consisting of board of trustee members, community college presidents, senior administrators, administrators, and faculty members from community colleges around the United States developed the top six critical issues facing community colleges with respect to instructional planning and services; planning, governance, and finance; and workforce development. Thereafter, the delegation of more than 100 voted on various aspects of these issues. The findings detail a shift away from pragmatic problems or opportunities of today, such as K–20 alignment, retention, and sustainability, to more lifelong learning, globalization, and focus upon innovation and partnerships. The findings are discussed here in more detail with respect to the changes occurring in the journalism field. It is hoped the problems of the journalism field, which might have been avoided, can be discussed and turned into opportunities for community college administrators.

Futures Focus: Proposed Solutions for the Cyclic Workforce

The 2003 Community College Futures Assembly identified three major areas of concern to be addressed by community college leadership. These included the identification and remediation of underprepared students, and management and understanding of challenges and opportunities associated with the increasing enrollment of underrepresented students; developing creative ways to find and manage new money; and developing business partnerships that provide needed training for industry profitability and developing flexible curriculum patterns. During 2003, these topics were studied and at the 2004 Futures Assembly discussion ensued regarding possible solutions for these and additional critical issues. The following, from the 2004Futures Policy CommissionReport (University of Florida Institute of Higher Education [UF IHE], 2004), documents the critical issues, their background, and possible solutions.