James C. Palmer

The Community College and the Business Cycle.

The swings in enrollment and funding caused by the most recent recession have reminded community college leaders that the ups and downs of the economy can have a significant impact on their institutions. While the impact on enrollment and funding is well documented, lesser known impacts can be also be found on things such as student persistence, choice of program, and a variety of outcomes. All have important, though often underappreciated, implications for performance-based funding, “free tuition,” and other emerging policy proposals that may inadvertently work against the essential role that community colleges play in providing access for students. This access mission is especially important during economic recessions when people turn to community colleges, if only temporarily, to weather the economic storm. As a consequence, it is essential that fiscal policies shore up, rather than weaken, the capacity of community colleges to absorb spikes in demand for educational services that occur when the economy sours and state funding falls. At a minimum, this will require policies that allow money to follow students even as the economy declines. It will also require vigilance against policies that tie funding solely to outcomes, such as the completion of a credential, which are not always in tune with the way students use the community college. What follows is a nontechnical look at the connection between the business cycle and key elements used to assess the performance of community colleges, concluding with recommendations for sustaining the fiscal support they need to carry out their important roles even in the wake of recurring economic downturns. Richard M. Romano is Professor Emeritus and Director of the Institute for Community College Research, SUNY Broome Community College. He is also an affiliated faculty member at Cornell University’s Higher Education Research Institute.

Organizing and Making Sense of the Literature: Arthur M. Cohen as Director of the ERIC Clearinghouse for Community Colleges, 1966-2003

A major part of Arthur M. Cohen’s scholarly legacy is the archive of documents and journal articles catalogued by the ERIC Clearinghouse for Community Colleges, which he led throughout its entire 37-year history (1966-2003). As Clearinghouse director, Cohen oversaw its document acquisition and cataloguing operations, as well as its extensive publication program. Emphasizing a reciprocal relationship between the Clearinghouse and community colleges, he enhanced the availability of information on community colleges and added thousands of items to the ERIC database, items that constitute an important part of the community college’s public record over a nearly 40-year period.

Sources and information: Organization development in the community college

Additional references on organization development from the ERIC Clearinghouse on Junior Colleges.