Amidst chronic disparities in per-student resources, how best to construct funding formulas to equitably fund colleges and universities is an enduring policy concern. This brief focuses on a historically overlooked financial mechanism, categorical funding, to examine its role in funding (in)equity. Leveraging illustrative data from four…

Persistent budget constraints make "equitably" allocating existing resources more important than ever. Conversations regarding equitable funding typically overlook categorical programs, targeted initiatives typically focused on supporting historically underserved student groups, such as veterans, former foster youth, single parents, and…

To help the nation respond to the pandemic, Congress injected about $4.6 trillion into the U.S. economy through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and subsequent legislation. Of this amount, over $75 billion was directed to institutions of higher education through the Higher Education Emergency Relief (HEER) Fund,…

Objective/Research Question: Many localities have implemented promise programs, which cover tuition for students to attend college based on residency criteria. These "free college" programs have been shown to increase student enrollment, creating the need for additional institutional resources to support student graduation. We analyzed…

Community college students must navigate complex financial aid policies and procedures to obtain their aid award. In this study, I investigated how Students of Color at a community college experience financial aid disbursements. Through qualitative interviews, I found that community colleges disburse aid to students through a process I define as…

Pursuant to Assembly Bill 132 Section (89)(e), the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office and the Board of Governors for California Community Colleges are pleased to release the 2024-2025 LGBTQ+ Program Legislative report. In accordance with the reporting requirements, the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office is required to…

Education Code section 79511 requires the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office to submit a report each year on the the Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Student Achievement Program (AANHPI SAP). The AANHPI SAP is in its second year of implementation with 50 colleges participating. Before the full implementation in the…

As state budgets are continuously tightened, and state dollars dwindle to cover only the bare necessities, resources must be carefully examined and utilized to increase efficiency and effectiveness; one such area in which higher education institutions must concentrate on allocating and streamlining resources is to increase the retention and…

This mental health and wellness report is in response to Ohio Revised Code section 3333.0418, which requires the Chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) to issue a report about the mental health and wellness services and initiatives of state institutions of higher education. This report includes a description of each…

The California Community Colleges California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) Program provides education, training, support services and job opportunities to individuals receiving CalWORKs services from the county. CalWORKs program funds are for the purpose of assisting individuals in achieving long-term self-sufficiency…

Community colleges are increasingly adopting and relying on student engagement activities to build a sense of belonging and improve graduation rates. One such measure undertaken at many colleges is the use of traditional student affairs programs, including student government associations. These student governments not only build a sense of…

This qualitative study used the Burke-Litwin organizational change model as its primary framework to understand the lived experiences of community college educators who were first to transition to remote work during the 2020 global pandemic. The purpose of this research was to examine the lived experiences of community college remote workers in…

Amidst increased enrollment, economic recession, and state budget cuts to postsecondary education over the past two decades, two and four-year colleges and universities have employed a multitude of different approaches to managing resource allocation. At the crux of this issue is the internal struggle each institution faces: improving the level of…

Recent research shows that professional learning is essential "equity infrastructure," the key to engaging front-line educators in the action-oriented partnerships needed to implement equity-focused practices with quality and at scale. The new, 2023 report examines professional learning at community colleges and Minority Serving…

While research has documented outcomes for students served by promise programs, few studies have considered the behavior of institutions themselves in the promise era. A new source of revenue combined with larger and more diverse cohorts is likely to motivate changes in spending and staffing--decisions instrumental to student access and success.…