"Free college" has become a catch phrase for a variety of policy proposals intended to support this national priority. Most free college proposals share important goals: to reduce costs to students and families, to increase the number of college graduates, and to help students acquire skills needed in the workforce. Free college…

This analytical report responds to the current policy interest in some states in offering "tuition-free college" to income-eligible students attending certain public colleges and universities. In most cases only public two-year colleges are covered, although New York State's Excelsior Scholarship program also covers public four-year…

This report documents the results to date of reforms underway from the State University of New York (SUNY) Strong Start to Finish, one of the six systems that make up the first phase of the Strong Start to Finish initiative, an initiative of Education Commission of the States. SUNY is using its Strong Start to Finish resources to support…

This article examines the current literature and state legislation of statewide "free tuition" promise programs. The purpose of this paper was to analyze state free community college programs, legislation, scholarly literature, and state websites to understand program structures, funding sources, and student-eligibility requirements. The…

As chairman of Oregon's Senate Education Committee, Mark Hass kept hearing about the growing population of unemployed young adults age 24 and younger who had no education beyond high school. Until now, cost has prevented many high school graduates from even exploring a higher education. Hass is sponsoring a bill that would enable recent high…

In 2012, the Credit When It's Due (CWID) initiative was launched by the Funders Collaborative to "encourage partnerships of community colleges and universities to significantly expand programs that award associate degrees to transfer students when the student completes the requirements for the associate degree while pursuing a bachelor's…

New York's community colleges have a key role to play in elevating poor and working poor New Yorkers into the ranks of the middle class. The economy is producing few decent-paying jobs for people with only a high school diploma, and community colleges offer the most accessible path for people to obtain a post-secondary credential. However, tens of…

A project was undertaken in New York State to develop a low-cost statewide system for identifying and disseminating information on two-year college programs or activities that are effective in addressing a major occupational education issue. The resulting system consists of the following components: (1) a call for nominations, which involves the…

Describes legislative, corporate, and educational cooperation that has allowed the 30 community colleges of New York State to emerge as economic development forces in their communities to foster increased productivity and an improved economic climate. Sees state-funded contract courses leading to increased worker productivity and enhanced…

This resource manual resulted from a professional development project conducted in New York to provide two-year college staff members with the awareness, skills, and knowledge necessary to facilitate and reinforce occupational students' acquisition of writing skills. Introductory material outlines the purposes and objectives of the project, i.e.,…

This resource manual supplement presents selected inservice teacher education materials developed in 1982 by two-year college staff for use in local faculty development programs in New York. Introductory material identifies the goal of the inservice project, i.e., to enhance student success in postsecondary occupational programs by increasing…

In order to analyze the California system of community college finance within a national context, a review of recent literature was followed by an intensive study and survey of eight states, chosen to illustrate alternative solutions to California financing problems. National trends among community colleges that emerged included (1) the…

In their 2004 State of the State speeches, the nation's governors cited many issues competing for their attention and their states' resources, including health care, education, crime, and security (Nodine 2004). Among the most compelling challenges were those related to economic development and the ability of a state's workforce to meet the needs…

The organizational and working relationships between postsecondary education and economic development in selected states were investigated, with emphasis on identifying state-level coordinated programs in 12 geographically diverse states known to be active in linking education to economic development (Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Louisiana,…

This report summarizes the activities and achievements of the New York State Assembly's Committee on Higher Education during the 1995 legislative session. The Committee is responsible for the initiation and review of legislation relevant to higher education and the professions in New York State, as well as monitoring the ongoing activities of 39…