In "America's Hidden Economic Engines," editors Robert B. Schwartz and Rachel Lipson spotlight community and technical colleges as institutions uniquely equipped to foster more equitable economic growth across America's regions. As Schwartz and Lipson show, these colleges are the best-placed institutions to reverse the decades-long rise…

This paper examines the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) "PISA for Schools," a new variant of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) that compares school-level performance on reading, math and science with international schooling systems (e.g., Shanghai-China, Finland). Specifically, I…

Recent media reporting and research suggest that regional comprehensive universities (RCUs) and other postsecondary institutions may play an integral role in the welfare of rural regions, yet empirical research on the regional service of rural postsecondary institutions is limited. The purpose of this study was to examine how a single RCU serves…

This article asks land grant university leaders and faculty to think of their role in community engagement not simply as the provision of technical assistance or of research and development prowess, but as an opportunity for social leadership. It explores the case of Virginia Tech's effort to develop a regionally based model to secure long-term…

"Linking Workforce Development to Economic Development: A Casebook for Community Colleges" is a compilation of best practice examples, which illustrate what it takes for community colleges to achieve their goal of helping people acquire education and skills, helping employers, supporting communities, and building the nation. The book is…

Proposes creating an entrepreneurial college within the community college that will offer non-credit courses to the community and workforce. States that the courses would focus on the training needs of community industry, with the employer as the customer, rather than the student. Adds that the proposed college would also focus on community…

Reviews the potential contributions of Virginia's community colleges to the state's economic development, focusing on flexible delivery of services, knowledge of and responsiveness to community needs, services to assist and attract businesses, and leadership in community problem solving. (DMM)

This dissertation discusses the results of two surveys--one of community college presidents and one of community college students--conducted to determine the existing and planned entrepreneurship credit and noncredit programs within the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) and the interest in these programs from students enrolled in business…

The Virginia Community College System (VCCS) initiated the Marketing and Retention Recognition Program (MRRP) to identify and publicize innovative marketing and retention activities being implemented throughout the system. This report offers brief sketches of some of the exemplary projects identified by the MRRP. First, introductory material…

Detailed descriptive information is provided on programs and activities identified by the Virginia Community College System's (VCCS) Marketing and Retention Recognition Program (MRRP), which was designed to identify and publicize innovative marketing and retention activities being implemented throughout the system. Following introductory material,…

Developed for consideration by the Chancellor and Virginia State Board of Community Colleges, other public officials, and all citizens of the Commonwealth, this task force report examines the future of Virginia's community colleges in economic development and workplace literacy. The report sets forth ten challenges which stand as obstacles to the…

This issue of the "VCCA Journal" contains the following articles: (1) "Dear Andrei--Dear Patricia: International Education in English Composition I," by Robert Kilmer; (2) "The Cultivation of Critical Thinking: Some Tools and Techniques," by Russell Crescimanno; (3) "Assessment Partnership: A Model for Two-Year…

Arguing for a leadership role for Virginia's community colleges in the state's economic development, this paper describes the efforts of the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) and the Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) to meet the changing technological needs of business and industry. Section I provides an overview of the economic,…

Virginia's community colleges could easily be more closely linked to the economic and industrial development upgrade occurring through the Commonwealth. The colleges' educational partnership programs, which have recently been stimulated by government encouragement and intercollegiate cooperation, are ready-made facets of industrial training and…

Summarizes recent developments in Virginia designed to improve the productivity of the state's small and medium businesses by increased use of the state's postsecondary education institutions. Suggests that a strategy of comprehensive leadership by educators and politicians is basic to successful technology transfer programs in the context of a…