Objective: To examine the discursive strategies deployed by community colleges to sustain legitimacy in an evolving and contradictory institutional environment. Method: Using corpus linguistics software, I compared 1,009 mission statements from 2012-2013 with a reference corpus of 427 mission statements from 2004. Results: Keywords analysis,…

Presents several definitions of community services. Argues that community colleges will offer different community services depending upon their missions, and that community services should be designed to meet individual, institutional, and community needs. Proposes an adaptive community services model designed to respond to community needs, while…

An institution's philosophy and goals should become the basis for a continuing review and evaluation of a college's district-wide efforts. Specific objectives should be determined for implementation of established goals. The college should also use newly developed and/or redefined philosophy and goals as foundations for completing institutional…

Originally general education was a reaction against over-specialization and academic compartmentalization arising from the specialized degree structure--a reaction which stressed the need for a common experience for all students and emphasized the heritage of Western civilization. Early authors on the topic sought to define general education and…

After the determination that the Principles of Accounting course offered at Herkimer County Community College, New York, had a higher attrition rate than other introductory courses, a study was conducted to develop a computer-assisted diagnostic system which could identify the learning deficiences of accounting students and prescribe corrective…

Between 2004 and 2008, the Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy (CAAL) published four lengthy research reports on projects to examine the nature and effectiveness of Adult Education English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) programs at several community colleges. The research was conducted by field studies, interviews, and the review of a large…

At Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, freshmen were placed in groups of up to 25 who took three classes together during their first semester: an English class, usually at the developmental level; an academic course, such as health or psychology; and a one-credit orientation course. The program also provided enhanced counseling and…

Describes how North Island College, British Columbia, has developed an educational program which combines the North Americna community-college concept with the British open-learning system. (DB)

Community colleges are beginning to recognize that honors programs have a place in a comprehensive curriculum. Community colleges often experience problems attracting status-conscious, middle-class students, unless the institutions can convince the students and their parents that community colleges offer first-rate and academically challenging…

Describes the ways in which two community college presidents used framing to aid campus sense-making. Defines framing as the choice of one set of meanings over another, and sense-making as the process by which individuals interpret changes around them. Reports that the presidents chose frames that drove campus goals and subsequent strategies to…

Underscores the importance of student goal identification and student tracking for both the community college and its students. Reviews research findings indicating that large proportions of community college students are confused about their educational goals. Highlights methods used to help clarify their goals and monitor their progress toward…

While the assessment movement has spanned more than two decades, there is great variation in its degree of implementation among community colleges throughout the country. Building on literature in the field, this chapter discusses and gives examples of concepts and major areas involved in the assessment of student learning at the institutional…

This study, a synthesis of 51 published prescriptive essays and program reports from 1978 to 1997, follows the development of honors programs in comprehensive community colleges. Despite arguments that programs of this sort betray the institution's democratic imperative by implying academic elitism, diverting needed funds from…

Discusses the social impact of the community college in the context of functionalist and conflict theories of social stratification and education. Reviews research indicating that community colleges track students into occupations commensurate with their socio-economic status and studies demonstrating the increasing diversity in occupational…

Cites documents from the ERIC Clearinghouse for Junior Colleges collection dealing with critical issues for the 1980s. Specifies that many of the documents in the ERIC system prognosticate impending problems and offer coping strategies. (CAM)