This inaugural installment of "Mapping Community Colleges Around the World: Comparative Perspectives and Collaborative Pathways" features "global snapshots" of community colleges and counterpart institutions, programs, and initiatives in an array of country and regional contexts. Briefs in this issue include: (1) The Global…

Higher education institutions and, particularly, polytechnic institutes in Portugal are, generally speaking, recognized as the key stakeholders in regional development. However, due to the economic recession of recent years and the consequent budget constraints, higher education institutions more than ever need to demonstrate the social and…

American popular culture currently defines the community college as a job-training center, a site of remedial education, or a vocational institution. Certainly job training is essential in a period of low employment, and community colleges can and should help Americans achieve prosperity, engage in meaningful work, and achieve their productive…

Sierra Leone, a country the size of South Carolina on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, was once known as the "Athens of West Africa." Today, the Republic is recovering from a 10-year war that ended in 2002. When the author, Alusine Kanu, who holds a doctorate of arts in community college education from Virginia's George Mason University…