Across the country, policymakers, postsecondary leaders, and students themselves are engaged in questions about the purpose and value of college. Learners are trying to reconcile concerns about the cost and relevance of postsecondary education with the increasing importance of postsecondary training and credentials for attaining good jobs. Many of…

It is generally accepted that the nation's community colleges are underfunded, especially given the job that society expects of them. Accordingly, practitioners and scholars have long argued for new revenue sources and funding models. This essay briefly explains one such alternative model, namely funding adequacy. This concept has a long history…

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…

Community colleges across the nation face many challenges in terms of institutional funding. As legislators in the Southeast continue to define metrics for funding mechanisms that define the amount of funding an institution receives legislators have used performance-based funding to channel funds into higher education institutions since 1979.…

Twenty-two times, state courts have ruled that legislatures are inadequately funding K-12 schools based on constitutional rights to public education. When states implemented court-ordered financing reforms, the poorest school districts increased per-student spending by 11.5% to 12.1%. Those districts then showed increased graduation rates by…

Though they have experienced recent enrollment declines, historically, community colleges (i.e. public two-year colleges) have served a larger portion of undergraduates than any other institution type. They also serve a more diverse group of students than other institution types and do this with less funding, on average, than four-year…

Due to ongoing financial cuts and budget restraints, community colleges have turned to alumni association fundraising to support their mission and advance their institution. Fundraising for any organization is challenging, but community college alumni institutions have a more difficult time than their university counterparts in recruiting alumni…

Pursuant to California Education Code provisions 17201(i)(1)(B)(C), 17203.5, and 66014.6, the California Community Colleges Student Housing 2024 report provides the following information: (1) the 2024 Annual Progress on California Community Colleges Affordable Student Housing; (2) the 2024 California Community Colleges Housing Insecurity; and (3)…

This report describes how six Colorado community colleges used $1.4 million of pandemic relief funding to support individuals pursuing short-term credentials. The authors examined state and college decisions about program eligibility, student eligibility, grant amounts, funding uses, and application requirements as well as outcomes for those…

"Vertical transfer students," those who transition from community colleges to 4-year institutions, embark on a challenging path that often presents academic, logistical, and financial obstacles. For many, this journey is marked by disruptions in financial aid, unfamiliar campus environments, and credit transfer complications, leading to…

Objective: Transfer student capital (TSC) helps community college students realize the potential for the transfer pathway to serve as a lower-cost option to a bachelor's degree. However, students' accrual of TSC depends on the quality and quantity of information networks and infrastructure; information asymmetry in these networks can impede…

The purpose of this qualitative hermeneutical phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of nursing program students with grant funding investment in a nursing, allied, and physical health program at a rural community college in Western New York. This rural institution is a member institution of the State University of New York…

This study documents the resources U.S. colleges and universities offer to address student food and housing insecurity and explores differences across community colleges, four-year public schools, and four-year private schools. Using a stratified random sample (n = 448) of U.S. postsecondary institutions, a systematic web search for evidence of 18…

Along with changing industry market conditions and emerging technologies, federal investments in new energy and transportation infrastructure targeted at limiting the effects of climate change are predicted to dramatically reshape the workforce. In the next ten years, as many as 9 million high-quality jobs will be created to implement new energy…

A rapid decline in student retention among community colleges reduces revenue and jeopardizes financial sustainability, meaning leaders of community colleges who lack strategies to retain students have lower revenue and financial sustainability. Grounded in the advocacy and participatory worldview conceptual framework, the purpose of this…