Purpose: American Community colleges are vital to the country's economic mobility and are leaders in developing and facilitating career, technical, and workforce education. This study explored employer perspectives on employees' common and specialized skills across industries in the United States. Design/methodology/approach: Employers were…

This study examined the experiences of faculty members who transitioned into the role of department chair at community colleges in the United States. While there is research on faculty transitioning into department chair roles at four-year colleges and universities, there is very little research on this transition within community college…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore the perception of community college women leaders on what formal and informal institutional structures exist within community colleges and how these structures support women aspiring to undertake leadership positions in community colleges in the Midwest. The theoretical foundation…

The purpose of this multicase study was to investigate and understand how institutional agents foster a culturally engaging campus environment to facilitate completion for Latinx students at federally designated Hispanic-serving community colleges in New Jersey. This multicase study focused on institutional agents at two New Jersey community…

Financial aid promotes and supports students' access to and success in higher education. This is especially true at community colleges. Whether students are seeking job training, a certificate or an associate degree, many rely on consistent and meaningful sources of financial support to advance their educational aspirations. Without these…

There are nearly 1.7 million single-mother students who make up a substantial portion of the undergraduate student population. Only 8% of single-mother students graduate with a degree or certificate within 6 years of enrollment. There are multiple factors identified in the literature that contribute to low success and persistence rates. Factors…

Due to institutional and systemic barriers, few BIPOC students transfer from community colleges to 4-year institutions with aspirations to attain a STEM degree. This descriptive case study utilizes the community cultural wealth framework, funds of knowledge, and the role institutional agents play during and after the transfer and transition…

The purpose of this research is to acknowledge what California Community Colleges are/are not doing in regards to poor transfer outcomes to bolster bachelor's degree attainment, especially for underrepresented minorities (URM) and Black indigenous people of color (BIPOC) students. The California Community College system entices students with low…

The need for STEM transfer students from low-income backgrounds to complete bachelor's degrees is a pressing issue. A substantial portion of those students start their educational journey at 2-year colleges. The lack of transfer and completion of these STEM students is deeply rooted in systemic and structural barriers, which leads to many students…

Advanced Technological Education is distinct from typical National Science Foundation programs in that it is essentially a training--not research--program, and most grantees are located at technical and two-year colleges. This article presents empirical data on the status of research in the program, discusses the program's role in supporting NSF's…

This capstone research focuses on adjunct faculty satisfaction from the faculty and administrator perspectives. This study examines the current state of adjunct faculty satisfaction at a large South Carolina technical college. The purpose of this research is to determine which institutional supports and resources adjunct faculty and college…

As community colleges seek new revenue streams, philanthropic organizations, including college foundations and private funders, have already begun to influence both revenues and college programming. This chapter discusses the current role of philanthropy, especially private foundations such as the Lumina Foundation for Education and the Bill and…

When the 10 members of the American Association of Community College's (AACC's) 21st-Century Implementation Team 7 (nine of whom are community college presidents) sat down in 2013 to talk about reforming institutional roles and functions at the nation's two-year career and technical colleges, everyone in the room knew the work before them would be…

Since the 1990s, federal programs for workforce training have aimed to transform the role of community colleges from narrow contract training to a broader role that encompasses strategic instructional program planning and innovation to support lifelong learning for a changing workforce and economic development (Jacobs & Teahen, 1996). Yet, to…

This study demonstrates that institutional agents at the community college make a significant difference in the lives of students by supporting them during the transfer process. This study brings a critical perspective to the education field by giving a voice to institutional agents at the community college level. Utilizing the social capital…