This study explores the factors, attributes, and commitment that contribute to African American adult student success, retention, and completion in the community college environment. This study explores what factors contribute to African American student retention as opposed to those factors that serve as deficit; literature abounds with reasoning…

Background/Context: As of 2018, a total of 19 states allow at least one community college to offer baccalaureate degrees. Previous researchers have suggested that community college baccalaureate (CCB) adoption will lead to a host of unintended consequences, including decreases in associate degree production. Purpose/Objective/Research…

This chapter describes a long-term successful transfer partnership between Pikes Peak Community College (PPCC) and the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs (UCCS). The Best Choices program provides clearly defined pathways for students planning on transferring from PPCC to UCCS, including overall transfer plans that extend from start to finish.

This chapter makes the case for the urgency to address the racial transfer gap that pervades the vertical transfer function involving community colleges and universities. Lessons from research on high-performing transfer partnerships lay a foundation for transfer policies and practices described in other chapters in this volume of New Directions…

Background: In North America, upwards of 59% of postsecondary students experience food insecurity and there has been little study of students attending community college. The goal of this was to find out the prevalence of food insecurity among a largely international cohort of students attending a community college in Toronto, Canada. Methods:…

In this paper, we offer a philosophical argument explaining why and how community college leaders may support the adoption and implementation of campus climate action plans. Our argument is based on the community college philosophical commitment to service (to the community, the state, and the nation) and the challenges posed by climate change and…

Community colleges face difficulty finding qualified presidents in the face of retirements and decreased tenure in the role. While leadership in higher education continues to be researched, there has been a lack of understanding of the connection of community college presidents' leadership to the organizational culture of their colleges. This…

Research into digital isolation has primarily focused on the perceptions of four-year university students. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perceptions of online adult learners toward digital isolation within a California community college. The problem explored in this research is how online education programs…

The first wave of Tennessee Promise students arrived in Fall 2015, when 13,287 Promise students enrolled at community colleges. By Fall 2017, after five semesters of eligibility, 21.5% of these students had graduated, compared to 13.8% of students from the pre-Promise 2014 cohort. The second cohort of Tennessee Promise students enrolled at…

Community college transfer pathways, whereby students begin their postsecondary enrollment at a 2-year institution, are an increasingly popular option for students looking to complete a bachelor's degree. Designed to increase transfer efficiency, articulation agreements between community colleges and 4-year institutions provide structured pathways…

This quantitative study was designed to explore the factors that most impact the job satisfaction of community college deans in one North Texas district. Quantitative data was collected to compare results among deans with titles ranging from dean, assistant dean, associate dean and executive dean. The Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) was…

The California Community Colleges (CCC) system has adopted an equity-imperative approach to systemic reforms. As part of this effort, and to meet the state's workforce demands of the future, the system has focused on better serving the needs of adult learners, those between the ages of 25 and 64 with some college but no degree. The current impact…

Student success has been a prevalent topic among the nation's community colleges. Guided pathways and its four pillars are part of the community college effort to enhance student success. The California community college system is host to many preparatory athletic training programs which also serve as Sports Medicine Preparation Pathways (SMPPs).…

Community colleges in the United States continue to face financial difficulties related to declining enrollment numbers and lower levels of public funding when compared to four-year institutions. Previous scholars have suggested that community colleges may respond to these financial challenges by increasing their commitment to online education. In…

The video essay is an opportunity for students to record their words and combine other visual elements to complete the typical requirements of a standard written paper. Applicable across disciplines and pedagogically aligned with an honors ethos of self-directed learning, video essays allow for individual and collaborative forms of expression…