Three New Reports Tout Community College Revitalization

The Center for American Progess, a progressive Washington think tank organization, has just released the following three studies which detail how community colleges can help lead postsecondary education and aid American workforce development for the 21st century.

Re-imagining Community Colleges in the 21st Century: A Student-Centered Approach to Higher Education
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/12/pdf/community_colleges_reimagined.pdf

Strong Students, Strong Workers. Models for Student Success through Workforce Development and. Community College Partnerships
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/12/pdf/strong_students.pdf

Training Tomorrow's Workforce. Community College and Apprenticeship as Collaborative Routes to Rewarding Careers
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/12/pdf/apprenticeship_exec_summ.pdf

Helping Adult Students Succeed

More adults will need to enroll in college for the United States to meet President Obama's goal of having the world's largest share of college graduates by 2020, government officials and higher-education experts said at a panel discussion on Capitol Hill earlier this week.
http://chronicle.com/article/To-Reach-Obamas-2020-Goal/63646/
(Note: The link provided requires Brookdale Community College affiliated authentication for access from off-campus.)


Janice Hadfield, dean of undergraduate studies at Doane College, gives her advice on addressing some of the less obvious needs of adult students. She offers these tips for keeping adult learners enrolled, engaged, and academically successful.
http://www.academicimpressions.com/newsCMS.php?i=43&q=4664p125996bU

President Obama Mentions the Importance of Community Colleges in His State of the Union Address

"...When we renew the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, we will work with Congress to expand these reforms to all fifty states. Still, in this economy, a high school diploma no longer guarantees a good job. I urge the Senate to follow the House and pass a bill that will revitalize our community colleges, which are a career pathway to the children of so many working families. To make college more affordable, this bill will finally end the unwarranted taxpayer-subsidies that go to banks for student loans. Instead, let’s take that money and give families a $10,000 tax credit for four years of college and increase Pell Grants. And let’s tell another one million students that when they graduate, they will be required to pay only ten percent of their income on student loans, and all of their debt will be forgiven after twenty years – and forgiven after ten years if they choose a career in public service. Because in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they chose to go to college. And it’s time for colleges and universities to get serious about cutting their own costs – because they too have a responsibility to help solve this problem..."

To read the full text of the State of the Union see:
 http://thedemocraticdaily.com/2010/01/28/text-of-president-obamas-state-of-the-union-address/

A Vision of Students Today

Dubbed "the explainer" by Wired magazine, Dr. Michael Wesch of Kansas State University is a cultural anthropologist exploring the impact of new media on society and culture.  After two years studying the impact of writing on a remote indigenous culture in the rain forest of Papua New Guinea, he has turned his attention to the effects of social media and digital technology on global society. His videos on technology, education, and information have been viewed by millions, translated in over ten languages, and are frequently featured at international film festivals and major academic conferences worldwide.  Here he focuses his attention on what it means to be an undergraduate student today.
View A Vision of Students Today

Two Year Schools and Four Year Degrees-- A Popular Topic

The Bankier Library recently purchased two copies of the book, The Community College Baccalaureate : Emerging Trends and Policy Issues.  Evidently it must be a good resource, both copies were checked out and are now overdue.  Attached is the library link for this book with its table of contents.  Hopefully, whoever has them will make some strategic notes or photocopies and return these copies to give someone else a chance!

http://library.brookdalecc.edu/record=b1122318~S0