Are We Doing Enough? COVID Responses from Urban and Rural Community Colleges

Urban community colleges have been studied primarily from a case study perspective, often highlighted by doctoral students conducting research at their institutions. Little of this scholarship, however, has been translated into the base of literature, as less than 5% of the citations in the largest search engines are focused on urban community colleges. The article begins by exploring what “urban” means, primarily using the complex and evolving definition from the US Census Bureau. Then it explores this case study research on urban community colleges' mission, organization, students, and faculty. The article concludes with a strong recommendation for identifying and making available rigorous data to guide a more systematic approach to studying urban community colleges.

Section: Facultymentioning

confidence: 99%

The urban community college: An overview

Smith,

Miller

2023

“…There is an opportunity to integrate non‐degree credentials into dual enrollment programs to identify and monitor student success checkpoints. Programs delivered to youth in urban settings should be well supported with wraparound services that create a seamless transition from high school to college to career (D'Amico et al., 2022). Utilize noncredit credentials as a bridge between workforce and academic programs—Noncredit programs represent an ideal on‐ramp for new students or returning adult students at the urban community college.…”

Section: Emerging Opportunities For Urban Community Collegesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urban community college pathways and partnerships: Modern workforce development, dual enrollment, and non‐degree credential programs

Deggs,

Flores

2023

Urban community colleges fulfill a critical role in metropolitan areas. These institutions are often large by design, with campuses in various communities and neighborhoods so that the institution may fulfill its open access mission across a metropolitan area. This article addresses three emerging initiatives that enable the urban community college to fulfill its open‐access mission—modern workforce development, dual enrollment, and non‐degree credential programs. While these programs or initiatives may seem separately unique and even siloed, they are essential pieces of a comprehensive strategy that the modern urban community college should implement to ensure open access to a diverse population of students while simultaneously addressing critical business and industry needs. Careful design and management of these programs are essential to fulfilling the urban community college's evolving mission in modern society.

“…Marked by lower tuition, open enrollment, and differentiated mission (vocational training, transfer preparation, and basic skills instruction) (Cohen & Brawer, 2003; Stevens et al., 2019), community colleges provide on‐ramps to postsecondary education and gainful employment for many individuals (Baber et al., 2019). Whether in spite of or because of the broad swath of students, programs, contexts, and roles they serve, the influence and potential of community colleges is clear; they educate nearly 40% of all US undergraduates (American Association of Community Colleges [AACC], 2022) and are home to the majority of marginalized students (e.g., students of color) who are enrolled in public postsecondary education (D'Amico et al., 2022; Wood & Newman, 2017). While community colleges are often populated with the largest and most vulnerable populations, the institutions are often plagued with issues of transfer barriers to success (Glynn, 2019; Goldrick‐Rab, 2010), inconsistent enrollment (McKinney et al., 2022), disproportionate placement of marginalized groups in below‐basic courses (Chen, 2016) and a host of other issues.…”

Section: Community Collegesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Governing towards democracy: Challenges and opportunities of trustees at urban community colleges

Rall

2023

The goal of this article is to enhance understanding and appreciation of the current and potential role of trustees in urban community colleges. In working to make sure students are successful, trustees face numerous challenges in implementing high‐impact policies and practices that center student success. This article establishes a node connecting an understudied topic (governance), and an understudied group (trustees), within an oft‐forgotten context (community colleges). The focus is on the influential role that urban community colleges play in serving educationally, economically, and ethnically marginalized populations and how the trustees must necessarily govern with these groups in mind.