Funding, accessibility remain on plate for '08
By GEORGE BOGGS, Published March 28, 2008

Despite the importance that community colleges play in the future of the country, the policy environment in which our colleges operate determines how effective they are. 

Based on current interests of policymakers, funding priorities of major foundations and discussions with college leaders, the most pressing policy issues affecting community colleges today include funding, access and student success, to name a few. (The priority given the following issues is my own, and I do not expect universal agreement.)

Funding is a top concern. Although state support for higher education increased in 2007, it has been in general decline for 20 years. Competition for state resources from Medicaid, corrections and public schools is projected to increase.  For-profit higher education and training institutions are more aggressively seeking a share of public education funding. 

The current economic downturn is already affecting education, with many states imposing mid-year funding cuts and projecting decreased education spending for 2009.  In higher education, community colleges are most susceptible to state funding cuts, despite facing increased enrollments.

Congress is considering legislation that would reward states that do not cut funding to higher education from one year to the next. But many state legislators and governors oppose the bill, arguing it would limit their flexibility.

Access to higher education is just as critical. It is a cornerstone of the community college movement. To preserve it, colleges strive to remain affordable and accessible. As two-year institutions struggle to maintain quality operations during periods of funding cuts and increased enrollments, tuition costs often go up, raising concerns about affordability. Rising tuition costs at universities and anti-affirmative action policies have prompted college students to consider community colleges, which has placed additional pressure on the institutions.  

To help the most financially at-risk students, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) continues to advocate for increased funding for need-based financial aid. AACC is working to modify federal educational tax credits that currently benefit primarily the wealthiest students who attend the most expensive universities.

We also must improve students’ success rates. College leaders are working to create a “culture of evidence” to measure course completion rates, graduation rates, transfer rates and other outcomes disaggregated by race, gender and whether the student is a first-generation college student or from a low-income family.

Colleges are also developing strategies to close achievement gaps and to improve success rates for all students. Many colleges now measure student engagement and benchmark against similar institutions. The Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count initiative is making remarkable progress in this area by helping colleges improve outcomes.

Access and students’ success are directly related to our country’s economic strength. As has been widely reported, there is a growing shortage of skilled workers in the U.S. We are facing shortages of teachers, nurses and STEM professionals (scientists, technicians, engineers and mathematicians)—and these shortages will only get worse unless we do a better job of increasing access to higher education and the success rates for students. 

As an extension of growing concerns regarding student success, community college leaders are increasingly engaged in efforts to improve transitions from high school to college and between community colleges and upper division universities. As many as 60 percent of students entering community colleges directly from high school are not prepared for college-level course work and must take at least one remedial class. Duplicative efforts not only cost students additional time and money, but also add to government costs.

Accountability has received renewed interest.  Congress’s proposals to rework the nation’s main higher education law would require colleges and universities to dramatically increase federal reporting. AACC is working to minimize these new proposed requirements and to ensure that they are applicable to community colleges and their students. (AACC plans to develop a voluntary accountability template for two-year colleges.)

In addition, immigration reform is on the table. The federal government has yet to provide immigration reform, leaving states to develop widely divergent policies, especially regarding educational benefits for children of undocumented immigrants. Although many of these children have been educated in U.S. public schools and consider themselves Americans, many states deny them the benefits provided to children of U.S. citizens. AACC has endorsed the DREAM Act, which would provide needed pathways to higher education and citizenship.

Campus safety and security also worry college leaders. In the wake of the tragedies at Virginia Tech, Northern Illinois University and the Baton Rouge Campus of Louisiana Technical College, college leaders are increasingly concerned about preventing such episodes and dealing with them should they occur. Community colleges have been proactive in this area. The Virginia Community College System recently completed a study and recommendations on campus security, and the Louisiana Community and Technical College System will soon release information about its quick and effective response to the Baton Rouge campus shootings.

Another issue facing community colleges is the significant turnover of faculty and leaders. While it is a challenge for us to prepare the next generation of leaders and faculty, it is also an opportunity to bring new enthusiasm and greater diversity to faculty and leadership positions. Through its Kellogg Foundation-funded Leading Forward initiative, AACC has worked to define leadership competencies and expanded leadership development opportunities. Such programs are now provided at many universities, state community college offices, AACC-affiliated councils, the League for Innovation in the Community College and individual colleges, as well as AACC’s own Future Leaders Institutes.

Finally, our colleges are examining how they affect the environment. An increasing number of college and university leaders are responding to concerns about environmental sustainability and renewable energy by developing educational programs and revising campus policies to minimize environmental effects. Efforts such as the Presidents’ Climate Commitment engage community college and university presidents to pool their resources and leverage. AACC has endorsed and is supporting many of these efforts, including a newly established sustainability affinity group of the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics.