This chapter examines institutionally funded free community college programs that address specific community workforce needs. Within the article, the authors showcase "Rediscover LCCC," a foundation-funded scholarship program at Laramie County Community College in Wyoming that pays students' tuition and fees for up to three years in…

Although there are many disagreements on the major causes of problems in the educational system in the United States, few would disagree that the importance of ensuring the success of our students is not only a moral obligation to our youth, but imperative to our national resilience. And, as a nation, we are responding to this urgent need. The…

With the rising popularity of personal mobile devices, from smartphones to tablets, an increasing number of colleges are asking students and teachers to bring their own technology to class. The so-called bring your own device, or BYOD, movement promises easier access to resources such as textbooks and educational services for students, and…

Nationwide, pass rates of developmental education students barely reach 60 percent, cutting short the promise of higher education for too many students. The authors believe that a national pass rate of 80 percent or better is possible; indeed, it is a national imperative. In this article, the authors describe an ongoing project that aims to…

The California Community Colleges Workforce and Economic Development program (WED program) helps students, incumbent workers, business partners and industries develop skilled competencies in critical industry sectors. As a source for developing and implementing training and curriculum, the WED program is instrumental in helping the community…

"Building Institutional Capacity for Data-Informed Decision Making" is the third installment of the Cutting Edge series, which aims to help colleges engage faculty, scale successful interventions, and create a strong culture of evidence through use of data to strengthen their institutional change and student success efforts. Though the…

A web-based formula-driven tool has been developed for the purpose of performing two distinct academic department budgeting functions: allocation funding to the department, and budget management by the department. The tool's major features are discussed and its uses demonstrated. The tool's advantages are presented. (Contains 10 figures.)

This chapter examines lessons learned by states that are using student unit record (SUR) data to improve outcomes for community college students and recommends steps states can take to strengthen their use of SUR databases to benefit students and communities. (Contains 1 exhibit.)

There is a growing population of young adults who are underserved by community colleges in the United States, students who are poorly prepared for college work and are at risk of poverty, social problems and failure to realize their full potential. Educational programs offered by community colleges represent this group's best hope of overcoming…

The authors discuss the joining of 12 Virginia community colleges from the Appalachian region of southwestern Virginia with Radford University to form the Regional Technology Education Consortium (RTEC), a three-year project funded by the National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education program and designed to develop articulation…

This article takes a closer look at emerging fields in the allied health arena. The relatively new field of Health Information Technology is one of the exciting prospects, surging with growth opportunities. These individuals are medical language experts who interpret, process, store and retrieve health information for research and data collection.…