At state and institutional levels, leaders are discussing and enacting policy changes that could shape the future of higher education for decades-especially public higher education. But when citizens talk about the mission of higher education today, their conversations are different from those of policymakers. How do their values and concerns…

The American Association of Community Colleges' (AACC) Plus 50 Initiative is a three-year initiative launched in June 2008 and funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies. It was created to support a pilot group of two-year institutions to develop or expand campus programs that engage plus 50 learners. The initiative focuses on three types of…

A study of rural community colleges in Minnesota and Michigan was conducted to determine to what extent the colleges were fulfilling their stated purposes, whether Minnesota's centralized state community college system is as responsive to community needs as Michigan's decentralized system, and the major criteria identified by community college…

The Educational Training Academy (EdTrAc) is an NSF-funded project of Normandale Community College to increase the number, diversity, and skills of students preparing to be elementary and middle school teachers with a specialty in math and science. Overall, this evaluation indicates that the EdTrAc implementation is on track after its first year…

A study was conducted of participants in employer- and employee-initiated customized training (CT) provided by the Minnesota Technical Colleges to profile their employment backgrounds, education and training experiences, and reasons for participation. The study was based on a random sample of 2,309 customized training participants enrolled in 1 of…

The research methods, procedures, and data for determining the impact of 10 fine arts institutions on the Minneapolis-St. Paul economy (1978) are outlined. A 30-equation model was used to identify a variety of effects on local businesses, government, and individuals. Researchers examined internal records of the 10 institutions as well as local,…

A study examined the educational and employment activities of members of Minnesota's high school class of 1988. Data regarding 15,232 students (14,151 graduates, 503 dropouts, and 578 students school leavers not classified as dropouts) were collected from 87 high schools participating in the Minnesota Secondary School Follow-up System and from 966…

A study examined the educational and employment activities of members of Minnesota's high school class of 1989. Data regarding 14,636 students (14,024 graduates, 324 dropouts, and 288 students school leavers not classified as dropouts) were collected from 97 high schools participating in the Minnesota Secondary School Follow-up System and from 853…

A study examined the educational and employment activities of members of Minnesota's high school class of 1990. Data regarding 12,458 students (11,814 graduates, 356 dropouts, and 288 students school leavers not classified as dropouts) were collected from 90 high schools participating in the Minnesota Secondary School Follow-up System and from 926…

A study examined the educational and employment activities of members of Minnesota's high school class of 1991. Data regarding 12,270 students (11,674 graduates, 218 dropouts, and 378 students school leavers not classified as dropouts) were collected from 107 high schools participating in the Minnesota Secondary School Follow-up System and from…

In 1977 approximately 17% of Minnesota's population aged 16 and over (478,000 people) felt that they definitely needed more job-related training in the next year. Another 9% felt that they perhaps needed more training. Of those indicating training interest, 40% were interested enough to pay a non-refundable course fee; 85% were willing to read…