The rapid pace of technological change is revolutionizing every sector of the economy, transforming how value is created and delivered to consumers through technologies like robotics, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things. This transformation underscores the need for a diverse workforce as the new skills valued and…

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…

When Arthur Cohen launched "New Directions for Community Colleges" ("NDCC") in 1973, the focus was on sharing updates and practical advice for those leading and working in community colleges. At the time, scant attention was given to these institutions as most research centered on 4-year colleges and universities. The context…

Since their initial development in the early 1900s, and their rapid growth in the 1960s, community colleges have had a history of shifting focuses and programming, retooling academic offerings, and otherwise altering their behavior to meet the ever-changing needs of their communities. Despite this defining characteristic as a sector of change, not…

This chapter describes how Clark State Community College used its TAACCCT grant in manufacturing to help drive organizational changes in the college to better serve local workforce needs.

Boards of trustees provide the policy, strategy, and accountability that set the direction for community colleges, all while being accountable to the states, regions, districts, and local areas they serve. One of those particular mission areas of community colleges is the preparation of the workforce to meet the needs of local economies and the…

In this chapter, we discuss how the workforce development mission has evolved over the past 10 years, how the mission plays out at community colleges today, what it may look like in the future, and questions that need to be considered.

This chapter describes and documents anticipated areas of federal community college advocacy. Changes in Congressional behavior are described with specific illustrations of federal legislation, specifically the Higher Education Act. Discussion on the role of the college president and CEO in advocacy focuses on the role of the president and the…

This chapter describes the development of an applied research center at Atlantic Cape Community College and a statewide workforce training consortium run by the community college sector in New Jersey. Their contributions to the economic development mission of the colleges as well as their impact on the perception of community colleges by…

An important aspect of the community college mission is to educate working adults including those without a high school diploma or its equivalent. Three important changes are forcing community colleges to reevaluate how these services and activities are delivered as well as policies that govern this critical work. These shifts provide a new…

In the first chapter of this sourcebook, one of the scenarios presented for the future urban community college was that of a "workforce development college." In this scenario, the college of the future is the primary provider of a highly educated and talented community workforce in alignment with regional employment and economic…

The acceptance of community college applied and workforce baccalaureates (AWB) degrees by university graduate level programs has not been adequately vetted by academics and policymakers. Over the past decade and a half, the primary motivation for offering community college baccalaureate degrees was to fulfill unmet needs in the local workforce and…

Looking beyond institutional strategies, the National Commission on Adult Literacy (2008) called for legislation that would make workforce preparation the primary goal of adult education, including addressing education for unemployed and lower-skilled workers, and other adult groups historically underserved by higher education. Further, state…

This chapter identifies some of the challenges facing the applied and workforce baccalaureate. The authors believe that it is important to discuss potential challenges regarding mission, institutional identity, and faculty for college leaders, practitioners, and policy makers to address when seeking to create or maintain applied and workforce…

For the past 45 years, New Jersey community colleges have helped thousands of students pursue higher education to gain skills, earn college credentials, and better their lives. Today, New Jersey's 19 community colleges enroll over 400,000 students across 70 campuses, fulfilling community colleges' traditional core mission: granting access to…