The American democracy is experiencing strain from the erosion of democratic norms and its political, judicial, social, and economic institutions. In short, the American democracy shows signs of democratic deconsolidation. Community colleges are higher education institutions that help consolidate the U.S. democracy by representing democratic…

Two year colleges are often characterized as America's "democracy colleges" implying a difficult to implement dual mission of democratizing education for all, and advancing the democratic purpose of civic engagement. Although such goals may be explicit in a college's mission statement, how faculty or their deans receive that mission is…

This chapter examines how the work of community colleges relates to the democratic work that citizens must do and makes the case for better alignment between the two.

This narrative inquiry brings together a re-emerging interest in the civic mission of higher education and inquiry about individual civic identity development, with a lens focused on the currently underrepresented voices of community college students. The purpose of this study is to increase our understanding of the meaning that community college…

This chapter describes the cocurricular activities offered through The Democracy Commitment at Allegany College of Maryland and the impact of these civic experiences on its students.

This chapter describes a diversity and democracy curriculum and faculty development collaboration among the Association of American Colleges and Universities, The Democracy Commitment, and 10 community colleges.

With the presidential election just one month away, and contention between Democrats and Republicans at near stratospheric levels, now is the opportune time to engage community college students in the democratic process. While encouraging students to vote is important, effective civic engagement goes well beyond the ballot box; it requires a…

This article examines the extent of neoliberalism's influence within US community colleges during the last decade. It argues that such influence is changing non-profit, publicly funded community colleges into consumer colleges, serving the needs of corporations and "customers" at the expense of civic responsibility. Educating 46% of all…

In the aftermath of any disaster, natural or otherwise, stories of men and women reaching out to help one another abound. Whether it's the courage and training of first responders--police officers and firefighters--that leads to the rescue of a marooned family, the expert work of doctors and nurses that saves a life on the operating table, or the…

Service learning integrates academic learning and relevant community service with classroom instruction, focusing on critical, reflective thinking and personal civic responsibility. Through a grant, community college students were provided with grocery store vouchers to purchase unfamiliar, healthy foods. Students were taken on an educational…

The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) defines service learning as the combination of classroom instruction with community service, focusing on critical, reflective thinking as well as personal and civic responsibility. Service learning programs involve students in activities that address local, community-identified needs while…

The issue of civility has become a major topic of discussion on college campuses throughout the country, attracting media attention nationwide. In this illuminating book, civility scholar Judy Rookstool tackles the issue for the community college audience, bringing both her research and classroom experience to bear. She offers a definition of…

The purpose of the current study is to explore the effects of community service work and community involvement on perceptions of self-entitlement--expectations of others to do things for oneself--among undergraduate students. Over the course of a 16-week semester, 26 randomly selected subjects (20 community college psychology students and six…

Since their inception, colleges and universities in the United States have been responsible for developing both knowledge and character in their students. In fact, the goal of higher education is not only to prepare students for productive careers, "but also to enable them to live lives of dignity and purpose; not only to generate new…

This article presents an excerpt from the book "Reflections of Engagement." The book is a tribute to the thousands of individuals, who have participated in service learning programs, and a challenge to all individuals in making their communities a better place to live. This article presents the reflections of students and faculty on the…