ERIC Number: EJ999547
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 6
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1067-1803
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Capital Improvements
Woods, Bob
Community College Journal, v83 n1 p32-37 Aug-Sep 2012
The two campuses that make up the West Valley-Mission Community College District (WVMCCD) in northern California's Santa Clara County share a history typical of many community colleges across the country. Its buildings were constructed in the 1960s and '70s, and like many public structures of that vintage, today they bear the ravages of time--in need of routine maintenance and, in many cases, extensive renovations or even complete replacement. Finding money and support for massive public infrastructure upgrades is never easy. It is especially difficult in the shadow of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. A lack of funding has forced governments at every level to make tough choices, cutting capital spending for everything from highways to bridges to municipal buildings, and in particular the types of infrastructure upgrades most needed by the nation's community colleges. Community college administrators nationwide are grappling with the dilemma of providing 21st-century education and job training in aging classrooms, laboratories, lecture halls, technical centers, and other facilities, with scant state and local funds to pay for upgrades. As pressure mounts on the nation's two-year career and technical colleges to boost completion rates and resuscitate local economies through improved job training, the situation will likely get worse before it gets better. The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) estimates that community colleges currently face $100 billion in unmet infrastructure needs. Faced with a daunting $100 billion infrastructure backlog, colleges find creative ways to finance essential infrastructure projects.
Descriptors: Technical Institutes, Community Colleges, Educational Facilities Improvement, Construction Needs, Economic Impact, Financial Problems, Educational Finance, Educational Facilities Planning, Financial Needs
American Association of Community Colleges. One Dupont Circle NW Suite 410, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 202-728-0200; Fax: 202-833-2467; Web site: http://www.aacc.nche.edu/bookstore
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Postsecondary Education; Two Year Colleges
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A