Retention and student graduation rates are a major concern for community colleges nationwide. As student dropout rates continue to climb and graduation figures languish, many studies have been conducted to investigate the causes of student attrition. Numerous reports have found faculty advising to be a contributing factor in student retention,…

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.

The site of this study is a community college in Southwestern Pennsylvania where a two-fold problem exists: The administration increased class size in online courses with no faculty input, and the current collective bargaining between the union faculty and the college administration does not address online teaching as separate from teaching in the…

Carroll Community College connects students to their peers and to educators who share similar academic, personal, and career interests. Students get involved in hands-on experiences inside and outside of the classroom. The results include higher retention, reduced student anonymity, and an institutional commitment to student success.

The Geospatial Applications Program at the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC), located five miles west of downtown Baltimore, Maryland, provides comprehensive instruction in geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing and global positioning systems (GPS). Geospatial techniques, which include computer-based mapping and remote…

Warns that using part-time faculty without an adequate support program may be damaging to a community college's reputation and institutional integrity. Lists ten special provisions administrators have found effective in working with part-time faculty, including inservice training with release time, instructional support staff, handbooks, staff…

Outlines the principal features of the Public Community College Act providing statutory tenure for faculty members in community college districts in Illnois after three consecutive years of satisfactory service. Briefly summarizes the responses to the bill of the governor and community college faculty members. (AYC)

Argues that staff development should be integrated with organizational development in order to effect lasting change. Feels that staff development programs that focus only on ability as a determinant of performance, that target only the individual, and that ignore the internal climate and external environment of the institution cannot succeed.…

Examines the role and apprehension levels of faculty in institutional governance, presenting findings from a survey of 201 community colleges. Finds that males continue to dominate faculty governance bodies, that communication apprehension levels are moderate, and the female leaders tend to have a more process-oriented perspective on work. (NB)

Collective bargaining is a bilateral decision-making process where representatives of the faculty and of the college must come to some mutual agreement on items that are listed in the body of the contract. Typically, the adversarial or competitive bargaining approach is used to resolve differences between the two sides, but there are some mutually…

Most people do not associate community colleges with the terms "scholarship" and "research." One reason is that the mission statements of community colleges rarely include these terms when discussing teaching excellence. Another is that most people within higher education still hold the antiquated view that scholarship is simply research leading…

Discusses collective bargaining within a broader political and economic context. Addresses some of the fears that faculty had about the advent of collective bargaining in higher education. Describes the experimental negotiations process used by Carl Sandburg College (Illinois). (DMM)

Examines recent research evaluating collective bargaining in relation to the learning environment. Considers the impact of work stoppages on students; faculty attitudes toward institutions; differences between institutions with and without collective bargaining; governance issues; student influence; and educational quality. Concludes that…

All available 1970-71 higher education collective bargaining contracts (46) and a 20-percent sample of 1979-80 contracts (88) were examined using key word and context analysis to identify significant concepts. Contracts from all regions, bargaining agents, and types of institutions are included in the study. (MLF)

When part-time or adjunct faculty have been on the same campus for 10 years or when they teach several sections per semester, they are not rendering partial service. All institutions of higher education owe much of their success to these adjunct instructors who can provide students with experience that links education to the workplace and make up…