Previous studies identified student-specific and institutional factors that impact community college student retention. However, few studies have examined associations between commodity prices and community college student retention. Guided by rational choice theory, we examine the relationship between annual, state-level gasoline prices and…

In this paper, we report the description and evaluation of an annual workshop titled "Capacity Building Workshops for Competitive S-STEM Proposals from Two-Year Colleges in the Western U.S." which was offered in June of 2019, 2020, and 2021 with the goal of facilitating submissions to the NSF S-STEM program from 2-year colleges (2YCs).…

To sustain the higher education industry and address U.S. economic downturns, researchers must prioritize research on undergraduates aged 24 or above -- contemporary students. This empirical study finds contemporary students have lower chances of attaining degrees--"any degrees"--than their younger peers. Using nationally representative…

Two decades of growth in dual enrollment, also accelerated during the COVID pandemic, demands attention to equal opportunities available in rural areas. We use the IPEDS database to explore geographic equality of dual enrollment availability offered by two-year public postsecondary institutions in rural America. Shifts in economies and demographic…

The purpose of this article is to provide a blueprint to conduct equity case studies in rural community colleges. Informed by our field work experiences applying case study design and equity-minded frameworks, this blueprint involves four distinct steps: (1) identifying rural community colleges in North Carolina; (2) operationalizing equity in…

Although United States community college enrollment rose in Fall 2023, the community college sector as a whole has contracted by 37% since 2010, representing over 2.6 million students. As a result, community college practitioners, specifically, those working in admissions and enrollment management should ensure that admissions instructions are…

In 2011, North Carolina implemented a tiered funding model for community colleges in an attempt to address program cost differentiation. In 2014, the funding model changed from a three-tiered model to a four-tiered model with additional funds for courses that address skills gaps and lead to higher-wage jobs. The purpose of this study was to…

With the growing diversity of the population in the United States, it is becoming increasingly important to teach students about issues related to diversity. This is especially true in the community college where a large, and diverse, number of students enter postsecondary education. This study employed a descriptive design of the catalogs of 145…

This multi-sited case study explored Men of Color (MoC) programs at Hispanic-serving community colleges. By employing frameworks designed to make meaning of Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) organizational identity, we examined how MoC program practitioners define the organizational identity of their Hispanic-serving community college, and how…

This paper provides an introductory examination of a unique niche in higher education: Military Community Colleges. Through an overview that highlights the characteristics of the four military community colleges, it discusses the benefits of attending military community colleges and provides implications for practice, policy, and research; this…

Based on the shift in higher education from providing access to improving student outcomes, the purpose of this study was to examine institutional conditions community college students perceived as contributing to success in terms of identifying and making progress toward or achieving their educational goals. Institutional conditions were…

Dual enrollment, especially at community colleges, has experienced rapid growth in the recent past, which contrasts with declining enrollment of many other student groups. However, there is a dearth of national evidence to demonstrate if institutions are converting dual enrollment students into regular enrollments after high school graduation. We…

Two-year public colleges serve roughly one-third of undergraduate students in the United States, and, like other types of colleges across the country, they face shifting population demographics. Additionally, completion rates at two-year institutions have received political and scholarly attention within states and across the nation in recent…

Using cross-institutional survey data from 407 first-year college students, differences in information literacy preparation and academic library experiences between community college students and students at four-year institutions are examined. Results show that first-year community college students are more likely to be novice library users,…

U.S. rural community colleges serve approximately 3.4 million students, yet there is very little research on these institutions. We conducted a mulitple case study to develop a typology of rural community college locations. We gathered and analyzed publicly available data (n = 25) and private institutional data (n = 6) and conducted in-person…