A community survey was conducted by Allegany Community College (ACC) in July of 1976 with five objectives in mind: to provide the college Public Relations Office with basic information to assist it in reaching the community; to assist the college in evaluating effects of its promotional efforts in the community, and to try to determine opinion…

In this period of limited financial resources and educational manpower, community colleges can benefit from the application of strategic management techniques to determine how to use their resources most effectively while addressing community needs. At Delta College, this approach was adopted to assess community needs for agricultural programs and…

Market analysis can provide a mechanism for making needs assessment functional and for focusing program development on constituencies in the community that need to be served. The main goals of market analysis are to generate usable information, document needs, assign priorities, locate resources, and respond to identified needs in a systematic…

After an examination of societal currents leading up to the student revolution of the sixties, the author develops a theoretical concept of needs assessment. Assuming that effective needs assessment and program planning depends on the success of simulating the "needing" process of constituents, he divides community college clientele into…

In order to assess the felt needs and interests of the local population and business community relative to education and training, a survey was designed and implemented in the four-county area surrounding Waco, Texas. This volume, part one of a three part series documents the work done in developing and conducting the community needs assessment…

This document proposes specific changes in the California Education Code which would prescribe minimum standards for the formation of public community colleges. The Code regulations would define "college", require the assessment of local needs and preferences before the establishment of a new college, provide objectives for the formation…

Describes problems encountered by Bay Mills College (Michigan) in providing transfer-oriented prehealth programs for low income Native Americans. Suggests that the difficulties were caused by misjudging the needs of the community. Discusses a comprehensive survey underway of local professionals and residents to determine interest in health science…

In 1988, a survey was conducted to determine the feasibility of offering a new degree credit program in Small Business Management at William Rainey Harper College, in Illinois. All 3,170 former students who had taken a non-credit seminar in the Small Business Department in Continuing Education were surveyed regarding their interest in small…

Suggestions for improving community relationships necessary to the development of community colleges as a social and economic force are provided. The board of trustees' role in strengthening institutional programs, in considering the interests of the total community, and in solving school problems is reviewed. Citizen advisory committees are…

A study was conducted at William Rainey Harper College (WRHC) to determine the feasibility of establishing a new human services program with respect to employment potential and student demand for the program. A total of 113 youth service, residential care, community and family service organizations in the area were surveyed to establish a minimum…

In 1983, a study was conducted by Dawson Community College (DCC) to gather information for program development at off-campus sites in Sidney and Baker, Montana, and to evaluate the services provided by the main campus to the communities in the Dawson area. The study, conducted in all three geographic areas, involved surveys of: (1) high school…

Los Angeles Harbor College conducted a survey of Mexican-American residents in its prime service area in order to determine their educational interests and needs as perceived from their particular cultural perspective. The study aimed at ascertaining the extent of congruence between community-perceived needs and the needs identified by a core of…

A study was conducted at William Rainey Harper College (WRHC) to determine the feasibility of establishing a new human services program at the college by assessing the employment opportunities for graduates of the proposed program and the educational needs of persons already employed in the human services field. In 1981, questionnaires were mailed…

Eight feasibility studies, conducted since 1973, investigated the need for non-traditional approaches to two-year postsecondary education programs in areas of Pennsylvania not served by locally sponsored community colleges. The proposed institutions were modeled on a concept of "colleges without walls." This concept involves (1) using…

Colleges and their surrounding communities have a supplier/consumer relationship--in exchange for the use of tax-exempt land and tax-supported services, the college acts as a cultural and educational center that provides the community with social and economic benefits. However, in times of a declining economy, this symbiotic relationship is not…