There tends to be a belief that community colleges are focused on the needs of their immediate communities. However, employers everywhere are looking for a more globally competent workforce. Even if that means to be an informed citizen who can help solve complex problems is changing, with challenges such as climate change or the coronavirus…

Describes the Career Transcript System (CTS), which keeps up-to-date and verifiable records of students' accomplishments. Asserts that CTS facilitates information exchange among schools, employers, and colleagues. States that the system was implemented after the Secretary of Labors' Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) defined what…

Describes Seattle Central Community College's Coordinated Studies Program (CSP)--a thematic, team-taught, and interdisciplinary set of humanities and social science courses taught as a single course. Compares CSP students' outcomes with the academic performance and persistence of other students, revealing the benefits of CSP's peer and teacher…

Discusses the service learning program developed by Albuquerque Technical Vocational Institute (TVI) that strives to provide opportunities for TVI students to immerse themselves in the middle school world and provide mentorships and learning opportunities for fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth graders. Also reports on the planning and…

Reports on Miami-Dade Community College's experience with service learning and the "America Reads" program, which have proven to be effective and important ways to help fulfill higher education's commitment to community building, scholarship, and civic responsibility. Outlines some of the keys to success in building a successful service…

Asserts that there is a need to provide students with an array of life skills, including the ability to be productive citizens contributing to the good of one's community. Examines the nature of ethics education in a college curriculum--the justification, other than pragmatism, for providing this kind of education; ways of providing ethics…

Describes the development of "One America" at Glendale Community College (California), a program involving student project coordinators who work on specific issue areas and coordinate a series of presentations and workshops. The program identified five areas of concern: diversity, HIV/AIDS, women's issues, gay and lesbian issues, and…

Defines community service, which involves unpaid work to improve the community, and service learning, which blends academic study and community service. Offers a rationale for service learning at community colleges. Explains how to start a service learning program, document students' community involvement, and obtain funding. Discusses…

Reports on the service learning program developed by Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC) and The Peabody School in Virginia to expose children to philosophy. Linked by service learning, students from PVCC and Peabody gather for discussions about democracy, compassion, and responsibility and participate in community service activities with…

Argues for the importance of systematically studying the effects of community colleges on students. Research findings are reported on the following effects: attaining a bachelor's degree, labor market returns, economic returns, and developmental impact. Concludes that community colleges may be fostering student talent with the same degree of…

Argues that quality of life is a vital measure when counseling students to determine their best educational pathways to success. Explains that a student's current life status and his/her projected future are useful tools for making recommendations for development and for instilling motivation. Urges college personnel to actively engage students in…

Recounts the growth of service learning programs in community colleges nationwide and discusses their impact on student learning and real-world application, where there are clearly demonstrated connections between service and academic concepts. Examines the benefits of service learning, challenges to implementation, impact on the community, and…