This report describes and compares the demographic and academic characteristics of Fiscal Year (FY)92, FY93, FY94, FY95, and FY96 graduates of Howard Community College (HCC) in Maryland, and the respondents to graduate surveys. The purposes of these surveys were to collect data about the employment and educational experiences of alumni one year…

This collection contains nine essays, written by fellows in Princeton University's Mid-Career Fellowship Program, on contemporary issues facing community colleges. The essays included are "Language Minority Crossover Students: A Program to Address a New Challenge at Bergen Community College" (Brian Altano); "Retention Strategies for…

This study researched how the characteristics of higher learning institutions affect the persistence and learning of college students. The author examined the extent to which perceptions of students' academic, personal, and career development and their satisfaction with their educational experiences in the two-year college are related to measures…

California Tomorrow, a non-profit research organization that supports the development of a fair and inclusive multicultural society, conducted this study. The research sought to answer three questions: (1) What are the experiences of Latino, African American, Asian, Native American, white, and immigrant students in the community college system,…

This survey, in which students are asked to rank 49 items on a 5-point scale, was first introduced in spring 1991. A total of 784 students responded to the survey. Survey items addressed four primary areas: college services, instructional topics, campus environment/college activities, and student views of Howard Community College (Maryland),…

This volume of New Directions for Community Colleges features case studies of six prototypical urban community college systems and the challenges they face. The chapters provide guides for those interested in the unique mission of urban institutions: (1) "Urban America and the Community College Imperative: The Importance of Open Access and…

The position is taken in the article that the "School-to-Work" initiative not be too narrowly defined to vocational/technical institutions to the exclusion of two-year/community colleges. Examples of early efforts to initiate the program are cited that seem to indicate that such could be the case. The author cites the range of students…

Describes the successful University of North Texas Minority Teacher Recruitment Program's transitional experience for recruiting minority two-year college and high school students via a five-week, university-based summer session. Recommendations to colleges of education include promote forgivable loan programs; prioritize low student transfer…

Describes methods which have proven effective in motivating largely nontraditional and bilingual community college students to succeed. Suggests that teachers require writing, use graphs/illustrations creatively, use primary sources as required readings, provide supplementary readings, use brainstorming and quality circle techniques, and prepare…

Increasingly, less educated Americans are struggling with self-sufficiency. Low-end jobs are diminishing, and adults who left high school with education adequate to support themselves now find their marketable skills limited. Recent welfare reforms restrict assistance, leaving struggling workers with dwindling aid. Changing family structures…

Providing data on 1994-95 graduates and completers from Pima Community College (PCC), in Arizona, this report presents tables showing the number and percentage of associate degrees, technical and advanced certificates, and basic certificates by type; by instructional program; by ethnicity; and by gender. Six- and 10-year comparative data are also…

Today's model of education forces students to assimilate, to compete against each other, to think only in abstract complex ways, and to believe that cultural separation leads to academic power. For many minority and nontraditional students, this traditional model is inappropriate. It results in many first-generation students being told that they…

In spring 1988, Moraine Valley Community College (MVCC), in Palos Hills, Illinois, implemented "College Success," a course to increase student academic performance and improve college retention. Students in the course learned a variety of techniques to help them succeed in college, including note-taking skills, time management, memory…

In fall 1991, the faculty and staff of New Mexico State University-Alamogordo (NMSU-A) designed and implemented a strategic planning process which incorporates a comprehensive annual review of various aspects of student academic achievement (SAA). The faculty-based SAA assessment process includes activities focused on classroom instruction,…

Using statewide fall enrollment reporting systems, the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) generates a report each year showing fall-to-fall enrollment patterns of students among Maryland public colleges and universities, resulting in a "transfer matrix" that provides an indicator of transfer volume and destinations. At Prince…