o you believe in miracles? Do you cheer when a story ends in
"they lived happily ever after"? Or, do you think it is possible
for an institution to be "all things to all people"? If you
answered "yes", "maybe", or even "sometimes" to the questions
above, you are likely a promoter and a believer in the community
college system and the authors within this special edition of AEQ
have written their articles, essays, and research reports for you.
Allow me to become a bit autobiographical and explain my special
relationship to the community college and in so doing, make it
clear WHY I volunteered to perform this labor of love. Like most
Americans, I grew up in a home where money was not plentiful. I
wanted to go to college but did not understand the financial aid
system (the very idea of large loans sends waves of fear through
most first-generation college students and their families). Hence
my first association with the community college was as a young
student earning my liberal arts credits. My second association
with the community college soon followed as I elected to take an
additional course during the summer between my junior and senior
year while attending a 4-year liberal arts college . In taking
the course at the community college, I saved a great deal of
tuition money and used my summer to gain an academic edge.
Move the story ahead to a young woman, now equipped with a bachelor's
degree but disillusioned with the relatively few doors that the
coveted degree opened. I was educated, but not job-ready. The
solution of course, was a return to the community college. As a
reverse transfer student, I enrolled in a vocational program of
electronics technology and began my third association with the
community college - as a vocational education student.
My fourth association with the community college came a little later
when I was in need of a part-time job. I was hired to teach at the
same community college I attended as a student. My experiences, this
time on the other side of the desk, helped me to understand the
inner-workings of an institution as well as to deepen my appreciation
even further. A lifelong relationship was brewing and I knew it.
Indeed, my fifth association with the community college can only be
described as a continuing zest for lifelong learning. As an adult I
return to the community college periodically for enrichment and enjoyment.
I have taken adult education courses in Spanish, dancing, and parenting.
When in need of knowledge or recreation, the community college is there
to provide a service.
I am presently deeply involved in my sixth association with the community
college. As a professor of higher education at the University of Southern
California I elected to chair a doctoral-level program specifically
designed for community college teachers. In addition to teaching the
teachers, I perform research to discover ways to increase college access
as well as transfer and retention rates. Although my livelihood depends
on the university, my career remains deeply entrenched with community
colleges.
Indeed there is a seventh association with the community college.
Historically, the number seven has been used to signify perfection.
There are seven days in a week, Seven Wonders of the World, seven colors
in the rainbow, seven seas, and seven continents. The term "Seventh
Heaven", first used in a 1927 silent movie about a lonely Parisian sewer
worker who found pleasure and love with a street waif, is used frequently
to describe the ultimate in satisfaction. Aptly my seventh association
with the community college is being the subject editor of this special
issue of AEQ. It is my "seventh heaven" because I have been able to
gather articles pertaining to each of my associations with the community
college. For example:
1. Liberal Arts Education Ken Borland's Community Liberation via
the First Two Years' Curriculum makes an argument to promote
liberal education within the community college. Also, the
description of the Keystone Mathematics Project by Siadat, Musial,
and Sagher describes the important role of remediation within the
liberal arts curriculum.
2. Summer Sessioner The article by Consuelo Rey Castro and me is
a study of why four-year college students continue to return to
the community college in the summer.
3. Vocational Education Although Samuel Cotton's study does not
take place specifically in a community college, it addresses the
needs of vocational education.
4. Instruction The team of Cambiano, De Vore, and Denny offer a
study pertaining to learning style preference of adult students.
Secondly, the article by Deborah Bice also provides some insight
to the classroom. Technology and distance education and sure to
be a growing part of community college instruction. For that
reason, the study by Beverly Bower communitycollege student
satisfaction with the online and teleclass experience is timely
and welcomed.
5. Lifelong Learning Several of the articles in this edition
pertain to the on-going and complex role of the community college.
Specifically, Fran Newman's article on the role of student
services and Patrick Dilley's piece on diversity both speak to
the need to serve all students regardless of circumstance or
educational goal.
6. Professional The community college shares many aspects with
colleges in general. Thus, the research to increase retention is
largely applicable. Thus it is important to be mindful of studies
such as that presented by the team of Donald Lifton, Sandra Seay,
and Andrew Bushko. Their study on student "hardiness" should be
taken seriously by both the community college and the four-year
college research community.
7. Seventh Heaven Finally there are articles in this edition that
attest to the many faces of the community college. If you ever
wondered about the community colleges of Hawaii, you now have a
wonderful description written by Teresa Makuakane-Drechsel and
Gail Makuakane-Lundin. Berta Virgil Laden describes and studies
the successful community-college based program, Puente, dedicated
to assist students to obtain postsecondary education. Lynn Pierce
describes service learning at her institution. In addition, we
hear from the research team of Charles Outcalt, Barbara Tobolowsky,
and Patricia McDonough who examine the educational pathways
specifically for African American and Latino students. Finally,
Athena Perrakis sums it up by giving voice to her community college
students.
As you read through these articles and the others included in this special
edition, I urge you to consider the enormous role of the community college
in American society in general and in your own life in specific. In
closing allow me to remind you that as an institution the community college
is very young. The first college, Joliet Junior College, was established
in 1901. In its first century of existence, the concept has become an
American mainstay. Today community colleges enroll about a third of all
college students and serve over 60% of the nation's first and second year
college students. The community college has been called the "Ellis Island
of Higher Education" because of its service to new entrants to the system.
I invite you to continue the tradition of The Many Faces of the Community
College by writing of your own experiences (both positive and negative)
and submitting them to AE Extra (AEQ's online counterpart) for online
publication. Entries should be sent to the editor of AE Extra:
Athena Perrakis. It is your turn to speak out!
Linda Serra Hagedorn, Ph.D
Subject Editor