Term Paper on "Are Community Colleges in North Carolina Fulfilling Their Mission?"

Term Paper 10 pages (3751 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Community Colleges in North Carolina

In the United States of America, and in Canada, there are 'Community Colleges', at times also known as 'Junior Colleges', which are educational institutions that would provide post secondary education, or in other words, the continuing education that is pursued after attending either high school, or a secondary school. The community college would also provide lower level 'tertiary education' which is, in other words, the third stage education that is pursued after finishing higher secondary education. After the completion of the required courses from a Community College, certificates, diplomas, and associates degrees would be offered to the students. Most of the students who generally attend a Community College are from the local community, and the colleges are supported by the local community with the help of property taxes. One of the biggest advantages of a Community College is that it is in general geared towards the educational support of students from the local communities, who have local needs, and for those students who cannot afford to pay for campus or off site housing during their four-year college studies, it is possible for them to stay in the local communities even while attending college. (Community College)

Furthermore, a Community College works in tandem with local businesses, and this would mean that it would also be possible to develop customized training that is geared and adapted towards the local needs and requirements, and this would help the students adapt sooner to a work environment. The 'open enrollment' system is also of great advantage to the local community, because it means that anyone can begin their goal towards higher education by simply enrolling n the Community Colleges. Those students who have been performing at a mediocre level throughout their lives can also think about enrolling, and they would be completely supported in their decisions to better their lives through higher education. The fees to be paid is much lower than elsewhere, and in addition, there is no real time limit to when the classes must be taken, and when they must be completed. However, there are certain disadvantages in a Community College, and some of them are that, for one, it is difficult to transfer credits, but it is indeed possible to engage in 'distance learning' today. However, the lecturers of Community Colleges may be just part time and less qualified than the lecturers in other colleges, and since mort Community Colleges do not offer on site housing for their students, most students find it quite difficult to participate in any extra curricular activities that may interest them. (Community College)

However, it must be mentioned that Community Colleges are indeed making a large difference in students' lives, and these students can also be quite eloquent when asked to describe themselves, in the context of their attending Community Colleges. For example, one student, Michael, an African-American in his forties, was asked about his feeling towards his Community College, and this is what he said: before he joined the college, he was in a state of depression, but as soon as he joined; he developed self-confidence and self assurance, and the very manner in which he describes himself has changed as well. He said, "My ideas are changing," and he was even thinking about taking up teaching. His life had improved dramatically and considerably, just in the same way as another student, Julia, who enrolled in a Community College because she was frightened that her husband was about to leave her, and she wanted to develop some sort of marketing skill in order to be able to better survive alone. After her enrollment, she started to develop confidence, and she even turned into a feminist. (Shaw; Valadez; Rhodes, 1999)

It must be noted that, despite such glowing testimonials, there is severe criticism, however, about Community Colleges and the type of education that they offer. One issue is that of the 'open access' system, which, some people state, is at the very lowest rung of the academic hierarchy. The faculty of the Community Colleges is also often denied any status as 'sociologists', or as 'philosophers', and they tend to redefine themselves as 'teachers', and as a result, they are invariably pushed even further back from their original disciplines. (McGrath, 1991)

However, there can be nothing dearer to the leader of a Community College than the fact that its doors are open to anyone who desires to enter them, at any time at all. Take the early years of the 1960's, and 1970's for example, when new Community Colleges were opening in the United States of America, at the rate of one college per week, and soon afterwards, from the 1970's to the early 1990's, Community Colleges all over America were enrolling about five million students, through their open access system, during which time it was these Colleges that were in fact paving the way for higher education for the many students enrolling in them, most of whom were from economically backward communities, and from lower income groups. Today, as a result, about 60% of Community College students are, according to statistics form the National Center for Education Statistics, first generation. (Vaughan, 2003)

This is ample proof that the system was indeed working satisfactorily, but today, the question most often being asked is whether the system can continue or must it stop? It must be remembered that Community Colleges have been functioning effectively due to the grants that they have been receiving from state and from local legislators, for the past forty years and more, and this, even when there was an acute shortage of money from taxes, albeit with a few adjustments. Full time faculty members have been replaced with adjuncts, fewer and also larger classes are being offered today, and gradually, schedules are indeed becoming less flexible, and today, there are more numbers of students than the taxes would be able to support, like for example, in Washington, last year, when there were 9,000 enrollments, but with no tax revenues to support them.

Today, more and more Community Colleges are accepting the fact that the open access system may be a failure, because o the simple fact that there are more enrollments than thy can support, a fact that would ultimately lead to fiscal irresponsibility, and that there are more students than there are seats. In California, for example, Community Colleges had to exclude an estimated 19,000 students because of midyear budget cuts. However, when there are cut offs, then it will be the economically backward and the most neediest classes that would have to suffer most, because of the simple fact that they do not comprehend the intricacies of the admissions and the forms to be filled out, and as a consequence, they are left behind. In California, it is estimated that Community Colleges would turn away more than 20,000 black and Hispanic students form gaining admission through the open access system. (Vaughan, 2003)

Some old timers may want to keep open their doors to all the students who turn up, but the fact is that there is no longer funding available for all these students, and therefore, in order to remain true to their inherent mission, all Community Colleges in the United States must make attempts to make sure that it would serve all segments of a community, and not all its members. For example, these colleges must provide access to students from economically backward white families, minority communities, new immigrants, middle class homemakers, and unemployed persons, but also at the same time, make sure that enrollments are limited, so that the open access system may also be maintained.

Many Community Colleges, including those in North Carolina, have today been able to effectively establish selective admissions programs for their colleges, for certain specialized areas of education, like for example, nursing. It can be stated that if all Community Colleges were to adapt the same principle, whereby they would at the outset develop the programs that would be most in keeping with their missions and then later admit students up to the point that these missions would be accomplished, and then eventually close the doors to any more enrollments, then it would be an infinitely better prospect for the students seeking admission, especially for those students who are given admission, but for whom there is no appropriate funding. At the same time, they must also make sure that there are representatives from all segments of society, and this would mean that it would indeed be possible to preserve the open access system even today. (Vaughan, 2003)

It is important to note that North Carolina established a Standard Course of Study in the year 1898, and this curriculum provides a set of competencies for each grade, and for the high school, so that there may be a uniform and a consistent performance standard all over the entire state. (NC Standard Course of Study) When in 1999 the North Carolina general assembly made a special provision, for the State Board of… READ MORE

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