The Best and worst of times

Abstract

At Lane Community College, research shows that our transfer students acquire their degrees faster, with a higher grade point average, than those students beginning at the university. [...] our collective work to improve the image of community colleges across the country by publicizing student success and not just access is beginning to pay off.

We're all familiar with Charles Dickens' quote, "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times." I think the rest of the passage is more interesting.

"It was the age of wisdom; it was the age of foolishness.

It was the epoch of belief; it was the epoch of incredulity.

It was the season of light; it was the season of darkness.

It was the spring of hope; it was the winter of despair."

Surely this describes what our states and colleges are facing. Even in the best of times, community colleges play a fundamental role in our communities and state economies. We provide transfer education to a broader population than any other sector of higher education, especially for first-generation con ege students and underrepresented groups. We provide career and technical education for jobs that transcend both old and new economies. We provide developmental education, employee training, and continuing education to tens of thousands of students across the country.

Now, in these worst of times, faced with burgeoning enrollments, we are excited to welcome thousands of additional students who seek to better their lives. Yet, at the same time, declining state and local resources make it difficult to meet the demand.

The rise in demand for community college programs and services comes from three sources.

We are the "first economic responders" in this crisis, providing hope to thousands of students and playing a central role in re-educating Americans so they have the skills and knowledge to help our economy recover. As unemployment has risen, many laid-off workers have turned to us to upgrade their skills or change careers in order to seek a job that is recession-proof. Community colleges play a key role in economic recovery; they also are a critical component of the social safety net. The financial aid that students receive helps them pay not only for tuition and books, but also rent, food, and other necessities to piece together a life for themselves and their families. Without adequate funding to meet the enrollment demand, there will be fewer seats for students, lost education and workforce development training, and lost financial aid for students.

High school students who perhaps intended to attend a public, private, or outof-state four-year institution but could not afford to do so are partly responsible for the increase in demand. More parents of our students have become unemployed themselves, and many have found that the nest egg they had put aside for college education has disappeared with the declining stock market. Increasingly, young students have to look to themselves to pay for their educations. Affordable community colleges present a viable option. Our challenge is to assure these students that the education they receive at our colleges is equal to or better than what they might receive at a four-year university and prepares them well for transfer. At Lane Community College, research shows that our transfer students acquire their degrees faster, with a higher grade point average, than those students beginning at the university.

We are seeing more students enroll who already have bachelor's or master's degrees and who come back to "train for a real job." We must assess these students' prior learning so they do not have to repeat courses, but also hold them to the same rigorous standards. We also must be vigilant that these students do not crowd out our traditional populations in highdemand programs such as nursing, dental hygiene, and energy efficiency.

Finally, our collective work to improve the image of community colleges across the country by publicizing student success and not just access is beginning to pay off. Our work to assure students that higher education is a right for all, not a privilege of few, is delivering tangible results. Increasingly, students see community colleges not as the last chance, but as the first chance and the first choice to gain access and to succeed.

These are exciting times for community colleges. Though Dickens' words supply two perspectives for us, the truth is that these are not the best times, nor the worst. Our challenge is to make the best of them so we can do even better for our students, present and future. Let's focus on being wise and make this year the spring of hope, not the winter of despair. And remember the close of the Dickens tale: "It is a far, far better thing that I do than I have ever done."

Let's make this a reality for our students so it is the better thing that they have done. It's our time, and we must rise to the challenge. The future of our students depends on it.