Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Access v. Success

The Community College has long been hailed as venue for opportunity. The various missions of the community college (transfer preparation, remedial education, community education, and community service) have developed through a need to service the increasing numbers of baby-boomers, who during the 70’s and 80’s contributed to an increased demand for higher education. It quickly became apparent that many aspiring students lacked the skills necessary to find success in college. The Community College stepped up to fill this role (J.B. Hirt, Where you Work Matters: Student Affairs Adminstration at Different Types of Institutions, 136-8).

The community college commitment to provide remedial course offerings and community service has been hindered because of decreasing higher education funding. The lack of funding provides an environment where access is paramount above success. With declining federal funding and an increased reliance on tuition, it becomes easy for administrators to consider an increase in the bottom line as success. Put simply, Community Colleges have the resources to bring students in, but do not have the time or money to make sure they succeed. Through assessment testing we determine whether or not students have the skills to succeed in college. I wonder if it would be beneficial to assess for college readiness in other terms; i.e. time management, organization, study skills, notetaking, etc? A local community college has reported that for students who begin in the lowest level of developmental education, literally 0% go on to college level. I worry that this is becoming okay with us, because it just means that they’ll try again, and pay to do it. I wonder if our mission to remediate is being clouded by the increase of revenue that results by students retaking courses.

I feel as if Community Colleges often are more worried about the perception of the services that we provide rather than the effectiveness of these services. It seems that if a Community College can say we have a Veteran’s center or we have First Generation support programs, for example, that this is enough. No matter that these areas often serve a very low percentage of the student population. This amounts to what I consider bait and switch. We like to contend that this is an environment of opportunity and that we are available to assist students every step of the way. To be fair, we are available, if you as a student are savvy enough to seek out the resources. The fact of the matter is that student’s don’t know what they don’t know and often they need assistance and motivation to persist to graduation. Intensive advising support programs could help fill this need.

I understand that the current decrease of education funding makes it very difficult to move from a reliance on access (tuition dollars) to a dependence on completion. A recent article sheds light on this issue as it relates to the college completion agenda and the call to improve student completion rates by 50 percent over the next decade. With an increased demand for accountability, community colleges may no longer have the choice to focus on the bottom line and forego support services that we know promote success. According to the article, “President Obama, foundation leaders, and the heads of advocacy groups all agree that community colleges need to focus on more than access and drastically improve their generally low completion rates.” The article goes on “these leaders know, whether by research or common sense, just what to do – such as providing better academic advising, outreach to struggling students, and financial aid to encourage full-time enrollment…” The problem is that in our current environment college administrators are making tough budgetary decisions that often result in a decrease in the types of services that we know promote success. Ron Wright of Delgado Community College in New Orleans admits, “we know full well that we need to be ‘high-touch’ with students and have counselors and advisers for them to talk to in order to give them guidance and direction, especially because most of our students don’t have family members who’ve been to college.” He continues, “but, despite this, we have to cut back on guidance and first-year experience programs and the like. We’ve had to let a number of people who were on contract for dedicated advising to students go.”

Educators know what their students need, but are forced to cut the very services that they know promote success. Considering the call to action to increase completion rates, educators are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Administrators know the services needed to promote student completion, but lack the funding to provide them. It is time for student affairs administrators, especially in the community college, due to its mission of community service and remediation, to rethink strategies for revenue building. It seems that the public is looking for more than access, they are looking for success. It is the responsibility of administrators to determine how to accomplish this, despite the budgetary constraints.

3 comments:

  1. Educators are stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to the push to increase completion rates at the community college level. Community colleges play a different role in our society than the state colleges and universities and I don't feel their main role has focused on completion rates. I, too, believe that these institutions lack the funding to provide services to promote student completion. I do think that community colleges are trying to determine other alternatives for revenue generating. Such programs that allow students to have all of their credits transfer to a four year institution that are pre approved, help the community colleges sell the idea of starting at their institution. Also, programs like the concurrent enrollment for high school students allow the community college to give high school students a head start to their college career. The offering of courses that are designed for the public in general are another source of revenue that has been explored. Our society needs the community colleges but somehow the funding is going to have to be increased. If the cost is passed along to the student, there will be a significant decrease in the number of students attending. It seems that the issue isn't so much retention and completion but that of lack of resources to provide such service to encourage completion.

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  2. Sadly, I have been witness to the blog author's assertion that community colleges are often more concerned with the perception of services rather than the effectiveness of services. In answer to the dismal rates of students in the lowest levels of remedial courses who go on to college level courses, my institution has proposed a plan to eliminate the lowest remedial level offerings. On paper, this will result in better numbers for reporting purposes.

    The perception will be that students are going on to college level courses in greater numbers when in reality they are just removing the students who are less likely to go on to enter college level classes. Perhaps, I am looking through my own rose colored lens, but rather than eliminate the least likely to succeed students, I would much rather see the institution evaluate and re-design the lowest level remedial courses to improve the success of these particular students.

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  3. First off, it is disheartening to me that policies and the like are being changed for "how they look on paper" as opposed to how they help student success.

    I think this blog brings up a couple of different issues beyond the ones that were specifically mentioned.

    Unfortunately, I believe that it is not just community colleges that are facing struggles because of what institutions are being told they should do. It seems like regardless of the campuses we work on, everyone can agree that we are being asked to do more and more with less and less. And keep up that positive attitude without any personal financial gain too, right? One item regarding this that was mentioned in the blog is that student support services are becoming less and less. At UNC, for example, we have an almost fully-staffed admissions office but are down (I believe) two academic advisors in the Academic Support & Advising Office. When 50% of students are coming in as Exploring students and need this advising help, what kind of service are we truly offering?

    Another topic I can't help but think about in regards to this blog is our K-12 education situation. It concerns me to know so many students are testing into remedial courses at the community college level. While this is more understandable for non-traditional students or those who haven't recently graduated high school, I think it brings up valid points about how students are being prepared in high school for those recent graduates. Regardless though, I believe that as institutions of Higher Education, we can't stick students out there to fend for themselves without providing service.

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