How many times have you heard politicians, economists, and policy makers speak or write on the importance of community colleges? Now zero in on one or two of these occasions and try to connect the purpose of their overall message while extrapolating the rhetoric, jargon, and feel good stories of community colleges and what do you have? Community colleges for decades have always been used as leverage when disseminating messages of hope. It’s almost like the feel good boot strap story that makes us believe the less-privileged can achieve success in a country that has historically rooted against them by simply pulling up their boot straps and marching through the swaps without the appropriate tools or resources needed to navigate or circumvent challenges they may encounter on their path of integration and success. If community colleges are the United States first line of defense in rebuilding our capitalist driven economy, as many allude to in speeches and publications, why don’t we fund our community colleges like the Department of Defense? In the article College Spending Trends Show Students Bearing a Growing Share of the Costs, the author Goldie Blumenstyk examines the disparities of funding in sectors of higher education highlighting the extreme Mike Tyson punches community colleges receive in terms of funding compared to their higher education counterparts.
Over the last ten years community colleges have served over 1 million additional students than any other sector of higher education, however had the lowest increase in per student spending. Private research institutions of higher education had the largest increase in per student spending despite enrolling the least amount of students. What I find troubling is the gap between the $38 community colleges increase in per student spending compared to the average $1,312 increase in per student spending of public research and master granting institutions of higher education. Community colleges serve the largest number of students in the United States and contributes greatly to the enrollment of both public and private institutions of higher education. In fact, some research suggests community colleges students who enroll in four year degree granting institutions of higher education graduate at a higher rate than those students who start at four year degree granting institutions . If four year institutions benefit and some even profit from students who attended community college shouldn’t these institutions be required to support community colleges financially?
Blumenstyk states, “Disparities between rich and poor institutions in overall spending levels have never been larger, the richer institutions are getting richer and the poorer are getting poorer”. If this is true what will happen when poor community colleges are forced to close their doors? What will come of the students they serve?
Politicians, economists, policy makers, higher education practitioners, students, and other sectors of higher education will ultimately have to work together to respond with the intent to act and influence the disparity of funding in the community college sector of higher education.
I agree with this article over all and that community colleges are suffering financially even more so than four-year colleges and universities. And, the conversation needs to occur about how to change the funding formula since Colorado higher education is funded at 49th in the Nation and tuition is rising at an unreasonable rate. However, I do not agree that colleges will close our doors rather I believe infrastructure will deteriorate, talented faculty and staff will leave, and most importantly students will suffer. Students who are financially disadvantaged and more diverse in most cases will be affected.
ReplyDeleteIn my twenty –five year experience in the Colorado Community College System, essential student services are maintained during fiscal deficits, such as admissions, registration, advising, etc. and supplemental services will continue to be cut including tutoring and other academic support services.
Amendment 50 has provided less income then the community colleges would like; however, it was a very creative initiative on behalf of the gaming industry, community college leadership, and Colorado voters. I believe that creative business and education endeavors like Amendment 50 will need to become common place if Colorado higher education is going to continue to be of a high caliber, affordable, and accessible.
http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=753
http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/Rev-Gaming/RGM/1218795716371
"Disparities between rich and poor institutions in overall spending levels have never been larger," the report says. "The 'new money' coming into higher education is coming from either student tuitions or user fees. Rich institutions are getting richer and poor institutions are getting poorer."
ReplyDeleteI think the question you raise about what happens to these students is really important. It seems to raise larger societal questions as well about socio-economic class. In the financial downturn a very similar thing happened with the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. It seems in higher education and in society we struggle to have real and critical conversations about class and the growing inequities. I wonder what will need to happen for us to take a hard look at this issue?
I agree, Yolanda, that in tough economic times what often is cut - if it even existed in the first place - are supplemental support services. The conversation about persistence and completion at the Community College level is challenging when there aren't resources to invest in the support systems that will help students be successful. At our institution the two programs who have as their primary mission to support persistence, completion and transfer both operate largely on external funds - federal and private. It does seem to me, as you suggested, that opporunity may exist in third party partnerships with business, private foundations and neighboring four-year colleges.
For Community Colleges the conversation about priorities and resources will be challenging as they work to fulfill a diverse mission and support some of our most vulnerable students.
I confess that I am biased when it comes to the benefits of community colleges. I also admit to feeling like community colleges are the "red-headed step-children" of the higher education system. The spending disparity between community colleges and universities is striking as noted in the article. Community colleges provide some of the most important roles but receive less than adequate funding.
ReplyDeleteI hear a lot of rhetoric at the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) about social justice, but the community college environment comes much closer to actually practicing a social justice philosophy. The open enrollment policy, college preparation class offerings, and the free academic support services such as tutoring services goes a long way to making the playing field even for disenfranchised students.
I have experienced firsthand some of the ways that university bound students benefit from the community college. There are a significant number of students who show up at the door of Aims Community College (ACC) who were unable to be successful at UNC. I routinely advise students who have struggled at UNC so they come to ACC to improve their GPA in order to be accepted back into UNC. More often than not, the students assess into pre-college level courses especially in the area of math. ACC provides them with the access and support to be academically prepared and to build their skills in math, English, and reading. This is just one example of the symbiotic relationship as mentioned by Slybrandon between community colleges and four-year degree institutions.