A good review, in University Business magazine by Ann McClure, of a surprising number of initiatives underway to bolster the community college mission. Each of the following is described in a short summary:

• The White House Summit on Community Colleges
• Department of Veteran's Affairs
• The Brookings Institute
• Lumina's 'Adult Degree Completion Commitment'
• The American Association of Colleges and Universities' 'Roadmap Project'
• The Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence
• The Gates Foundation's 'Completion by Design' Program

As one example, regarding veterans:

Helping veterans accomplish education and employment goals was one breakout session topic community colleges are already tackling. The robust program at Coastline Community College (Calif.), which has served active military since the 1970s, earned Jocelyn Groot, dean of military and contract education, a summit invitation. “What I took from our session is veterans are a different community with different needs,” Groot says. “What emerged was the disconnect between the Department of Education, Department of Labor, and Veterans Affairs.” Having Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in the session assured Groot the message would be heard. She says an exciting aspect of the summit was that it felt like a normal meeting until she realized there were people at the table who could actually make a difference.

A challenge she sees is in getting information about veterans’ support programs out to community college students and the public. For example, many people are unaware of the Student Veterans of America support clubs on many campuses.