Learning Resources

Abstract: The article discusses the challenges that community colleges face in increasing college degree completion in an era of budget reductions and fiscal constraints. The analysis draws on data collected in the 2011 Survey of Access and Finance in which responses were obtained from all 51 members of the National Council of State Directors of Community Colleges (NCSDCC).

Abstract: As the importance of college increases, our collective understanding of what college is, exactly, has begun to expand. This article contributes to this emerging understanding by describing the multifunctional nature of the community college. To this end, the community college movement is framed in three ways—as a launching pad, as a (re)launching pad, and as a local commitment. The article concludes with a brief discussion of the need to support the community college movement moving forward.

Abstract: If faculty senates are to maintain a place in the modern university, then they must be both effective and viewed as such by faculty, administrators, and other campus stakeholders. One way to shape faculty senate efforts is to create and exploit a clearly defined mission statement. In this article, we offer a four-step, committee-driven, technology-assisted process to develop a mission/vision statement that is anchored in the theory. The proposed process is efficient and easy to administer and can be used at other universities. We also discuss our experience with the process and offer recommendations for other university faculty senates.

Abstract: This case study analyzes the impact of Indiana’s Twenty-First Century Scholars college tuition discount program on the academic self-efficacy of high-risk, low-income students. The program is designed to increase the number of high-risk individuals attending college. The self-efficacy “training” of the program helps instill and reinforce the idea that success or failure coincides with internal effort and not external factors. Surveys were completed by 55 program participants and 42 institutional representatives at different colleges in Indiana. The program increased students’ understanding of the feasibility of attaining a college degree, heightened students’ academic confidence, and improved their overall self-esteem. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of this program for academic planners developing programs to help high-risk students succeed in college.

Abstract: Suggests that planning efforts begin not with mission statements but with key performance indicators, or KPIs, which are substantive, measurable, and specific directions that a strategic plan must address. Some of these KPIs are outside mandates, while others are internal management objectives or goals articulated by divisions or departments. The three types of KPIs form the "givens," or the foundation of the strategic plan. They take account of the various pulls on the institution, and outline more specific ways to address multiple needs and goals. Finally, they provide benchmarks against which institutions can measure the success of their planning efforts.