Newsmakers
New CEOs Dustin Eicke will serve as the next president of Trinidad State College (Colorado), effective June 15. He is currently vice president of performance and planning and accreditation liaison officer at Laramie County Community College (Wyoming). Eicke brings a strong record of student-centered leadership, strategic planning and workforce alignment, with experience across community colleges and universities throughout the region, according to a release from the Colorado Community College System (CCCS). His work has focused on strengthening academic quality, expanding access, and aligning programs with workforce and economic needs. “Dr. Eicke is a thoughtful, student-centered leader who understands the transformative role rural community colleges play in their regions,” said CCCS Chancellor Marielena DeSanctis. Prior to his current post, Eicke was director of institutional research at Western Nebraska Community College. He also had stints at Texas Tech University and the University of the Southwest, where he taught criminal justice. Nicole Reaves will become the eighth president of SUNY Schenectady County Community College — and its first female president — on July 15. She is currently executive vice president and chief programs officer at Wake Technical Community College in North Carolina. Over her 30-plus-year career in higher education, Reaves has focused on advancing academic excellence, partnering to build strong communities, and championing the life-changing mission of open-access institutions such as community colleges, according to a release. Her experience also includes 12 years of teaching in allied health and college and career readiness. “Dr. Reaves brings decades of higher education expertise developing dynamic programs with proven results for enrollment and retention increases, creating pathways for non-degree and degree programs to transfer programs and careers, securing sizeable grants for advances in STEM technologies, and partnering with business and industry on programs leading to completion and economic mobility,” said Ann Fleming Brown, who chairs the college’s board of trustees. Previously, Reaves served as provost of the Medical Education Campus at Northern Virginia Community College and also held leadership roles at Wilbur Wright College (Illinois) and Westmoreland County Community College (Pennsylvania). Kudos DeAnna R. Burt-Nanna , president of Monroe Community College (New York), has been named to the New America-Association of Community College Trustees Advisory Committee on Economic & Workforce Development, along with MCC board chair Allen K. Williams . The initiative aims to identify promising practices in trustee leadership for institutional capacity-building related to economic and workforce development. Travis Binkley , assistant vice president of enrollment services at Clark State College (Ohio), has been named to the Dayton Business Journal’s 2026 Forty Under 40 class. The award recognizes the region’s emerging business leaders for professional success and community involvement. Binkley co-led several major institutional initiatives, including the college’s strategic enrollment management plan. Appointments Julissa Colón has been selected as the first dean of student experience at Holyoke Community College (HCC) in Massachusetts. Colón, an alumna of HCC, was previously the inaugural director of El Centro, the college’s bilingual support program. Liesl Jones has been named provost and senior vice president of academic affairs at Borough of Manhattan Community College in New York. She has served as interim provost since 2024. The post Newsmakers first appeared on Community College Daily .
11 May 2026
Snapshots
Photos from institutional members of the American Association of Community Colleges . Arizona Western Entrepreneurial College officially opened the Future48 Workforce Accelerator, a 5,600-square-foot facility to expand hands-on training in high-demand industries. Joining Arizona Western College leadership were Gov. Katie Hobbs and other local government and business representatives. (Photo: AWC) Larry Johnson (center), president of Bronx Community College, welcomes participants to the college’s 48th Annual Roscoe C. Brown Jr. Hall of Fame 10K and 5K Runs and 2-Mile Walk. Better known as Run the Bronx, it is the second-oldest footrace in New York City. The (Photo: BCC) Georgia’s Southern Crescent Technical College this week held a pinning ceremony for 44 graduates of its associate of science in nursing program. (Photo: SCTC) Del Mar College (Texas) recently welcomed a delegation of middle school STEM students from India to its Workforce Development Center. The group also visited NASA, SpaceX and then on to Washington, D.C. (Photo: DMC) Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego proclaimed May 4, 2026, as Dr. Steven R. Gonzales Day, recognizing the Maricopa Community Colleges chancellor’s impact on students, higher education, workforce development and Arizona. Additionally, Gov. Katie Hobbs issued a proclamation honoring Gonzales’ service and commitment to postsecondary education. (Photo: MCC) In North Carolina, McDowell Technical Community College’s Law Enforcement Training Center hosted an accredited field training officer course, focused on preparing the next generation of trainers in law enforcement. (Photo: McDowell Tech) Grand Rapids Community College recently celebrated its graduating class. Graduates of the college support more than 14,000 jobs in western Michigan. (Photo: GRCC) Portland Community College this week celebrated the completion of the Oregon college’s largest-ever renovation and officially introduced the newly renovated Health Technology Building. President Adrien Bennings (center) was joined by state Rep. Daniel Nguyen and other guests at the opening. (Photo: PCC) South Seattle College recently hosted Tastes Like Home, a partnership event with King Arthur Baking Company that gave culinary and pastry arts students a chance to compete for a $5,000 prize or the opportunity to travel to Vermont and bake alongside the King Arthur team. (Photo: SSC) Southeast Technical College in South Dakota this weekend celebrated the graduation of the Class of 2026. (Photo: Southeast Tech) The post Snapshots first appeared on Community College Daily .
10 May 2026
Headlines
Beyond graduation rates: How rural community colleges are rewriting the story of student success Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond (blog) The Richmond Fed’s Center for Rural Economies recently convened three community college leaders from very different rural corners of America who shared how they’re navigating unique challenges and opportunities. Oregon’s tuition-free community college aid program could be on its last legs Oregon Public Broadcasting State leaders hoped that the Oregon Promise Grant would entice more high school graduates to enroll in community college. So far, its impact has been limited. ACC’s free tuition program is growing. So are the college’s funding concerns. Austin American Statesman Though Austin Community College leaders are confident they can adjust to a projected $10 million shortfall before trustees vote on the budget in July, the shifts raise questions about how ACC can sustain important programs like the free tuition pilot in the years ahead. Valley community colleges tackle teacher shortage with affordable degrees Arizona PBS Maricopa County Community College is tackling the state’s teacher shortage by offering scholarships and affordable bachelors degrees in education. What this unique community college model achieves to boost student outcomes University Business A small but growing cohort of community colleges has found the blueprint for supporting underserved students through the early rungs of higher education and toward earning a bachelor’s degree. The post Headlines first appeared on Community College Daily .
10 May 2026
Converting student progress into workforce impact
Today’s priorities extend beyond enrollment growth to include credential completion, workforce alignment, adult learner re-engagement and return on investment. States and systems are increasingly measuring institutional success by how effectively colleges move students already in the pipeline toward meaningful credentials. Yet many institutions face a common challenge: students who have demonstrated intent stall before completion. They apply. They’re admitted. They may even begin financial aid. Then progress slows. When this happens, institutions lose more than tuition revenue. They lose momentum toward completion goals, workforce readiness and long-term economic impact. Enrollment Ready Outreach as student progression infrastructure Enrollment Ready Outreach is not recruitment. It is institutional infrastructure designed to convert existing student intent into credential progress by re-engaging admitted, stopped-out and near-completer learners already in the system. Through right-time, knowledgeable engagement, institutions: Reconnect with students at critical decision points. Remove barriers related to financial aid and enrollment complexity. Extend internal capacity during peak demand. Gain visibility into why students stall and where additional support is needed. The result is measurable movement. Movement that starts from intent to enrollment, from enrollment to persistence, and from persistence to completion. What institutions are seeing Across documented outreach campaigns, institutions report consistent outcomes: Enrollment return rates commonly in the high-20% to the mid-30% range, with some exceeding 50% Strong student engagement through email and live outreach Hundreds of thousands of dollars in incremental tuition revenue Documented returns exceeding 500% in some cases These results demonstrate a repeatable model for advancing student progress without increasing admissions spend. Advancing workforce and attainment goals By focusing on students who have already entered the institutional pipeline, Enrollment Ready Outreach supports priorities that matter most to leadership today: Increasing credential production Re-engaging adult learners and stop-out populations Improving return on public investment Strengthening alignment between education and workforce demand Rather than chasing new enrollment, institutions can maximize existing intent by accelerating progress toward completion while supporting economic mobility. From enrollment activity to institutional impact Enrollment Ready Outreach bridges the gap between interest and action with engagement that meets potential students where they are, when they need it and with the information necessary to move forward. It helps institutions move students forward, strengthen completion outcomes, and deliver measurable ROI while supporting workforce readiness and long-term institutional sustainability. Visit enrollmentready.org to learn more about how targeted, thoughtful campaigns delivered by student support experts can benefit learners, institutions and the community workforce they serve. The post Converting student progress into workforce impact first appeared on Community College Daily .
10 May 2026
Advancing workforce readiness in Illinois
In spring 2026, Illinois is preparing legislation (HB 5319/SB 4034) that will authorize community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees in high-demand applied fields. Supported by Gov. JB Pritzker, the initiative aims to address workforce shortages in sectors such as healthcare, information technology and advanced manufacturing by expanding access to affordable, locally available degree pathways. Community colleges have long served as primary access points for working adults, first-generation students and those seeking affordable education. However, traditional transfer pathways often have limited completion rates due to financial constraints, credit loss and geographic barriers. In response to these challenges, Illinois is drawing on the experience of more than 24 states that have already implemented community college baccalaureate programs, with evidence of improved attainment, expanded access and stronger workforce alignment. Focus on affordability Affordability is a key feature of this approach. Community college bachelor’s degrees are offered at substantially lower costs than those at most universities, reducing the financial burden on students and limiting their reliance on loans. For example: In Iowa, annual community college tuition averages $5,600, while private institutions charge more than $37,000. In California, total tuition for a community college bachelor’s degree is about $10,560, less than half the cost of many public university programs. In Arizona, community college bachelor’s programs often cost roughly one-quarter to one-half as much as comparable four-year university degrees. These cost differences are significant, as students who earn a bachelor’s degree from four-year institutions graduate with an average cumulative debt of approximately $29,000. Geographic accessibility is essential. Many rural and underserved areas lack nearby four-year institutions, forcing students to travel long distances or relocate, thereby increasing costs and disrupting work and family life. Feather River College in California, a rural institution, has produced graduates in high-need fields, including ecosystem restoration, fire management and agricultural programs, in a region facing both environmental and economic challenges. Many students in such areas cannot pursue a bachelor’s degree elsewhere because of geographic isolation, with the nearest public four-year institution located more than 80 miles away. Clearly, locally available baccalaureate pathways are important in expanding access for place-bound students. Program design in community college baccalaureate initiatives often stress direct employer engagement to ensure alignment with industry needs. In several states, this alignment is formalized through structured partnerships with regional employers who contribute to curriculum development and workforce planning. For example, Ohio requires collaboration agreements with industry partners to support both training and employment pathways. Similar models in states such as Florida and Washington demonstrate strong outcomes, with most graduates securing employment in their field relatively soon after completion. While some industries have explored first hiring skills, labor market trends indicate that bachelor’s degrees remain a critical credential. The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce projects that nearly 72% of jobs will require postsecondary education, with an increasing share requiring bachelor’s degrees. Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show higher earnings and lower unemployment for bachelor’s degree holders. The Burning Glass Institute has further identified a pattern of upcredentialing, in which roles that once required associate degrees now increasingly prefer bachelor-level qualifications. A recent survey found that 75% of Illinois community college students said they would be much more likely to pursue a bachelor’s degree if their college offered one, and 40% who had not considered a baccalaureate degree would rethink their plans. Another reason for expanding access to bachelor’s degrees is related to Illinois’ economic growth . The state has one of the largest economies in the United States, with a gross domestic product exceeding $1 trillion and strong contributions from finance, logistics, healthcare and advanced manufacturing. Recent data show Illinois outpacing national economic growth in certain sectors, while employers continue to report hundreds of thousands of job openings across technology-driven industries. Key sectors such as healthcare, business, manufacturing and information technology are already experiencing workforce shortages in roles that increasingly require bachelor-level credentials, yet fewer than one in six community college students ultimately attain a bachelor’s degree. Advanced manufacturing requires workers with competencies in automation, data analysis and process improvement. The information technology and business sectors require advanced analytical and technical skills. This growth is closely tied to rising expectations for education and skills at both entry- and mid-level positions, particularly those involving supervision, system integration and decision-making. Without a sufficient pipeline of workers with bachelor’s-level credentials, the state risks constraining its economic potential. Conversely, a bachelor’s degree increasingly serves as a gateway to higher-wage roles and career advancement across several fields. Expanding access to baccalaureate degrees through Illinois community colleges provides a practical response to these challenges. Doing so would strengthen workforce alignment, support economic competitiveness and create clear pathways for students to achieve upward mobility in a technology-driven economy. The post Advancing workforce readiness in Illinois first appeared on Community College Daily .
10 May 2026
Washington Watch: Speak up to protect the National Science Foundation’s ATE program
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is once again under pressure from the Trump administration as it proposes severe cuts for the agency and makes other moves to reduce its independence. So far, Congress has resisted these efforts, but community colleges must speak up to ensure that it does so again for fiscal year (FY) 2027. For the second year in a row, the administration has proposed extensive cuts to NSF in its FY 27 budget. It proposes a funding decrease of 55% — from $8.8 billion to just under $4 billion — for the entire agency. Also, for the second year running, the budget proposes eliminating specific funding for STEM Education and folding some of those activities into Research and Related Activities. For this reason, most STEM Education programs are not even mentioned in the budget proposal, including NSF’s Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program, which for more than three decades has served as NSF’s leading community college initiative focused on STEM technician education and workforce preparation. Congress rejected most of these proposals by providing $8.8 billion to NSF in FY 26, a decrease of 3.4% from the prior year. STEM Education took a bigger hit, decreasing from nearly $1.2 billion to $938 million in FY 26. However, the ATE program was held steady at $75 million, its funding level for the last several years. The approps path So far this year, Congress is traveling down a similar road as last year. The House Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations Subcommittee has approved a bill that cuts NSF by $1.75 billion, a steep 20% cut but nowhere near the decrease proposed by the administration. However, the House bill reflects the administration’s budget by not providing funding for STEM education. The full House Appropriations Committee is set to mark up the bill on May 13. The Senate has yet to release a bill or a schedule for marking it up. However, the Senate tries its best to fashion appropriations bills that garner bipartisan support. This is not the case in the House. For that reason, final funding legislation, which will be passed late this year or perhaps early next year, is usually much closer to the Senate’s version. In FY 26, the Senate approved a CJS bill that made a small cut to NSF but maintained ATE funding at $75 million. More politicking Adding to the administration’s pressure on NSF is President Donald Trump’s firing of the entire National Science Board (NSB) on April 24. NSB was created in 1950 to advise the president and Congress on science and engineering policy, approve major funding awards and oversee NSF. Replacements to the board have yet to be named, but this move has greatly unsettled the scientific community. This development is another reason why Congress must assert its funding and oversight authority to keep NSF on track. Help to champion ATE Given all this, now is the time for community colleges to make their voice heard on Capitol Hill, particularly the Senate, in support of the ATE program. Even with the budgetary challenges described above, the American Association of Community Colleges is advocating for a $10 million increase, to $85 million, for the ATE program. The association sent a legislative alert to all members earlier this year that focused on a small number of priorities, including ATE. Our current funding priorities document does the same. The NSF ATE program has strong support in Congress and the threats to its funding are not likely to come to fruition, but our community should take nothing for granted. AACC urges its members to carry this message to their congressional representatives. It is especially important for current and past ATE grantees to remind their members of Congress about the great things that ATE has helped their institutions accomplish. AACC will provide its members with more resources soon to help them convey this message. The post Washington Watch: Speak up to protect the National Science Foundation’s ATE program first appeared on Community College Daily .
8 May 2026
Reporter’s notebook
Student support services expand in Chicago system New learning lab ventures in VR Grants to grow mental health workforce in California Student support services expand in Chicago system City Colleges of Chicago and the student success nonprofit One Million Degrees (OMD) have announced a new five-year agreement to continue to scale OMD’s holistic student support program at the college system that will serve more than 3,000 students annually. Students who participate in the OMD program are 73% more likely to complete their degrees, and they build lasting economic mobility with $14,000 more in annual earnings, according to a recent report from the University of Chicago Inclusive Economy Lab. Student success has also continued to climb as the program has scaled, OMD said in a release. OMD has partnered since 2006 with CCC to remove barriers to college access, degree completion and career success. OMD’s program combines personalized coaching, career development and financial support to help students persist, complete their programs and transition into the workforce or further education. “In Chicago, we’ve built and tested a model that shows what it takes to deliver those supports at scale, and the results are clear,” said Aarti Dhupelia, CEO of One Million Degrees. “The next phase of work is about sharing this playbook with peer institutions, funders and policymakers, demonstrating the power of public, private non-profit, philanthropic partnership, and creating new opportunities to expand these supports in Chicago, the broader region and nationwide.” New learning lab ventures in VR The Community College of Denver (CCD) has started construction on its Virtual Reality (VR) Immersive Learning Lab, which is expected to deliver an advanced immersive learning environment and the first of its kind in Colorado. CCD is developing the lab with Dreamscape Learn — a collaborative venture between Dreamscape Immersive and Arizona State University — which uses VR cinematic storytelling to better engage students. CCD plans to use the lab in biology and art history courses, with opportunities to expand into additional disciplines. The college says students will likely start using the lab this fall. “This is about more than technology; it’s about transforming opportunity,” said CCD Interim President Peter Lindstrom. “We are creating pathways for our students to access world-class learning experiences that lead to meaningful careers and long-term success.” Dreamscape has partnered with other community colleges on similar efforts. Last fall, Missouri’s St. Charles Community College started using the immersive technology. California’s Long Beach City College started using it this spring. Grants to grow mental health workforce in California The Foundation for California Community Colleges this week announced $1.4 million in new grants to expand statewide programs to grow the behavioral and mental health workforce. With support from the California Department of Health Care Access and Information, the Wellness Coach Designated Education Program will continue to help community colleges develop and expand career-focused pathways in social work, human services, psychology and addiction studies. Seven colleges will receive grants, including American Association of Community Colleges members Coastline College , Santiago Canyon College , Bakersfield College and Santa Monica College . Since 2024, the foundation has awarded more than $6.1 million to 32 colleges to support their mental health workforce program. The post Reporter’s notebook first appeared on Community College Daily .
7 May 2026
From data to doing: The productive urgency of what students told us
The RP Group last fall released the most comprehensive study of African American and Black community college transfer in California history. More than 7,000 students. One hundred sixteen colleges. Three phases of research funded by Lumina Foundation. The study identified four tipping points that determine whether these students reach the transfer gate: passing gateway math and English in the first year, receiving academic counseling, participating in “Umoja” and avoiding academic probation. The findings are widely cited now, as they should be. (Umoja is a Kiswahili word meaning unity. It runs at more than 70 California colleges. The program serves Black students through counseling, shared history and community.) Students who met with a counselor three or more times were 19 percentage points more likely to feel focused on their goal. Umoja students who transferred credited the program at 93%. Sixty-four percent of Black students said they would prefer to meet with a counselor who shares their background. Only 53% do. These numbers describe outcomes. They do not describe the source. As dean of counseling and guided pathways at Los Angeles City College (LACC), I oversee the work that produces those outcomes one meeting at a time. Between fall 2025 and spring 2026, my counseling team delivered 5,204 student contacts. Our appointment completion rate was 98.5%. When Black students at LACC book a meeting with a counselor, they show up. The willingness is there. What the data cannot tell you is what it costs the counselor on the other side of the desk. Quashing the noise There is a signal in the RP Group study, and there is noise. The signal is clear. Relationships work. Frequency works. Counselors who reflect students’ cultural backgrounds work. Umoja works. The noise is what distorts our ability to act on the signal. Microaggressions inside classrooms that make a student fail math before the course begins. The word “probation” devastates before a conversation happens. Institutional declarations that a 20% Umoja bump means the problem is solved. And perhaps the loudest piece of noise, which no one in higher education is measuring: counselor depletion. Five thousand contacts in an academic year is not the sign of a well-resourced counseling operation. It is the sign of a system that has decided, quietly, who absorbs the pressure when budgets tighten and enrollments shift. How power moves inside an institution under stress tells you what the institution is actually afraid of. Right now, higher education is afraid of its own financial future. Counselors are absorbing that fear one student at a time. Counselor capacity A counselor on my team recently described a meeting with a first-generation Black student who had just failed a math course for the second time. The student sat down and said nothing for the first four minutes. The counselor said nothing either. Then they began, together. That silence is not inefficiency. It is the condition the relationship required before anything else could happen. The counselor who sits with a first-generation Black student facing probation does not do that work from a protocol. She does it from her own interior life. From her capacity to see past the student’s surface presentation to the weight underneath. From her willingness to challenge the student toward a truer version of themselves without flinching. From her ability to hold the student across the threshold when the student cannot yet hold themselves. This is formation, not training. Right now, higher education is spending it faster than it is replenishing it. The interior life of an educator is not a personal matter. It is an organizational asset. “Conscious gratitude” is not a wellness program. It is the interior formation that makes sustained equity work possible. When that asset is depleted, students feel it first. Black students feel it first of all, because the margin for error in their journey is thinnest. This is the claim that changes what the data mean. If the counselor is the tipping point, then counselor capacity, not counselor count, is the policy variable. We cannot hire our way to equity while we burn out the people we hire. We cannot scale Umoja by replication alone if we are not building the interior formation that makes Umoja work in the first place. The Alamo Colleges model What does this look like in practice? It looks like case management advising models where counselors see the same students over time. My team at LACC is building CITYadvise, informed by the work of the Alamo Colleges District (Texas), where counselors reach out before students are in crisis. The point of the model is not efficiency. The point is continuity. Relationships that span terms, not transactions that span minutes. It looks like institutional investment in the professional formation of counselors, not only their credentialing. A counselor with an M.A. who has never been taught to hold her own interior life under pressure will burn out at the exact rate her students most need her to stay. It looks like retiring the word “probation” statewide, as the RP Group explicitly recommends. The word does the damage before the counselor gets the chance to repair it. The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office has the authority to rename it. The moral case has already been made. The administrative case is straightforward. What is missing is the will. And it looks like philanthropy that understands the assignment. The $48 million Ballmer Group investment in Cal State Los Angeles, announced last month, will prepare more than 1,000 culturally responsive counselors and social workers for Los Angeles schools. That is the right scale of ambition. Community colleges are the pipeline into those graduate programs. If we want the pipeline to work, we have to build it deliberately, from the front end at LACC through the credential programs at Cal State LA and beyond. Building bridges The transfer gap for African American and Black students in California is not a mystery. The mechanisms that close it are documented. The state has the authority to fund what works. Institutions have the authority to protect the people who deliver it. Neither has yet been willing to treat the human infrastructure behind Black student transfer as the strategic asset it is. The counselor is the tipping point. The counselor’s interior life is the asset we cannot afford to keep depleting. When the humans holding the mission are depleted, the data shows it in the outcomes. By then, the student is already gone. Invest in the counselor’s formation the same way you invest in the student’s pathway. The return is the same. Seven thousand students told us what works. Now the question is whether we will build the conditions that let the people who serve them keep doing it. The post From data to doing: The productive urgency of what students told us first appeared on Community College Daily .
7 May 2026
Headlines
West Valley community college district sponsors bill to address loss of federal funding Mercury News In California, Assembly Bill 2121, the Defending Student Equity and Access Act, would remove barriers that prevent community colleges from backfilling the loss of federal funding. In September, the Trump administration terminated $350 million in Minority Serving Institution grants, with plans to eliminate the program altogether. The cuts would also eliminate TRIO, a federal program that supports first-generation and low-income community college students. National Nurses Week: ‘Angels in comfortable shoes’ President’s Blog (Community College of Baltimore County blog) Community colleges serve as the engines that staff the hospitals and medical facilities in their regions. In Maryland, the Community College of Baltimore County is the largest provider of nursing and allied health care education and training in the state. Metropolitan Community College launches new small business development center KETV Metropolitan Community College has opened a federally designated small business development center to support Nebraska entrepreneurs with free resources. It is one of only two such centers in the state. The post Headlines first appeared on Community College Daily .
7 May 2026
Headlines
Commentary: A venture capitalist’s guide to adult basic education (or, the ROI of ABE) Running the Campus (blog of Northern Essex Community College President Lane Glenn) In its proposed budget for fiscal year 2027, the White House recommends zeroing out the $715 million distributed to states by the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, along with billions of dollars for TRIO, GEAR UP, work-study, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants and other programs meant to serve some of the most overlooked and vulnerable populations in our country. Community colleges build pipelines for growing N.C. industries Spectrum News 1 A new report shows a record year for capital investments in North Carolina for businesses and more opportunities for community colleges to fill jobs. Commentary: Yes, Trump is deporting ‘dreamers.’ Now here’s the quiet part. Washington Post Processing holds. Delayed renewals. Much of the attack on DACA is hiding in plain sight, writes Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois). Designing education around what employers say they want The Future of Work(ers) podcast Education Design Lab CEO Lisa Larson discusses how employers need to take a bigger role in designing education that will prepare individuals for today’s workforce. The post Headlines first appeared on Community College Daily .
6 May 2026
Creating bridges, not barriers
About 40% of all U.S. undergraduate students attend two-year colleges, according to the Community College Research Center at Columbia University. Most students come through the door with the intent to transfer, but find their path blocked by credit loss, financial obstacles, or an aggravating lack of reliable information. Despite surveys indicating that nearly 80% of community college learners aspire to earn a bachelor’s degree, only about one-third transfer to a four-year institution. And less than half of students who do transfer earn a bachelor’s within six years of initial enrollment. Administrators say this issue is more reflective of an unfair and underfunded system than of a student’s lack of ability. This article comes from the current issue of the Community College Journal, the bimonthly magazine of the American Association of Community Colleges . “If students were given the right support, they would do well,” says Jen Gilbride-Brown, vice president of student success and experience at Columbus State Community College (Ohio). “It’s not a talent gap, but an opportunity gap. The challenge remains the funding – a lack of investment over generations.” Across the country, community colleges are collaborating with universities and policymakers to develop seamless transfer pathways. States like South Carolina have turned to wholesale transfer reform, while Louisiana is actively aligning its instruction, advising and academic resources. In Ohio, Columbus State and city officials launched the Columbus Promise , guaranteeing Columbus City School graduates two years of tuition-free education. Since its 2021 launch, the joint initiative has offered more than 3,000 students a free ride to Columbus State. The Ohio program – a partnership among the city, Columbus State and education nonprofit I Know I Can – covers tuition and mandatory fees while providing a $500-per-semester stipend for supplemental costs. Columbus Promise hit a snag at the end of 2025, when a $1.2 billion city budget did not include funding for the initiative. Though committed to the next two graduating cohorts, the program is seeking sustainable long-term dollars, Gilbride-Brown says. Related article: College transfer as a workforce strategy The longevity of Columbus Promise is a cornerstone of student prosperity and regional growth, she adds. “It’s exciting to be part of this critical mass of work that’s changing how people think about entering education,” Gilbride-Brown says. “There are many points of entry available for students at the right time, in the right way and at the right price.” About 80% of Promise scholars receive some form of Pell assistance, with more than half the first in their family to attend college. To further support transfer students, Columbus State is offering eligible graduates a tuition-free pathway to complete their bachelor’s degree at Ohio State University. Building on a foundation Building on a partnership established in 2011, Buckeye Bridge guarantees admission and credit transfer for Ohio-based low- to middle-income associate degree holders. More than 1,000 students already transfer between the colleges each year and Buckeye Bridge aims to increase that figure upon launch this spring, notes Gilbride-Brown. Columbus State and Ohio State currently offer 75 specialized 2+2 pathways, providing a structured roadmap from an associate degree to a bachelor’s. To qualify for Buckeye Bridge, students must file an annual FAFSA, maintain full-time enrollment at Ohio State, and have a family adjusted gross income of $100,000 or less. Certain Ohio State majors and colleges maintain supplemental entrance criteria or highly competitive selection processes, according to Gilbride-Brown. The partner institutions are expanding their transfer agreement for technical programs that previously lacked clear pathways. Fields such as cybersecurity and engineering technology are leading examples of this ideally frictionless path to graduation. “If you’re coming from a two-year school, these courses must be applicable to a university,” Gilbride-Brown says. “We’re always trying to improve, particularly in the applied sciences, to map on in ways that eliminate credit loss. We’re working with Ohio State to smooth those issues.” Streamlining the transfer journey Student transfer can be an anxiety-inducing process marked by lost credits, prolonged degree completion and financial frustration. In South Carolina, about 38% of first-time college students transfer at least once, losing an estimated 43% of credits, per data from an Articulation Action Plan the state released in 2023. Lower-income learners are nearly half as likely as their higher-income peers to transfer to a four-year institution (25% vs. 41 %), and fully half as likely to obtain a bachelor’s degree within six years (11% vs. 22%). As stated by the Community College Research Center, “The current system, underperforming as it is, works twice as well for white students as it does for Black and Latinx students, and twice as well for higher-income students as for lower-income students.” With these obstacles in mind, the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education (CHE) is streamlining the transfer journey for community and technical college students statewide. Through the CHE-developed Statewide Transfer Task Force – a coalition of private and public educators, administrators and policymakers – South Carolina is better equipped to tackle pain points in the system, supporters say. “Before the reforms, this process was not as structured,” says Lori Heafner, vice president for academic affairs at Horry-Georgetown Technical College (HGTC). “Students would get an associate degree and may have false perceptions about the full transferability of their credits, unless there were specific agreements with individual institutions. Those students could lose credits, because those credits may not have been accepted on the university side except as electives perhaps.” Related article: The college transfer generation As the state’s new transfer oversight entity, CHE leads regular meetings for transfer policy development, collaboration and professional learning. In addition, South Carolina is replacing its outdated South Carolina Transfer and Articulation Cente r (SC TRAC) web portal, recently entering a two-year agreement with national nonprofit Ithaka S+R to pilot the Transfer Explorer platform. The updated portal simplifies course lookups and provides personalized degree-tracking for transferred credits. Other CHE recommendations include more consistent credit transfer standards, as well as better facilitation of the reverse transfer process. Although these reforms should alleviate the accumulation of excess credits, the CHE cannot force four-year colleges and universities to apply courses toward specific degree requirements, Heafner says. “The CHE is a coordinating body, not a governing body, so they can’t demand that every university take English 201 as a one-for-one into American Lit,” she says. “So, they’ll give you an elective credit, but you still have to take their English. The system is getting better, but it depends on the receptiveness of faculty.” Broader institutional buy-in would validate that community college courses provide learning outcomes equivalent to university standards, Heafner says. HGTC has a robust transfer partnership with Coastal Carolina University, encompassing precisely tailored credit transfers along with access to the university’s student union. Still, it’s the lack of buy-in from other colleges that has Heafner wishing for a policy with more teeth. “(The CHE) is saying you need to do this, then it’s left up to the institution to make it happen,” she says. “We’ve put policies in place saying that these are courses that will transfer, but colleges still have autonomy, and a course may not actually apply to your major.” There’s more to this article! Read the full article. The post Creating bridges, not barriers first appeared on Community College Daily .
6 May 2026
Übergriffe durch libysche Küstenwache: Deutschland warnt vor den eigenen Partnern
Immer wieder werden NGO-Schiffe von Libyen angegriffen. Das Bundesinnenministerium erhöht die Sicherheitsstufe – dabei unterstützt Europa die Libyer. mehr...
6 May 2026
meinungsstark:
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5 May 2026
The importance of career guidance
A new study from the Harvard Business School highlights the growing importance of career coaches, mentors and others in helping students and workers navigate career choices and pathways in an increasingly uncertain employment environment. The study begins by stating that careers are increasingly defined by “pivots,” yet education and workforce development systems haven’t kept pace. The researchers argued that current systems are more oriented toward a more stable, linear labor market rather than one of continuous shifts. The study outlines the various ways students and workers can become sidetracked from their career paths by economic shocks — such as the results of the Covid pandemic — to personal circumstances (like caregiving responsibilities) and institutional barriers. “As a result, career progression is not linear, and mobility increasingly depends on individuals’ ability to navigate repeated transitions under constraint,” the study says. But students and workers in many cases report difficulties in deciphering information on job trends and job openings, which leads to distrust of online information. That can stymie or halt career aspirations. “The challenge is not access to information alone, but the ability to interpret and act on it,” the study says. “In many cases, institutions fail to translate labor market signals into actionable guidance.” Challenges for counselors Enter college career counselors and employment specialists who can help interpret that information for students and workers. Yet, access to quality coaching is limited, the study notes. Interviewed coaches cited high caseloads, unclear job descriptions and a lack of digital tools and resources for their jobs. “They are expected to be knowledgeable about evolving technologies and skills demands, often without the labor market data or training they need to track and interpret trends,” the study says. “In practice, many provide support far beyond career advising, including helping clients access housing, childcare and health coverage.” The study also examined other ways students and workers acquired information about jobs and careers, including family, friends, professors, supervisors and hiring managers. Of note was the importance of mentors — often teachers — who played a crucial role in shaping their career decisions. “Those relationships often provided encouragement, exposure to new career possibilities and concrete advice about education and training pathways,” the study says. The study is based on a survey of more than 1,000 low-wage workers and 264 community college students, plus focus group interviews with workers, students and career coaches. The post The importance of career guidance first appeared on Community College Daily .
5 May 2026
A game plan for dual-enrollment outreach
Emily Summers is rarely at her desk — and her employer couldn’t be happier about it. Summers is a dual-enrollment specialist at Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) in southeastern Wisconsin. She’s usually out at area high schools extolling the virtues of dual enrollment to students, guidance counselors, principals and parents. For MATC, the face-to-face, hands-on approach Summers and her fellow specialists use has proven effective in increasing the number of students participating in dual enrollment. The college offers several types of dual enrollment programs, including a decade-long partnership with Milwaukee Public Schools and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee called M-Cubed. “The key is to build personal relationships,” said Josephine Gómez, dean of community education and strategic engagement. “We work closely and continually with principals, counselors, parents and students to show how valuable, important and viable these programs are.” This article is part of a monthly series provided by the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations , an affiliated council of the American Association of Community Colleges . The personal approach is working, and the stats prove it: The number of MATC college credits earned by high school students has grown by 18% in the past two years. In the 2024-25 school year, 4,602 students earned 21,703 credits and saved nearly $4 million in college tuition through dual enrollment programs. Of the 80 high schools in the MATC District, 59 had at least one student in at least one dual-credit class. Summers, who has been at MATC for nearly four years, oversees dual-enrollment activities at 22 high schools in the district. She usually spends three days a week at high schools that have the most students participating in dual enrollment programs. She answers questions, explains programs and provides information. “Everyone loves the idea of free college,” Summers said. “The counselors are on board, the teachers are on board and many of the parents are on board. Being there for them has really helped.” Personalized outreach is one way for the college to reach its goal of increasing dual-enrollment participation by 10% each year. MATC has also hired more dual-enrollment staff and now has four specialists and two coordinators, Gómez said. The specialists closely monitor what programs and classes resonate most with students. “They know what the students in those schools want,” she said. “The great thing is with 180 programs, there is something at MATC for everyone.” The college also has: Held open houses specifically showcasing dual-enrollment programs. Included dual-enrollment statistics in college marketing materials. Improved the college’s dual-enrollment webpage by adding videos and interactive components. Refreshed dual-enrollment flyers, brochures and posters. A broader audience Increased and intentional messaging from administration, including MATC President Anthony Cruz, has helped raise awareness of dual enrollment with business partners, community leaders, deans and faculty, Gómez said. Cruz penned an opinion piece on dual enrollment that appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the city’s largest newspaper. “Dual enrollment is not just about moving faster. It is about moving smarter,” Cruz wrote. “It gives students confidence, reduces barriers to postsecondary education, and creates smoother transitions from high school to college and from education to employment. For many students, it is the first step toward long-term opportunity and stability.” At a recent gathering of regional employers, elected officials and community leaders, Cruz said dual enrollment is one of the most effective tools the college has to help strengthen Wisconsin’s talent pipeline. “Our future nurses, welders, cybersecurity specialists and entrepreneurs are on our campuses every day,” Cruz told the audience. “By giving them earlier exposure to postsecondary education, we shorten their time to completion, lower their costs and create smoother transitions into the workforce. “When our students succeed, employers fill these critical roles, families experience greater economic mobility and communities grow stronger.” According to the National Center for Education Statistics, dual-enrollment participation is growing rapidly across the country, from 1.5 million students in 2021 to 2.8 million during the 2023-24 academic year. Today, 34% of all high school students take at least one college course. Plus, dual-enrollment students are more likely to attend college immediately after high school, apply to more colleges and gain admission to more selective institutions, according to research by the Community College Research Center. At MATC, more and more dual-enrollment students will experience those benefits thanks to the college’s personal touch, increased marketing and intentional messaging. “Overall, we’re moving in the right direction,” Gómez said. “I believe we are at a tipping point. I feel that everything might boil over at the same time. The state will come up with the money, more and more instructors will get on board, and area businesses will really buy in. I am confident we are in a good position to take advantage when that happens.” The post A game plan for dual-enrollment outreach first appeared on Community College Daily .
5 May 2026
Headlines
Senate education committee chair Bill Cassidy fights to keep his seat The 74 Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, is facing a tough primary election May 16. President Donald Trump has endorsed his opponent, Rep. Julie Letlow. Ahead of the curve: Short-term classes lead to long-term gains U.S. News & World Report Community colleges have seen positive outcomes with eight-week terms, but implementing this at scale is a complex process that requires intense planning. Commentary: Will Iowa let its community colleges innovate? Des Moines Register The pressure to keep costs low for students ― which is the right pressure ― leaves little margin for the kind of experimentation that builds the future. And the pace of change in the sector is outrunning the pace at which institutions can respond. 7 community colleges with on-campus housing U.S. News & World Report Nearly 27% of U.S. public community colleges have on-campus housing, according to an analysis by the American Association of Community Colleges. The post Headlines first appeared on Community College Daily .
5 May 2026
Funding roundup
Drake State Community and Technical College recently celebrated a $5 million gift from the E. Hart Fund — the single largest donation in the college’s history — made in honor of the late Ellenae Fairhurst. This follows last year’s $500,000 donation to create the endowed scholarship. The investment will fund a full remodel of Drake State’s automotive building — upgrading the space where students gain the industry-relevant skills that launch careers in one of Huntsville’s most vital sectors. Fairhurst believed in the automotive industry and in entrepreneurship as real pathways to upward mobility, according to the college’s press release . “It is our dream that the next Ellenae Fairhurst is trained right here on our campus,” said Drake State President Patricia Sims. Drake State also received $700,000 in federal funding to expand high‑demand training programs and enhance instructional capacity. Sen. Katie Britt (R-Alabama) secured the funding for the college through the fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations process. In total, Britt has directly secured more than $5.74 million for the Alabama Community College System in FY26 appropriations funding. “This is exactly the investment federal taxpayer dollars should make — empowering our students and preparing the next generation of leaders,” Britt said. Georgia Kia Georgia has donated $100,000 to the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) Foundation to support workforce development and technical education across the state. The donation will help expand access to critical support services for TCSG students, with a portion directed to the TCSG Foundation’s Last Mile Fund, which provides financial assistance to students nearing graduation, helping them overcome unexpected barriers and complete their credentials. “Kia Georgia continues to be an outstanding partner in our work to build a highly skilled, job-ready workforce,” said TCSG Commissioner Greg Dozier. “This investment directly supports our students and strengthens the talent pipeline that drives Georgia’s economy.” Illinois Waubonsee Community College in April hosted Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Illinois) at its Sugar Grove Campus to celebrate a $450,000 federal investment in student success. The funding will help to repurpose and convert campus spaces on the campus into an extension of the Center for Parenting Students. During her visit to Waubonsee, Underwood toured the future site of the center. “At Waubonsee, nearly one in five of our students balance the responsibilities of parenthood while pursuing their dreams,” said Waubonsee President Brian Knetl. “We are removing the barriers to their success and honoring the grit they show every day as they strive toward their educational goals.” Waubonsee staff joined Rep. Lauren Underwood and Waubonsee President Brian Knetl (center) to celebrate federal funding secured by Underwood. (Photo: Waubonsee) Kentucky Bluegrass Community and Technical College (BCTC) has received a $427,622 grant from the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission to support its Recovery-to-Work Program. The two-year award will expand opportunities for individuals in opioid recovery across central Kentucky. The Recovery-to-Work Program aims to fully fund workforce training in high-demand fields and create opportunities for participants to earn billable peer support credentials. By integrating trade and technical education with peer specialist credentialing, the program offers a comprehensive approach to workforce reentry and long-term recovery success. The program “empowers individuals to rebuild their lives while strengthening Kentucky’s workforce,” said BCTC President and CEO Greg Feeney. Michigan Bay de Noc Community College’s food pantry recently received a $1,000 donation from Immanuel Lutheran Church, made possible through proceeds from the church’s Annual Lenten breakfast. The pantry serves students at both the Escanaba and Iron Mountain campuses, helping to remove barriers to student success by ensuring access to nutritious food and household essentials. Barbara Denny and Linda McDonald from the Immanual Lutheran Church women’s group present a $1,000 donation to Kari Meunier (center), Bay College’s director of accessibility and special populations, to support the Bay College Food Pantry. (Photo: Bay College) Missouri Moberly Area Community College (MACC) has received a “transformational” gift of approximately $4 million from the Harold J. Robertson and Laura J. Robertson Living Trust. The gift is one of the most significant private contributions in MACC’s history and reflects a deep commitment to expanding educational opportunity in the region, according to a press release from the college. “A gift of this magnitude will have a lasting impact on our ability to serve students and strengthen programming and resources at the Hannibal campus,” said MACC President Todd Martin. “While we are still evaluating how best to steward these funds, we are committed to ensuring they align with our mission and create meaningful, long-term benefits.” Harold Robertson, a WWII veteran and engineer, passed away in 2019 at the age of 93, and Laura passed away on March 12 at the age of 101. The Robertsons both grew up in Hannibal and returned in retirement. New York Hudson Valley Community College (HVCC), in partnership with Albany County and the Albany County Pine Hills Land Authority (ACPHLA), announced a $1 million gift pledge from the Massry family to support the college’s planned acquisition of the Massry Center for the Arts from ACPHLA. The gift advances HVCC’s efforts to sustain the Massry Center as a vital community resource for Albany County and the city of Albany’s Pine Hills neighborhood, and beyond. It enables the Hudson Valley Community College Foundation to move forward with the acquisition of the 46,000-square-foot facility located on the former campus of the College of Saint Rose. Pending completion of approvals and property transfer, HVCC intends to operate the Massry Center as a regional hub for arts, education, performance and community engagement. Oregon A $1 million state grant will support Portland Community College’s efforts to close healthcare workforce shortages in Oregon. The funding through the Healthy Oregon Workforce Training Opportunity Grant Program will go toward scholarships. “This investment tackles one of Oregon’s most urgent health workforce needs: ensuring communities can count on trained emergency responders when seconds matter,” said Jean Hull, the college’s dean for the healthcare and emergency professions pathways. The grant launches an EMS training pathway designed to advance health equity through recruitment and comprehensive student support. Of the total funding, approximately $420,000 is dedicated to tuition and educational support for students, which will help 100 EMTs statewide continue training and earn certification. Students in the pathway also will receive career coaching, outreach services, language assistance and transportation and childcare support. Pennsylvania Lehigh Carbon Community College (LCCC) will use a $1 million state Dual Credit Innovation Grant to expand its tuition-free college credit programs for local high school students. The funding is part of a statewide $21 million investment to remove financial barriers to higher education. The grant means eligible high school students can enroll in college-level courses at LCCC at no cost to themselves or their families. “As a former student of Lehigh Carbon Community College, I recognize the value and opportunities that our community colleges provide for students,” said Pennsylvania Sen. Jarrett Coleman. “Helping high school students earn college credits is a common-sense way to reduce the long-term cost of a degree and prepare our workforce with less debt and more experience.” Other colleges receiving Dual Credit Innovation Grants include Butler County Community College , Community College of Allegheny County , Luzerne County Community College , Northampton Community College , Reading Area Community College and Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology . Virginia Laurel Ridge Community College was selected as a 2025 Progress, Accomplishment, Thriving, Hope (PATH) Scholarship recipient through the Ellucian Foundation. The recognition comes with $15,000 to distribute to students. The PATH Scholarship Program provides grants to higher education institutions to directly benefit students facing economic hardships and subsequent educational disruptions. Laurel Ridge provided financial assistance to 17 students. Six students received assistance with childcare costs in the fall as part of Laurel Ridge’s efforts to further support parent scholars, said Vivi Meder, director of student support. “Childcare costs are vital in alleviating financial stress for parent scholars hoping to change their lives by continuing their education,” Meder said. “These stipends lessen the burden so that parents can focus on their academics, one semester at a time.” Additionally, 11 power line worker students received funding to cover their living expenses during the final weeks of their program. The post Funding roundup first appeared on Community College Daily .
5 May 2026
Peruaner im Ukrainekrieg: Südamerikaner plötzlich an der Front
Peruaner:innen werden unter falschen Versprechungen nach Russland gelockt. Dort angekommen, müssen sie im Angriffskrieg gegen die Ukraine kämpfen. mehr...
5 May 2026
: Harter linker Haken
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4 May 2026
Strategy before technology
Across higher education, artificial intelligence (AI) is already present in classrooms, advising centers and students’ everyday lives. However, many learners have uneven experiences. In one course, the faculty encourages students to use AI tools to support research or coding. In another, students are warned that any use of AI could be considered academic misconduct. Elsewhere, many students struggle to find timely advice or tutoring support, even though AI could help extend services beyond traditional hours. This disconnect highlights a deeper leadership challenge. AI is not simply an alternative technology. It represents strategic issues affecting teaching, learning, governance, workforce preparation and institutional culture. For community colleges, in particular, the question is not whether AI will shape the future of education. It is whether we will evolve in ways that reflect our mission of access, equity and student success. Why AI leadership matters now Community colleges are central to workforce development and economic mobility. Many students enter higher education seeking immediate pathways to employment while balancing work, family and financial responsibilities. Meanwhile, employers increasingly assume that graduates possess AI literacy, regardless of their discipline. Without intentional leadership, institutions risk widening existing opportunity gaps. Students with prior technological experience will continue to benefit, whereas others may graduate without the skills required to navigate an AI-enabled workplace. Community colleges have long facilitated social mobility, and that role now includes preparing students to engage with AI responsibly. However, many institutions remain caught between policy debates and practical implementation. Although committees develop draft guidelines, students are already using AI tools independently. Faculty seek clarity on academic integrity and ethical use, while staff look for ways to integrate AI into advising, enrollment and student support services. A clear leadership framework that aligns innovation with institutional purpose is needed, not simply more policy. Leadership, not tools AI raises complex questions that extend beyond technology. Issues of privacy, data security, academic integrity and algorithmic biases require thoughtful governance. Simultaneously, institutions must remain sufficiently agile to respond to rapid changes in the workforce and learning environment. Many colleges are exploring the concept of dedicated AI leadership, whether through a chief AI officer role or a cross-functional leadership structure. Their purpose is not to centralize control, but to ensure strategic coherence and alignment with the broader institution. Someone must connect the dots between institutional mission and technological innovation, asking not just “What tools should we adopt?” but “How does AI advance student success?” Three leadership priorities are particularly important for community colleges. Strategic alignment. AI initiatives should be grounded in the college’s mission and long-term goals. Technology investments must support teaching and learning, workforce preparation and equitable access rather than isolated experimentation. Responsible governance. Community colleges serve diverse populations and must lead with transparency and trust. Clear guidelines on ethical use, privacy, and academic integrity help create a culture wherein innovation can flourish responsibly. Institutional readiness. AI literacy cannot remain confined to computer science programs. Students in healthcare, business, liberal arts and skilled trades encounter AI in their professions. Leadership must foster professional development for faculty and staff so that AI becomes a shared institutional capability rather than a niche initiative. A mission-driven framework Unlike large research universities, community colleges operate within a culture of shared governance and close community engagement. Therefore, successful AI adoption depends on collaboration across academic affairs, student services, workforce programs and institutional research. An effective AI leadership framework begins with mission alignment. Colleges must define how AI supports student learning, civic engagement and regional economic development. Faculty partnerships are equally essential, as educators are key in shaping how AI enhances pedagogy, rather than replacing human interaction. Commitment to equity is equally important. AI could democratize access to learning resources, but only if institutions intentionally address the digital and AI divide. This includes expanding digital literacy programs, embedding AI competencies across the curriculum, and ensuring that students understand the opportunities and limitations of these tools. From talk to action Community colleges have always thrived by responding to societal change with innovation and purpose. AI represents another moment that calls for leadership grounded in values rather than fear. Successful institutions will be those that move beyond reactive policies and toward intentional strategies. Nowadays, leadership requires balancing urgency with reflection. We must act quickly enough to prepare students for an evolving workforce, while remaining thoughtful about AI’s ethical and educational implications. By establishing clear governance structures, investing in faculty development and centering student success, community colleges can lead higher education in shaping a more inclusive and responsible AI future. AI will continue to evolve, but our mission remains constant: to expand opportunities, foster learningS and strengthen communities. With the right leadership framework, community colleges can ensure that AI becomes a tool for empowerment, rather than creating division. The post Strategy before technology first appeared on Community College Daily .
4 May 2026
Headlines
Why GSA’s anti-DEI certification is raising alarm in higher education Higher Ed Dive The U.S. General Services Administration is the latest federal agency to take direct aim at diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, proposing in January that all federal funding recipients — including colleges and universities — certify their compliance with the administration’s DEI-related executive orders and guidance. Why Congress is struggling with Trump’s education agency breakup Politico Weekly Education President Donald Trump wants to move career and technical education programs to the Labor Department. Lawmaker resistance could be a big deal. Gov. Newsom visits Pasadena job training program Pasadena Now California Gov. Gavin Newsom visited Pasadena City College last week to highlight a workforce training program aimed at preparing skilled trade workers to help speed Los Angeles’ recovery from recent wildfires. Commentary: Gas prices and commuter schools Inside Higher Ed If prices stay this high or go higher by fall, we may see even greater shifts to online classes. The post Headlines first appeared on Community College Daily .
4 May 2026
Newsmakers
CEOs on the move Hara Charlier has been named the next president of Berkshire Community College in Massachusetts. She is currently president of Central Lakes College (CLC) in Minnesota, a position he has held since 2016. Under Charlier’s leadership, CLC has transformed the student experience to advance equitable success, growing enrollment, modernizing facilities and launching more than 20 new academic programs, while prioritizing partnerships, expanding resources and reinforcing fiscal sustainability, according to a release from the college. Her leadership philosophy centers on voice, relationships and belonging. Before becoming president, Charlier was vice president for instruction and student services at Virginia Highlands Community College for four years. Earlier, she was at Blue Ridge Community College (Virginia) for nearly six years, serving as dean and interim vice president and also teaching biology. Luca E. Lewis will become the next president of California’s Ventura College , pending board approval on May 12. He currently serves as the college’s interim president, a position he has held since September. “Dr. Lewis has consistently demonstrated strong leadership, a clear dedication to student success and social justice, and a commitment to ensuring Ventura College remains aligned with the needs of its community. We look forward to building on that momentum in the years ahead,” said Ventura board chair Gabriela Torres. Lewis brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in higher education, with a record of advancing access, enrollment growth and student achievement across diverse college environments, according to the college. Prior to his interim presidency, Lewis was vice president of student affairs at Ventura College. Previously, he was associate vice chancellor of education and student services at the West Hills Community College District. Earlier in his career, Lewis served as vice president for student services at Whatcom Community College in Washington. He also has held leadership roles at Edmonds Community College, Bellevue College and the University of Washington, Tacoma. Pakou Yang will serve as president of Normandale Community College in Minnesota effective immediately. She has served as the college’s interim president for 10 months. In the interim role, Yang has provided strategic and operational leadership while engaging faculty, staff, students and community partners to advance the college’s mission and strategic objectives, the college said in a release. With this appointment, Yang is the first Hmong American college or university president in the U.S. Yang “excels at cultivating coalitions and consensus around what needs to be done and will no doubt continue to build upon Normandale’s solid foundation to position it well for the future,” said Scott Olson, chancellor of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. Yang previously was provost and vice president of academic affairs at Century College (Minnesota) from 2021 to 2025. Prior to that, she was the college’s vice president of student affairs and enrollment management for three years. Earlier, she was academic dean for the division of behavioral and social science, communication, physical education and health, humanities, and the translation and interpreting program. Yang began her academic career as a communication instructor at Century in 2003. From 2014 to 2018, Yang was system director for P-20 and college readiness at the Minnesota State system office, where she guided statewide policy and legislative efforts on dual enrollment, course placement, developmental education and K-12/higher education alignment. New CEOs Jason Abreu will serve as the next president of Atlantic Cape Community College in New Jersey. He currently is vice president of student affairs at Tarrant County College’s Trinity River Campus (Texas). Previously, Abreu was associate vice president of enrollment services and university registrar at Furman University (South Carolina) and held several leadership roles at Miami Dade College in Florida, including director of admissions, registration and financial aid, and director of veteran and military services. Abreu has leadership experience across the K-20 education sector and has worked with non-profit, private and public partners to support student success, workforce readiness and community engagement, according to a press release. He is recognized for cultivating collaborative, data-informed cultures that strengthen institutional effectiveness and improve the student experience. “Dr. Abreu brings more than 20 years of higher education leadership experience, with a strong focus on student success, access and institutional effectiveness,” said Daniel Money, chair of the college’s board of trustees. John M. Davis will become the next president of Cleveland State Community College (Tennessee) in June. He currently is vice president of administrative services at Germanna Community College in Virginia, a position he has held since 2017. Davis, a community college alumnus, has served for 28 years in higher education in a variety of settings, including both public and private as well as two-year and four-year institutions. His role at Germanna includes serving as the institutional accreditation liaison for the college’s regional accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges. He joined Germanna in 2008 as executive director of planning and assessment. Previously, he was director of institutional research and strategic planning at Thomas Nelson Community College in Virginia. Davis also has previous administrative experience at Regent University and the University of Michigan and teaching experience at Regent. Kudos Sunita “Sunny” Cooke , president of MiraCosta College in California, has been named CEO of the Year in the public service (education) category by the San Diego Business Journal. The honor recognizes Cooke’s exceptional leadership, regional impact and commitment to expanding opportunity through higher education. Cooke, who is a past chair of the American Association of Community Colleges board of trustees, is known regionally and nationally for her efforts to strengthen workforce pathways, improve student outcomes and align education with regional economic needs. Retirement announcement Marilyn “Murph” Fore , who has served as president of South Carolina’s Horry-Georgetown Technical College (HGTC) since 2017, has announced that she plans to retire on July 31. She has served at the college for 51 years. Fore has led HGTC through significant growth, expanded academic programs and strengthened partnerships across Horry and Georgetown counties, according to a release from the college. Her leadership has helped advance student success and workforce development throughout the region. Fore started at HGTC as an adjunct faculty member in adult education and served in other part-time and full-time positions before becoming department chair of social sciences. She was then promoted to director of international education and dean of arts and sciences, computer, business education, and allied health. Fore then moved in executive leadership positions, including vice president of academic affairs and provost of the Grant Strand Campus, and then senior vice president. In March, Fore received the 2026 Martha Kime Piper Award, presented at the Annual Conference of South Carolina Women in Higher Education. She was recognized for her visionary leadership, unwavering advocacy for student success and intentional mentorship of emerging female leaders throughout the South Carolina Technical College System and beyond. Appointments Jermaine Ford , president of Florence-Darlington Technical College (FDTC) in South Carolina, has been appointed to the board of trustees for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, which serves as the accrediting body for more than 780 institutions across the U.S. and internationally. “Dr. Ford’s nomination to the SACSCOC Board reflects the tremendous progress our college has made and is a testament to the hard work that he and all the Florence-Darlington Technical College staff have put towards the advancement of our programs and offerings to our students,” said FDTC Area Commission Chairman Clint Moore. Donna L. Adair will become provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Hudson Valley Community College in New York on July 1. She is currently interim provost and senior vice president of academic affairs at New Jersey City University. Kylon Alford-Windfield is now vice president of enrollment management at Mississippi Delta Community College . He previously served as a higher education consultant and prior to that was vice president for enrollment management at Jackson State University. Arlene M. Howell Garrick will become director of hospitality, culinary and lodge operations at Ohio’s Hocking College . She is the founder of Bridging the Gap, an initiative that connects employers with a diverse group of job candidates before positions are formally posted. The post Newsmakers first appeared on Community College Daily .
4 May 2026
Community colleges are already the AI safe harbor
A safe harbor is where ships ride out a storm. It isn’t where the action is in fair weather, and it isn’t the most glamorous part of the coast. It’s the place that holds up when everything else is moving. Two years into the generative AI storm, the action has been at the top of the labor market. Metros with the highest share of bachelor’s degrees are seeing unemployment rise faster than in the typical metro, measured against each city’s own history. Finance, insurance, information, and professional and business services — more than 40% of GDP — keep posting output gains while headcount flatlines. Community colleges have spent those same two years bracing for their turn. That bracing may be misplaced. Students are already voting with their feet According to the National Student Clearinghouse’s Spring 2025 Current Term Enrollment Estimates , community colleges grew 5.4% year-over-year, adding 288,000 students and outpacing every other postsecondary segment. Enrollment at high-vocational public two-year institutions jumped 11.7% in a single year and is up nearly 20% since spring 2020. Lumina’s 2026 State of Higher Education Study , conducted with Gallup, picks up the same signal from the student side. Sixteen percent of currently enrolled students say they have already changed their major because of AI. Associate-degree students are switching at a higher rate than bachelor’s students (19% to 13%), and 56% say AI has caused them to reconsider their field. Community colleges aren’t just sitting in a safe harbor. They’re absorbing the students trying to get out of the weather. Why the migration is rational Look at the same credentials through an AI exposure lens and the reason comes into focus. A new AI exposure index , developed at Opportunity Data, scores every occupation on three dimensions: how much of the work is data and screen tasks AI can now do, how much requires face-to-face care, and how much depends on hands-on presence in a specific place. Every CIP program inherits a score through the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk. Higher scores mean more exposure. In 2023, public two-year institutions awarded roughly 1.1 million credentials. Of the 764,000 that map to a specific occupation and can be scored, 84% sit in the protected or moderate band. Just 1% land in the highly exposed tier. This isn’t a niche corner of the sector. It’s the center of it. Practical and vocational nursing produced nearly 50,000 credentials in 2023, at one of the lowest exposure scores of any occupation. Registered nursing added another 44,000. Precision metal working, vehicle maintenance, allied health, electrical and power transmission, cosmetology and early childhood each produced tens of thousands more. All of them sit in the protected zone. These are jobs where the body, human contact or responsibility for another person’s safety is the product. Healthcare credentials run through licensure boards. Trades credentials run through apprenticeships and employer partnerships. Public-service credentials run through state agencies and local workforce boards. The through-line is that the work is anchored somewhere specific, must meet a standard checked by a human, and happens in the presence of other people. In today’s labor market, it is also the work AI has the hardest time replacing. By contrast, highly exposed credentials are not very common at community colleges overall. Public two-year institutions graduated about 6,600 students across every highly exposed CIP family combined in 2023. That is roughly the size of one mid-sized nursing program. Two things to do now First, audit the exposed programs. A smaller group of credentials (general computer science, IT administration, accounting, general business, legal support) sits in the exposed tier, where tasks are shifting fastest. The sector-level picture is clear; the college-level picture varies. Every institution should know which of its programs fall in that band. Pull the industry advisory boards back to the table, walk through which tasks have moved and refresh the curriculum to match. Second, use AI durability as a recruiting message. Community colleges have spent decades leading with access, affordability and flexibility. All still true. But the most timely message to a 2026 student or their parent is that the credentials community colleges award at scale are among those least exposed to AI automation. The data support it. Use it. The students community colleges serve, the employers they work with and the credentials they award were already pulling toward physical, human, locally anchored work long before generative AI arrived. This is not a moment to pivot. It is a moment to see the harbor for what it is. The post Community colleges are already the AI safe harbor first appeared on Community College Daily .
4 May 2026
Headlines
Proposal would block immigrants in U.S. unlawfully from Florida colleges Florida Politics Students without lawful immigration status in Florida could soon be barred from admission to all 28 state community colleges. Commentary: The U.S. economy is booming — just not where 50 million Americans live Fortune Too many workforce systems — the combination of employers, training providers, public agencies and benefits programs that connect people to jobs — were designed for a world in which job loss was episodic and recovery followed a relatively predictable path through retraining and re-entry. That is not the world AI is pushing us toward. $1B spending plan for Iowa’s education system Radio Iowa As the legislature moves toward ending its 2026 session, the Iowa House and Senate have approved a bill that outlines $1 billion in state spending for Iowa’s education system in the next academic year. It includes a 1.44% increase in state funding for community colleges, which had requested a 4% increase. Commentary: Will Iowa let its community colleges innovate? Des Moines Register These aren’t abstract budget problems. They’re constraints on the institutions training Iowa’s nurses, welders, precision agriculture technicians and advanced manufacturing workforce. And when community colleges can’t innovate, the workers and communities that depend on them pay the price. Michigan college asks voters to restore operating millage to 1993 levels 13 ABC The Muskegon Community College board of trustees unanimously approved placing the proposal on the August 4 ballot. If passed, it would restore 0.2705 mills to bring the college’s operating rate back to 2.4 mills, the level voters originally approved in 1993. Howard Community College is bringing campus-based childcare back WJZ Daria J. Willis, president of the Maryland college, talks about the Children’s Learning Center on HCC’s campus. The post Headlines first appeared on Community College Daily .
3 May 2026
Washington Watch: A look at ED’s proposed regs on accreditation
The Education Department (ED) last month convened the “Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization” committee for the first of two week-long negotiated rulemaking (neg reg) sessions. The second and final session starts May 18. At the conclusion of that week, a formal consensus vote will be taken on the draft regulations currently under consideration by the committee. As is always the case in the neg-reg process, ED is in the driver’s seat. If negotiators fail to reach consensus, the department can propose whatever it likes in the subsequent formal Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. This gives ED considerable leverage in the negotiations, as its position has an unavoidable “take it or leave it” element. ED also selects which stakeholder groups are represented for each negotiating table and who speaks for those groups. None of the former regional accrediting agencies is a primary negotiator – an unthinkable perspective in previous administrations, including during the first Trump term. Fortunately for community colleges, Monty Sullivan , former president of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System , is the lead negotiator for public institutions of higher education. Progress thus far In the current negotiations, ED officials have closely considered several formal proposals from negotiators and have made some changes. A number of these changes were included in a modified draft released toward the end of the first week of negotiations. A new, updated draft is expected to be released very soon, reflecting additional negotiator proposals. That said, aspects of the draft regulations should give pause to community college officials and all higher education, and ED has shown no signs of abandoning many of its fundamental positions. By way of context, many statements by both ED officials and neg-reg participants at the table have been harshly critical of institutions. Issues at stake in the negotiations Below are some of the key features of the draft regulations that could potentially affect community colleges. Transfer of credit: The draft regulations would require accreditors to ensure that institutions adopt transfer-of-credit policies that “presume the transferability of credits earned at another institution accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency count toward general education requirements or electives.” There is an exemption in cases where an institution provides a detailed, written rationale specific to the courses previously completed by the incoming student, and this practice might well be applied. The justification must also include the cost to the student of repeating the credits. While community colleges for decades have known of the extraordinary cost to students when credits do not transfer – a cost in student success as well as financial – this rigid requirement could have significant downsides for community colleges themselves because of its placing on core academic processes per external federal requirements. It may also create a perverse incentive, discouraging four-year institutions from admitting transfer students or from accepting them in certain programs. In addition, although this requirement is as far-reaching as it is, it does not address the longstanding issue of course rejections for major credit. In the second week of negotiations, perhaps some middle ground can be found, but ED is determined to forcefully impose its interests in this issue. Student outcomes: The draft regulations would require accreditors to adopt a series of standards focused on student outcomes, including program-level outcomes, a new requirement for federal accreditation. As proposed, these outcome standards would need to include “minimum expectations of student performance…that are regularly reviewed and updated, using valid and reliable data.” Many of these requirements reach far beyond what is required by the guiding Higher Education Act (HEA). They seem doubly problematic since the HEA places strict limits on the department’s authority to force accreditors to adopt changes outside of the accreditation standards set forth in the law. Accreditors would also now be formally required to review post-completion outcomes. Inevitably, data availability will complicate this process, despite this broadly accepted goal. Institutional review on cost/benefit analysis: Accreditors would be newly required to conduct “a cost/benefit analysis, which means a review by the agency of the institution’s budget, resource utilization and allocation, and if existing, its business/strategic plan, continuous improvement strategic plan, and review of whether the institution considers whether the expected benefits of the institution’s activities justify the associated financial, administrative and opportunity costs.” Violations of law: The draft regulations would prohibit accreditors from adopting standards that encourage or require institutions to violate federal or state law, including federal civil rights laws, or that interfere with institutions’ free speech rights. Accreditors would also be responsible for monitoring whether public institutions meet their obligations under the First Amendment. In addition, a new provision would bar agencies from reviewing institutional governance that is in the rightful purview of a state government. If finalized, these redundant requirements appear likely to make accreditation more cumbersome and expensive. Faculty oversight: The proposed regulations require accreditors to “evaluate whether an institution or program… maintains a sufficient number of appropriately qualified faculty and other subject matter instructors who are regularly evaluated on the performance of their instructional, research, or service responsibilities.” The regulations further specify that this accreditor review must consider, among other items, whether an institution “maintains faculty appointment structures that permit the institution or program to address persistent deficiencies in instructional quality, program relevance, or institutional effectiveness” and “maintains sufficient flexibility in instructional staffing to respond to material changes in student demand, program viability, or financial condition” Here again, it is hard to assess the potential impact of these changes if enacted in this or a similar form. However, once again, they could require a heavier hand from accreditors. Burden reduction: The draft regulations would require accreditors to administer their standards, policies and procedures in a manner that: Minimizes unnecessary compliance costs and administrative burdens on institutions or programs. Avoids duplicative reporting, excessive documentation requirements and prescriptive processes that are unrelated to educational quality or student achievement. Reduces unnecessary barriers that limit institutions or programs from adopting practices that improve student access, accelerate completion or support innovative models. The proposed regulations would also change certain regulatory provisions that could impede these goals or place unnecessary burdens on accreditors. These seem to be “good government,” common-sensical proposals, although, if in the included rule, their implementation would be key. Again, the next set of proposals from ED will be available soon, and information about them will be provided then. The post Washington Watch: A look at ED’s proposed regs on accreditation first appeared on Community College Daily .
3 May 2026
Gesellschaft: Sich nicht beugen
Nevin Akar kämpft als IG-Metallerin in Esslingen gegen Arbeitsplatzverlust und Wirtschaftskrise. Zuvor musste die Frau, deren Eltern als Gastarbeiter nach Deutschland kamen, den Arbeitskampf in voller Härte selbst erfahren. Eine Aufstiegsgeschichte. mehr...
1 May 2026
vom verschwinden (11):
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1 May 2026
Nachruf auf Timm Ulrichs: Der Löwe schläft heute Nacht
Die radikale Totalkunst Timm Ulrichs' machte auch vor dem Gebrauch des eigenen Körpers nicht halt. Nun ist der Konzeptkünstler mit 86 Jahren verstorben. mehr...
1 May 2026
Washington Watch: Senate bill looks to clarify financial aid offers
Senate Republicans on Wednesday released a bill to encourage greater standardization of financial aid offers, providing students with a clearer understanding of college costs and allowing them to more easily compare costs across institutions. Introduced by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the Improving Financial Aid Offers for Students Act , would require Title IV-eligible institutions to use standardized terminology to describe different costs, grants and scholarships, and loan options that appear on a student’s financial aid offer. However, unlike other proposals, it does not mandate that institutions use a standardized form. Instead, it directs the Education Department to, in coordination with key stakeholders, develop a model template that institutions can choose to use. Importantly for community colleges, the bill would allow institutions to remove components that are not applicable to the student, program or institution, and it would allow institutions to insert additional information to add more context, including distinct information on costs owed to the institution versus living costs. The American Association of Community Colleges , which has endorsed the bill as the sector’s preferred proposal, says it supports efforts to promote the clarity, consistency and accuracy of financial aid offers and student communications. In 2023, AACC joined the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators and nine other higher education associations to form the College Cost Transparency Initiative , which developed shared definitions and standards adopted by many community colleges across the country. AACC added that the proposed legislation includes provisions that directly respond to considerations and concerns raised by the association in its response to a Request for Information issued by the HELP Committee last year. The post Washington Watch: Senate bill looks to clarify financial aid offers first appeared on Community College Daily .
30 Apr 2026
Konservative Journalisten: Kritisch bleiben für alle
Braucht der Journalismus mehr konservative Stimmen? Wer das fordert, bedient die Erzählung der Rechtsextremen von einer „linkslastigen Branche“. mehr...
30 Apr 2026
College transfer as a workforce strategy
April is Community College Month, a time to recognize the impact community colleges have on students, families and the strength of our workforce. It’s also a fitting moment to consider a group that represents a central part of that impact, yet isn’t always top of mind when people think about community college education: transfer students. These are students who begin their education at a community college like Blue Ridge Community College and then transfer credits to four-year schools to earn degrees. A common transfer approach is the “2+2” pathway, in which the path to a bachelor’s degree starts close to home for two years at a community college and is then completed in two more years at a university. In North Carolina, community college tuition in 2026 is set statewide at $76 per credit hour, about 75% less than the state’s four-year institutions. By using the 2+2 strategy, a student’s family could easily save $50,000 to $80,000 over four years when considering tuition, books, fees, housing and other living expenses. It’s both a practical and strategic choice, and families are recognizing the value. This spring, more than a quarter of Blue Ridge’s Class of 2026 will graduate with credentials designed specifically for transfer. Across North Carolina, nearly 60% of transfer students in the University of North Carolina (UNC) system’s 16 public universities come from community colleges. Furthermore, in fall 2025, the UNC system welcomed a record number of community college students. As many workforce-critical careers require education beyond an associate degree, transfer pathways remain a vital part of meeting this demand. Through transfer pathways like 2+2 and Guaranteed Admissions agreements, students gain expanded access to education, stronger earning potential and a clear path to upward mobility, strengthening both individual futures and the workforce as a whole. Building durable skills Why start with an associate degree? These programs are intentionally designed to build the durable skills students need to succeed at four-year institutions and beyond. Students develop critical thinking, research, time management and study skills, while gaining practical experience with note-taking and test-taking. At Blue Ridge, academic-success and career-readiness courses build on this foundation with training in résumé writing, cover letters, appropriate use of artificial intelligence and job searching, along with essential professional skills like email etiquette, public speaking and teamwork. This ensures students are prepared to excel after they transfer and graduate. As we help students to build these foundational skills, it is vital to understand the viewpoint from which they see the world. We serve students from all backgrounds in our communities, including traditional high school graduates, working adults, first-generation college students or those with significant financial challenges. Each student is approaching college with different experiences, and what seems like common knowledge to some might sound like a foreign language to others. With transfer programs, we have the opportunity to help these students understand what questions to ask and provide the tools they need to succeed, offering them myriad resources and support along their educational pathway. Paving the way to success At a community college, students are supported from the outset, gaining advantages that are proven to lead to higher bachelor’s degree completion rates. One of these advantages is dual enrollment, meaning a student enrolled in both high school and college at the same time. According to a 2024 Community College Research Center (CRCC) study , dual-enrolled students who transferred from community colleges graduated with bachelor’s degrees at higher rates than their counterparts. Dual enrollment gives students momentum toward achieving their goals as early as high school, leading to improved outcomes after transferring. We’ve seen this momentum firsthand through North Carolina’s Career and College Promise (CCP) program, which gives students a head start on college. At Blue Ridge, high school students — including those in public and private schools, as well as homeschoolers — can complete a two-year, transfer-ready degree tuition-free. By the time they graduate from high school, they’ve already completed two years of college, putting them well ahead of their peers. In Henderson County Public Schools, our cohort-based CCP mode l takes this even further by guiding juniors and seniors through a structured path to earn that degree. As a result, many students graduate from high school ready to transfer directly into a four-year institution. Through CCP, many of our area’s top-performing high schoolers are making Blue Ridge their first choice. One example is Hendersonville High’s 2021 valedictorian, Jake Patterson , who transferred college-level courses from Blue Ridge to UNC-Chapel Hill as a Morehead-Cain Scholar — an honor reserved for students of the highest caliber. Another attainment advantage is completing a credential before transfer. The CRCC study found that students who earn an associate degree or certificate first are more likely to go on to complete a bachelor’s degree. Finishing a program before transferring not only improves outcomes, it also gives students momentum as they enter a four-year university. Making pathways clear Educators understand that clear, well-supported pathways are essential to student success. Transferring begins with acceptance to a four-year university, and uncertainty in that process can be a barrier. To address this, Blue Ridge offers Guaranteed Admissions pathways with a range of respected colleges and universities. Students who complete an associate degree and meet partner requirements are assured admission and transferable credits, removing much of the guesswork. In addition, we maintain dozens of other transfer agreements to help students maximize earned credits. For those with specific career goals, structured transfer pathways provide a smooth transition into a bachelor’s program, often with advising support from both institutions. By choosing these pathways early, students can transfer with confidence and move more efficiently toward their bachelor’s degree, strengthening the pipeline of skilled professionals entering our workforce. Success after college Transfer programs are about more than transferring credits — they’re about transferring knowledge and skills into meaningful, lasting careers. Blue Ridge graduate Hannah Hedrick, who is now a structural engineer at RK&K, served as the commencement speaker at our December 2025 commencement. By beginning at a community college, Hannah said she set a foundation for success, mastering her understanding of the basics in an encouraging environment. “Blue Ridge wasn’t just where I earned my degrees,” she said to the graduating class. “It was where I learned how to learn, how to think critically, how to work hard and how to keep going when things got tough. It was the place that gave me the confidence and foundation to reach for more.” By transferring, students like Hannah have more preparation for a university than their peers who had been there since their freshman year. Community college grads enter with a set of developed skills — from collaboration and accountability to hands-on experience in their fields — propelling them toward degree completion and career achievement. In this way, community college transfer programs are some of the most powerful workforce pipelines available to us. They expand opportunity while preparing students to meet the demands of high-demand, high-impact careers. As more students choose to begin their journeys at a community college, we must ensure our programs, support systems and relationships within higher education and industry continue to open doors and build momentum. This enables every student to go further, fulfill their professional dreams, and contribute meaningfully to the success of their communities. The post College transfer as a workforce strategy first appeared on Community College Daily .
30 Apr 2026
Faculty leadership is key to reforming developmental ed
About 40% of community college students take at least one remedial prerequisite course during their academic careers. While these courses are meant to prepare students for college-level work, for many students, they become a detour from which they never return. Over the past decade, however, many colleges have begun shifting away from this model, embracing a different approach that enrolls students directly into college courses while offering additional instruction and support alongside them. While the evidence is increasingly clear that students under this model persist and complete at higher rates, the momentum has started to slow. This is not because the approach is flawed, but because the hardest part of reform has little to do with course structure and everything to do with who leads the work. Grassroots work Reforming developmental education must start with the people closest to the classroom: faculty. In English, much of my work involves helping students rebuild confidence that has eroded over years of schooling. Of course, that erosion is rarely the result of intentional harm. K-12 teachers are asked to meet countless, often competing demands, which can make it difficult to consistently nurture every student’s confidence and skills. As a result, students arrive in college having been told, implicitly or explicitly, that they can’t write, that their ideas don’t matter or that their voice isn’t welcome in academic spaces. As an instructor, undoing that damage is deeply rewarding. But it is also slow, nuanced work. It cannot be designed from an administrator’s conference room or imposed through a memo. I learned this early in my career. Fresh out of graduate school and working as an adjunct faculty member, I was assigned a standalone developmental English course just days before the semester began. The class filled immediately with students who had registered at the last possible moment. Only two of the 25 students passed. I remember thinking, with genuine panic, that I simply wasn’t cut out for teaching. A department chair later told me that I had been set up to fail by a system that concentrated students with the greatest needs into a single course without providing the instructional time, support or flexibility required for them to succeed. Time and space That experience has stayed with me. Years later, now teaching corequisite courses that integrate additional support alongside college-level English, I’ve experienced something very different. These classes give me more time with students, greater flexibility in how I teach and the ability to meet students where they are. The courses are built around the acknowledgement that learning takes time and that students do better when instruction is responsive rather than punitive. What makes the courses successful is that they were crafted by faculty based on real classroom experience. At my institution, every meaningful reform has been faculty-led. Administrators give us room to experiment, revise and occasionally even make a mess. That messiness is not a bug but a feature. We try things, reflect on what works and what doesn’t, and adjust accordingly. Because these ideas originate within the faculty, others are far more willing to engage. Top-down change often struggles to take hold. When reform is positioned as a directive, faculty may eventually and begrudgingly follow, but genuine ownership does not. Leadership’s role Lasting change is rooted in trust, shared governance and a willingness to let faculty shape solutions that make sense in their classrooms. When faculty are invited into the process as partners, buy-in follows more naturally. Strong leadership in higher education requires cultivating a culture of trust, which takes time. Leaders must create psychological safety so faculty feel empowered to make decisions, share ideas and even fail without fear. That starts with listening, showing enthusiasm for their insights and giving them real autonomy. After all, everyone in higher education shares the same goal: helping students succeed. Innovation is essential to making that happen. For college leaders, the lesson is quite simple: let faculty lead. Institutions should set clear priorities, align advising and placement practices, and protect time for collaboration, but they must resist the urge to dictate every detail. When faculty are trusted to figure out what works for their students, the results are stronger and more durable. Corequisite education ultimately requires trust: trusting students and their ability to grow when given the opportunity and support. It also requires trusting faculty and their abilities to design learning environments that make that growth possible. When institutions embrace that mindset, developmental education reform looks and feels less like a mandate and more like a shared commitment to student success. The post Faculty leadership is key to reforming developmental ed first appeared on Community College Daily .
30 Apr 2026
Coverage of AACC 2026
Articles from the 2026 annual American Association of Community Colleges convention April 10-14 in Seattle. AACC’s bold new vision SEATTLE — The nation’s leading association for community colleges is embarking on a reset that will guide its work over the next decade. AACC’s Strategic Compass 2035 as a living document SEATTLE — The new president and CEO of the American Association of Community Colleges last weekend unveiled her vision for the association’s work for the next decade, but DeRionne Pollard is clear that she still wants to hear from members about what they like about it, what needs tweaking and what might be missing. DOL comes to listen SEATTLE — U.S. Department of Labor officials attended the annual conference of the American Association of Community Colleges this weekend mainly to listen, with a particular interest in learning about innovations and ideas to help address workforce challenges. Metallica foundation adds $10M to workforce initiative SEATTLE — The foundation of the rock band Metallica plans to invest $10 million over the next three years in its successful workforce development initiative, which has supported 13,000 community college students since it started in 2019. A deep dive into poverty SEATTLE — “Community colleges are this country’s poverty abolitionists.” The transformative nature of community colleges SEATTLE — Ten awards were given out last week at the American Association of Community Colleges’ annual Awards of Excellence gala, in categories ranging from advancing institutional equity and belonging, to CEO of the year. But together, the winners and finalists showed the wide breadth of community colleges’ impact on students and communities. Shifting focus to post-completion outcomes SEATTLE — Over the last 15 years, colleges have shifted from a focus on access to one on student success — primarily credential completion. Now, colleges need to focus on a different success metric: post-completion success. When preparation meets opportunity SEATTLE — Like most community colleges, J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College has had to look beyond state funding to serve the region and scale programs. Closing funding gaps requires innovation and intentionality. Improving transfer through communities of practice SEATTLE — Nine higher education institutions in Tulsa, Oklahoma, including Tulsa Community College and the College of the Muscogee Nation, have partnered to improve the educational journey for students through the Tulsa Higher Education Consortium. Snapshots: Scenes in Seattle A few candid photos from AACC 2026 in Seattle. Snapshots: Final pics from AACC 2026 in Seattle A few more photos to wrap up the American Association of Community Colleges annual convention in Seattle. See you next year in Indianapolis! The post Coverage of AACC 2026 first appeared on Community College Daily .
30 Apr 2026
Headlines
Taking on the heavy lifting: How Davidson-Davie is scaling apprenticeships to meet local workforce needs EdNC A key to Davidson-Davie Community College’s success in expanding apprenticeships is the fact that the college often serves as the apprenticeship program sponsor, taking on all administrative and compliance tasks associated with registering and running apprenticeship programs. Santiago Canyon College’s new water sciences lab will enhance classes in water technology Orange County Register A new, modernized water technology classroom is in final planning stages for the Santiago Canyon College campus that will feature state-of-the-art equipment to help train students for well-paying careers in water districts throughout Orange County and beyond. Infrastructure skills The Job Green jobs are now just good jobs, as community colleges continue to invest in the energy transition. Community colleges in California and across the country haven’t moved away from so-called green job training — far from it. They’re investing more and more every year. But they’ve moved beyond the niche focus, in part because of lessons learned about the risk of overspecialization and in part because the nature of climate and sustainability work has shifted. NC’s $230M biomanufacturing training investment: doubling down on workforce development North Carolina Biotechnology Center (blog) North Carolina is in an unprecedented period of reinvestment for its biomanufacturing workforce training. Community colleges across the state have invested more than $230 million over the past few years. This commitment to new and expanded life sciences training programs and facilities builds on the state’s history and strength in workforce development. The quiet revolution: Community colleges are training America’s AI workforce EDU Ledger Community colleges are leading the charge to help equip students with AI competencies that will drive the workforce of the future. Commentary: The hidden power grab in ‘fraud prevention’ — and the students who will pay Hope Center for Student Basic Needs (blog) Three bills to crack down on student aid fraud that were recently passed by a House committee would grant the U.S. Department of Education massive new powers to audit schools and withhold financial aid at precisely the moment the department is telling the country that its existing tools are already working. Commentary: Evidence-based strategies for success in community colleges Jobs for the Future Taking a look at the first semester of implementing of JFF’s Disrupt the Divide initiative, which aims to help community colleges redesign pathways to quality jobs using labor market data, institutional metrics and student voice. Commentary: Quick Take with John Colborn of Apprenticeships for America Quick Take (National Skills Coalition podcast) Despite a broadening national spotlight on a growing shortage of skilled workers in many fields, there is still a significant underinvestment in workforce development, and especially apprenticeships. The post Headlines first appeared on Community College Daily .
30 Apr 2026
Einwanderung nach Berlin : Neuzugewanderte als Expert*innen
Das Willkommenszentrum hat zusammen mit Zugewanderten ein Onlineangebot entwickelt. Es soll das Ankommen erleichtern und dient als Vorbild für andere. mehr...
30 Apr 2026
Reporter’s notebook
Senate bills aim to modernize apprenticeship system DOL tool to integrate AI into apprenticeships Aspen Prize semi-finalists announced Senate bills aim to modernize apprenticeship system Senate Republican leaders this week introduced two bills to expand and modernize the country’s apprenticeship system. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) introduced the Apprenticeship Data Value Improvements to Create Employment (ADVICE) Act . The bill aims to help states and program sponsors measure success by creating standardized data on pay, retention and completion rates, according to a release from Cassidy’s office. “This will help states and apprenticeship program sponsors replicate proven models so more workers will have opportunities to participate,” it said. Cassidy is also co-leading legislation with Sen. Jim Banks (R-Indiana) on the Streamlining Timely Apprenticeship Registration and Transparency (START) Act , which aims to speed up the registration process for new programs, particularly in industries that have not traditionally used apprenticeships. Both bills are supported by Apprenticeships for America, the Associated Builders and Contractors, The Manufacturing Institute, the Society for Human Resource Management and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. DOL tool to integrate AI into apprenticeships The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) on Wednesday launched an online portal that pools practical tools and resources to promote the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) skills into registered apprenticeship programs. DOL said the AI in Registered Apprenticeship Innovation Portal is a one-stop resource for organizations looking to build AI literacy and develop AI-focused registered apprenticeship programs by providing resources, models and insights. “By providing employers with the resources to develop AI-ready Registered Apprenticeship programs and workers with the skills to thrive in them, the separtment is taking concrete action to build the workforce of the future, today,” Henry Mack, assistant secretary for employment and training, said in a release. Aspen Prize semi-finalists announced The Aspen Institute on Wednesday announced 25 community colleges as semi-finalists for the 2027 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. With its first winning college announced in 2011, the Aspen Prize is awarded every two years and recognizes excellence across a wide range of institutions. The recognition includes $1 million in award money. Aspen will announce the finalists in June and the winner next April. The 2027 semi-finalists are: ● Chippewa Valley Technical College (Wisconsin) ● Colorado Mountain College ● Forsyth Technical Community College (North Carolina) ● Harper College (Illinois) ● LaGuardia Community College (New York) ● Lorain County Community College (Ohio) ● Mid-State Technical College (Wisconsin) ● MiraCosta College (California) ● Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College ● Moorpark College (California) ● North Iowa Area Community College ● Northeast Community College (Nebraska) ● Northeast Wisconsin Technical College ● Patrick & Henry Community College (Virginia) ● San Jacinto College (Texas) ● Sinclair Community College (Ohio) ● South Puget Sound Community College (Washington) ● Southeast Technical College (South Dakota) ● Stanly Community College (North Carolina) ● State Technical College of Missouri ● Tallahassee State College (Florida) ● Tri-County Technical College (South Carolina) ● UCNJ Union College of Union County, New Jersey ● Wallace State Community College (Alabama) ● West Kentucky Community and Technical College The post Reporter’s notebook first appeared on Community College Daily .
30 Apr 2026
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29 Apr 2026
Funding roundup
Wake Technical Community College in North Carolina will rename a building at its Southern Wake Campus the Kellie J. Falk Center for Building Technologies in recognition of a $1 million gift from Falk, a local business leader and former college trustee. Falk’s gift establishes a sustainable source of funding to support faculty through professional development, stipends and externships, the college said. It also will provide equipment and materials that strengthen hands-on learning for students in Wake Tech’s skilled trades programs. With this addition to her prior endowment, the fund is now the college’s largest endowed fund supporting skilled trades at the college. “[Falk] continues to be a difference maker, not just for Wake Tech, but for our community by investing in these important occupations,” Wake Tech President Scott Ralls said. Florida St. Petersburg College ’s (SPC) has received a $500,000 grant from the Duke Energy Foundation to support the college’s electrical lineworker training program, which prepares students for entry-level utility careers through industry-recognized training and hands-on experience. Seminole State College of Florida , South Florida State College and Valencia College also received support from the foundation. Georgia Augusta Technical College has received a $6.8 million grant from the Economic Development Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce to support completion of the Jim Hudson Automotive Institute. The college is renovating a former Cadillac dealership to serve as an automotive workforce training center, designed to prepare students for careers in automotive maintenance technology. It will expand Augusta Tech’s automotive training footprint and serve hundreds of students annually. The facility is designed to support dealership operations, fleet maintenance and emerging vehicle technologies, while providing hands-on, industry-aligned instruction that responds to both regional and national labor market demand, according to the college. “By transforming a legacy automotive site into a modern training facility, we are aligning education, industry and economic development in a way that delivers real value to employers and opportunity to our community,” said Augusta Tech President Kendricks D. Hooker. The project has drawn strong public and private support, including early philanthropic investments from community and industry partners. The new federal grant will accelerate completion of the institute. Massachusetts Holyoke Community College (HCC) will use a $455,000 grant from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (Mass CEC) to continue and refine its clean energy careers training programs. The grant will cover two free training programs for up to 30 individuals: Introductory Training in Construction, Electricity and Clean Energy Systems in fall 2026, and Solar Installer/Electrical Pre-Apprenticeship program in spring 2027. HCC piloted both programs in 2025 through a $1.42 million grant from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Education for climate-related workforce training initiatives. The new grant is part of a $7 million allocation in clean energy and climate tech grants. “The first grant was really to design, develop and essentially figure out what would work in our market,” said Kermit Dunkelberg, HCC assistant vice president of adult basic education and workforce development. “Now we’ll not just be continuing but refining these programs to achieve even stronger outcomes.” The Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges , a consortium of all 15 community colleges in the state, received a $120,000 Mass CEC grant to support HVAC programs across the community college system. New York Dutchess Community College (DCC) announced a $200,000 investment from Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. to expand clean energy and advanced manufacturing workforce training. The funding will support the development of a new HVAC and building trades laboratory within DCC’s Center of Excellence for Business, Industry and Innovation. The lab will provide training in modern, energy-efficient technologies, including heat pumps, mini-split systems and high-efficiency electric equipment. The space will include replicated real-world working environments, such as simulated residential settings and advanced diagnostic and commissioning stations. Many DCC graduates already go on to work at Central Hudson and other regional employers, making this investment a natural extension of a strong and growing workforce pipeline that benefits both students, communities and the regional economy, according to a press release . Ohio With a $15,641 donation, the Presidents Club of Dayton has established six scholarships for Sinclair Community College students. The $2,500 scholarships will go to Sinclair students in good academic standing and who demonstrate qualities of leadership and participate in extracurricular or community activities. Texas Brazosport and San Jacinto colleges and Lamar Institute of Technology recently were named Jobs and Education for Texans (JET) grant recipients. They are among six schools in southeast Texas to receive the grants, which will support career and technical education training programs by helping the schools purchase and install equipment to train 410 students for high-demand occupations such as information security analysts, nurses, welders and more. Brazosport College will use its $356,250 grant to train 75 students as information security analysts. San Jacinto College will use its $189,987 grant to train 110 students as electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians. And Lamar Institute of Technology’s (LIT) $354,853 grant will be used to train 50 students as electrical and electronics repairers of commercial and industrial equipment. “These funds allow us to expand access to high-quality, hands-on training at LIT and across our partner campuses,” said LIT President Sid Valentine. “Together, we are preparing students with the technical skills needed to succeed in today’s workforce and meet the evolving needs of industry.” Lamar Institute of Technology celebrates its JET grant. (Photo: LIT) The post Funding roundup first appeared on Community College Daily .
29 Apr 2026
Workforce Pell won’t work if students don’t know it exists
A few months ago, a woman at a community event asked about our certified nursing assistant (CNA) program. She was caring for her mother, working part-time and trying to break into healthcare without debt she couldn’t carry. I mentioned that Workforce Pell was coming online and that an eight-week program like ours could soon be covered by federal financial aid. She stopped. “I didn’t know you could get financial aid for something that short,” she said. “I thought Pell was just for, you know, college-college.” That phrase has stayed with me. College-college. She drew a line between what she thought counted and what she needed, and financial aid lived on the other side of it. She’s exactly who Workforce Pell was designed for. And she had no idea it was coming. If she didn’t know, neither do thousands of others in our service area. That’s the gap this piece is about. Introducing Workforce Pell Workforce Pell is law. President Donald Trump signed it on July 4, 2025 as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, ending roughly a decade of advocacy from community college leaders who’d been arguing that the fastest paths to a family-sustaining wage shouldn’t be the ones excluded from federal aid. Since then, the Education Department has worked through proposed regulations, the comment period has closed and final rules are expected ahead of the July 1, 2026 implementation date. An estimated 187,000 students will receive Workforce Pell each year, with average awards around $2,200, covering programs between 150 and 599 clock hours. Roughly eight to 15 weeks. The policy is real. The funding is real. The awareness is not. Most of the implementation conversation treats Workforce Pell as a compliance problem. Will the rules land on time? Can we hit the completion and placement thresholds? Are our data systems ready? Those are the right questions. But they’re not the only ones. The question that keeps nagging at me: once the rules are final and the systems work, how does the woman at that community event actually find out this exists? A different audience Community colleges already market short-term programs. I want to name that clearly, because the rest of this piece only makes sense if we start from what’s true. At Forsyth Technical Community College (North Carolina), we publish an annual catalog. We maintain web pages for our continuing education (CE) programs. We do print and community outreach. We watch enrollment numbers in real time and push social content to programs that need a boost. We work closely with NCWorks, Goodwill, employer HR teams and the community partners that have always been our most reliable referral channels for working adults. That infrastructure exists. It works. It is not going away. What Workforce Pell changes is the size and shape of the audience. The current model reaches people who are already in the funnel. Someone walks into Goodwill, gets referred to us. Someone sees a CNA flyer at church, calls the number. Someone’s HR department mentions our medical assistant program. These are people who’ve already decided training is for them. They’re looking for a place to do it. Workforce Pell creates a different audience: the people who ruled training out because they assumed they couldn’t afford it. The woman at the community event wasn’t shopping for a CNA program. She’d written off the possibility before she ever got close to a referral channel. Reaching her requires putting the financial possibility in front of people who aren’t already raising their hand. That’s not what our current CE marketing was built for. It’s what we have to build now. A new strategy Three things change. First, the messaging. “Apply now for our 8-week CNA program” works for someone who already wants to be a CNA. “You can get financial aid that covers an 8-week training program” works for someone who hasn’t decided anything yet because she didn’t think the money was possible. Those aren’t the same ad. They’re not the same landing page. They’re not the same call script. They’re not even the same audience. Second, the channels. Word of mouth, partner referrals, community presence, and our existing print and digital footprint will keep doing what they’ve always done. But reaching someone who has written off college entirely means showing up where she’s still scrolling, still listening, still asking for help. Paid search for the queries she’s actually typing. Social platforms she uses for everything except education. Intermediaries who don’t currently think of us as a referral option because the financial barrier made it seem pointless to mention. Third, the back end. If the messaging works, more people will land on our website, fill out forms and call than our current CE intake process handles. Good problem to have. Still a problem to plan for. Our team has been building toward this in three phases. The first is Build and Hold . Everything that can be drafted, designed, approved and staged gets built now: landing pages, FAQs, partner one-pagers, paid search audiences, employer briefing decks, staff talking points. All of it sits in draft until the trigger conditions are met. No public commitments about award amounts or application dates while the rules are still settling. The discipline is that every workstream has to be ready on the same day, not trickling out over weeks. The second phase is Activate . When the rules are final and the application infrastructure is confirmed, everything goes live fast. Partners get the launch materials. Press goes out. Staff get the briefing they need to handle the first inbound calls. The third is Sustain . This is the part that changes how we think about CE marketing going forward. The Workforce Pell audience doesn’t follow a semester calendar. These are people deciding in a window of weeks, often triggered by a job loss or a life change. The marketing has to match that rhythm: year-round content, regular partner debriefs to learn what’s generating referrals and continuous work on digital channels where we haven’t historically had a heavy presence for CE programs. One thing we’ve learned in the planning that I think the whole sector needs to hear: plain language and AI discoverability are the same project. When someone asks ChatGPT or Google’s AI Overview how to pay for job training in our region, the page that gets cited is the one that answers the question in the first sentence, uses short declarative language, and keeps terminology consistent. The same writing that works for a first-generation learner on her phone at night is the writing that a large language model surfaces when it’s asked. Those used to feel like two different content strategies. They aren’t. The institutions that figure this out first will be the ones AI tools recommend by default. Ready for the work Short-term Pell has been talked about in higher ed circles for years. A lot of us pointed to the lack of federal aid as the reason working adults couldn’t access the fastest paths to a family-sustaining wage. That barrier is gone. The addressable audience for our short-term programs just got significantly larger. The question for community college marketing leaders is whether we’re ready to reach the part of that audience that wasn’t already in our pipeline. Forsyth Tech’s vision is to ensure that everyone, no matter where they start, can rise, thrive and lead. Workforce Pell is one of the most significant federal tools community colleges have been given in a generation to make that kind of rise possible. But tools only work when people know about them. Let’s go tell her. The post Workforce Pell won’t work if students don’t know it exists first appeared on Community College Daily .
29 Apr 2026
Headlines
Court blocks Education Department’s data demands for over 170 more colleges Higher Ed Dive The ruling expands an earlier pause on the agency’s collection of extensive race and sex admissions data for public colleges in 17 states. With new student loan changes, borrowers fear unsustainable payments. Experts fear a default crisis PBS News An impending wave of borrowers will restart payments — with way higher monthly bills than before — for the first time in years. They’ll likely encounter a system that’s inadequate at connecting people with the income-driven repayment plans they need. Closed auto plant in Sanford becomes a workforce training hub North Carolina Biotechnology Center (blog) Central Carolina Community College is transforming a former Magneti Marelli auto manufacturing site in Sanford into the E. Eugene Moore Manufacturing and Biotech Solutions Center, a regional hub for technical training. Commentary: APS-CNM partnership is powering New Mexico’s economy Albuquerque Journal Central New Mexico Community College’s early college magnet school this year is graduating 68 seniors who will not only earn their high school diplomas, but will have collectively completed 4,409 college credit hours, 84 certificates, and 77 associate degrees across fields from biotechnology and engineering to automotive technology and nursing assistant. All this was achieved tuition-free — saving the families a combined $370,300 in tuition. Howard Community College building new center, encouraging women to get into male-dominated fields WBAL-TV 11 A Maryland community college is addressing the state’s skilled labor shortage by building a $43 million workforce development and trades center. At the same time, Howard Community College is encouraging women to enter traditionally male-dominated fields. Commentary: Apprenticeship should be a centerpiece of Workforce Pell Education Next The earn-and-learn expansion of federal Pell Grant eligibility offers policymakers an opportunity to leverage our most promising workforce pathway. The rural advantage — and challenge — with Workforce Pell New America (blog) Other institutions serving rural communities – and their suburban and urban counterparts – can learn from some of these powerhouse community colleges as they consider how to implement Workforce Pell. The post Headlines first appeared on Community College Daily .
29 Apr 2026
: 486 Tage ununterbrochen im Kampfeinsatz
Oberleutnant Iwan Kawun war so lange an der Front wie kein anderer ukrainischer Soldat. Er vermisste vor allem Trinkwasser und den Kontakt zu seinen engsten Angehörigen mehr...
28 Apr 2026
Support for TRIO, on both sides of the aisle
Senate appropriators from both parties on Tuesday pushed back on the Education Department’s (ED) proposal to nix funding for the popular federal TRIO programs and to change their priorities. During a Senate subcommittee appropriations hearing on ED’s proposed fiscal year (FY) 2027 budget, Education Secretary Linda McMahon spent considerable time defending her agency’s changes to TRIO’s Talent Search and Educational Opportunity Centers grant competitions, prioritizing programs focused on workforce development, including those that promote apprenticeships. She said TRIO has “not achieved its own goals,” so ED looked at how it could revamp the programs. “It was worth taking an opportunity of reform to show that there might be alternatives to higher education other than college, given that we do have a lack of a skilled workforce in the country,” McMahon said, noting the department has invested $2.1 million into researching how to improve TRIO. Like its FY 26 budget pitch, ED’s FY 27 budget would eliminate many programs that community colleges prioritize and reduce others. It would nix funding for TRIO, GEAR-UP, Adult Basic Education, Minority Serving Institutions, Strengthening Institutions, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants and Childcare Access Means Parents in School programs. Pushing back Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), chair of the full Senate Appropriations Committee, said she opposes eliminating TRIO, noting that three of her staff members are alums of the programs. She added that changes to Talent Search grant competition would be a “dramatic shift” to its mission. “I’m a very strong supporter of apprenticeship programs and other workforce training programs, but that’s not what TRIO is designed for,” she said. “It’s designed to promote college awareness, preparation and completion for low-income and first-generation students.” Other lawmakers pushed McMahon on her statement that TRIO wasn’t meeting its own goals. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire) said she’s only seen data indicating higher retention and completion rates among TRIO students. She asked McMahon to provide ED’s metrics on the programs. Sen. Jeffrey Merkley (D-Oregon) also pushed on the figures. He noted ED data show that Talent Search students were 33% more likely to enroll in college, Upward Bound students were twice as likely to earn a bachelor’s degree, and Veterans Upward Bound students were 42% more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree. “The stats on these programs are pretty damn impressive,” he said, noting a bipartisan letter sent by a dozen senators this month to ED in support of TRIO. Interagency agreements and Workforce Pell Democrats also went after the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle ED, reduce funding, cancel or hold grants, and stymie various programs. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) charged that the moving of various staff and program management from ED to the Department of Labor has been costly and confusing for states, schools and students. And while ED’s budget proposal calls for an additional $33 billion to help fill a projected shortfall for the Pell Grant program, it also would cut or eliminate funding for most other higher education programs, she said. McMahon highlighted various ED efforts to reduce costs while redirecting funding to strengthen programs, such as implementing the new Workforce Pell program, developing a new earnings indicator, and instituting a new process to weed out fraudulent student aid applications. Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) asked whether the predicted shortfall in the Pell program would affect the Workforce Pell program that will begin on July 1. McMahon said there would be enough in Pell to fund it, while ensuring that the traditional Pell grant maximum of $7,395 remains. “Our local community colleges are very excited about this, and our local workforce boards are excited about this,” Husted said of Workforce Pell. He also encouraged ED to implement safeguards to ensure that students earn worthy credentials that lead to good-paying jobs. “When you set up a new stream of funding, there’s going to be someone out there who’s going to figure out how to scam it,” he said. The post Support for TRIO, on both sides of the aisle first appeared on Community College Daily .
28 Apr 2026
12 student teams named 2026 CCIC finalists
The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), in partnership with the National Science Foundation (NSF), on Tuesday announced the 12 finalist teams selected to advance to the final round of the Community College Innovation Challenge (CCIC) this summer. Now in its 10th year, the competition seeks to strengthen entrepreneurial thinking among community college students by challenging them to develop science, engineering, technology and math (STEM)-based solutions to real-world problems. It also enables students to discover and demonstrate their capacity to use STEM to make a difference in the world and translate that knowledge into action. The finalist teams — which comprise two to four students and a faculty or administrator team mentor — will attend an “Innovation Boot Camp” in June in the Washington, D.C., area and interact with entrepreneurs and experts in business planning, stakeholder engagement, strategic communication and marketplace dynamics. The camp culminates in an innovation poster session on Capitol Hill with STEM leaders and congressional stakeholders, and a pitch presentation to determine the first, second and third-place winning teams. “In solving real-world problems that impact our communities, these teams of students are advancing their talent, skills and creativity,” AACC President and CEO DeRionne Pollard said in a release. Among the ideas teams presented this year are solutions for food insecurity, search and rescue, road safety and infrastructure, energy efficiency, safe drinking water, senior protection, accessible learning for the visually impaired, power grid security and expanding access to quantum technology — with many submissions incorporating emerging technologies, including AI, machine learning and advanced manufacturing. The 12 finalist schools and their projects are: De Anza College (California) The Micro-Buoy Micro-Buoy is a drone-deployed, reusable underwater search device designed to improve rescue efforts for drowning victims. Using acoustic signals and artificial intelligence, the miniature buoy can detect human silhouettes beneath the surface and transmit precise locations within minutes — helping first responders locate victims more efficiently. Henry Ford College (Michigan) SuClara – Intelligent Water, Tailored to You SuClara is a smart water filtration system that combines real-time testing and treatment to improve access to safe drinking water. Using sensors, image processing and machine learning, the system analyzes water quality and adjusts filtration based on detected contaminants—helping to reduce health risks and decrease reliance on bottled water. Hudson County Community College (New Jersey) Hybrid Immersion Cooling for Long-Term AI Sustainability Hybrid Immersion Cooling is a sustainable data center cooling system that reduces the energy and water demands of artificial intelligence infrastructure. Using a biodegradable engineered liquid and advanced heat transfer, the system cools servers more efficiently to help lower the environmental impact while supporting AI growth. Pasadena City College (California) Cortexa – Brain Powered Art Cortexa transforms brain activity into wearable art through a custom LED dress that lights up in real-time based on the wearer’s brainwaves. By making neural activity visible and interactive, the project sparks curiosity about the brain, raises awareness of neurological health, and can be practically applied across disciplines in classrooms, museums and performance spaces. Passaic County Community College (New Jersey) Transforming Roads with Fly Ash – A Sustainable Future Passaic County’s innovation reimagines road materials using Fly Ash and self-healing chemistry inspired by ancient Roman concrete, which naturally seals cracks before they become potholes. Designed to last significantly longer than traditional asphalt, this approach is designed to reduce road damage, lower maintenance costs and improve long-term infrastructure. Pellissippi State Community College (Tennessee) 3D Modeling Accessibility for Visually Impaired Students This innovation creates 3D tactile learning tools — including adjustable electrical circuit models — to help visually impaired students better engage with STEM subjects such as math and engineering. Using CAD and affordable 3D printing technology, the project transforms digital and two-dimensional concepts into hands-on models to make learning more accessible. Perimeter College at Georgia State University (Georgia) Enhanced Drain Obstruction Prevention (EDOP) EDOP is a smart storm drain monitoring system designed to help prevent urban flooding before it starts. Using sensors inside drains to detect debris buildup and monitor water flow, the system provides real-time alerts to maintenance teams—reducing flood damage, lowering costs and improving public safety. San Jacinto College (Texas) TrustLine – Helping Seniors Stay Safe from Digital Scams TrustLine is a phone app designed to help protect older adults from scam communications before financial harm occurs. By identifying common signs of fraud, alerting users to potential danger, and preventing sensitive information from being shared, the app offers a proactive approach to reducing scam-related losses and improving digital safety for seniors. Shawnee Community College (Illinois) GroundTruth – Predicting Food Desert Risk Before It Happens GroundTruth is a data tool that identifies communities at risk of losing grocery access before food deserts form. By combining store data, food assistance records, Census demographics and local health statistics, the platform creates risk scores and flags high-need areas—giving residents, community leaders and policymakers the information needed to act early. Springfield Technical Community College (Massachusetts) HydroShield HydroShield is a replaceable washing machine filter designed to capture microplastic fibers before they enter waterways. Using a specialized coated textile layer and a simple sensor to signal when the filter needs replacement, this low-cost system helps reduce microplastic pollution, while protecting water quality and reducing long-term environmental health risks. SUNY Broome Community College (New York) Hands-On Quantum Education SUNY Broome’s team is developing a compact laser and polarization experiment kit that gives students hands-on practice for careers in photonics and quantum technology. The portable system helps students explore concepts like superposition, gates, and measurement without advanced math — building technician-ready skills and expanding access to quantum learning. Wake Technical Community College (North Carolina) GridGuardAI – Predicting Failure Before It Happens GridGuardAI uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze images and videos of power lines and grid infrastructure, generating real-time maintenance reports for utilities. By helping providers identify repairs faster, the system can improve grid reliability, reduce costs and better protect communities from outages and service disruptions. The post 12 student teams named 2026 CCIC finalists first appeared on Community College Daily .
28 Apr 2026
Headlines
New UCLA program aims to help students struggling to transfer from community colleges EdSource Under a new pilot program, UCLA will give priority consideration to some students seeking to transfer from nearby community colleges. Community colleges want in on UNC system’s push for 3-year degrees The Assembly Some North Carolina community college leaders want the state’s two- and four-year systems to ensure there are clearly established pathways between two-year associate degrees and any accelerated university programs, akin to the existing transfer guidelines for traditional degrees. They would also like system leaders to discuss the possibility of also offering the three-year degrees at community colleges. Wisconsin technical colleges enhancing apprenticeship pathways Channel 3000 Wisconsin’s 16 technical colleges will now review apprenticeship-related learning from all sources to count as credit for prior learning to fast-track some apprentices toward an applied associate degree. Commentary: We can’t build an AI economy without an AI-ready workforce National Skills Coalition (blog) AI will reshape work, but how workers and local businesses experience that shift isn’t predetermined. The decisions policymakers make about AI, and our workforce right now will determine both U.S. competitiveness, and whether working people can share in the gains of AI. Commentary: When earnings define value, what gets left behind? Council for Higher Education Accreditation (blog) Earnings are an important indicator, but they do not tell the whole story. Commentary: With the right rule changes, Workforce Pell could open up career opportunities for incarcerated people Urban Institute (blog) Incarcerated people have much to gain from Workforce Pell, but as the rules are currently written, they will likely miss out on its benefits. Three final rule changes could close most of this gap. The post Headlines first appeared on Community College Daily .
28 Apr 2026
The trust gap in higher education
Higher education is caught in a contradiction. Americans are losing confidence in colleges and universities, yet many students say their education is valuable, career-relevant and worth the money. That tension isn’t a statistical curiosity. It’s at the heart of the sector’s problem. A recent “ Report of the Yale University Committee on Trust in Higher Education ” helps explain why. The public hasn’t simply turned against college; it’s grown doubtful about its cost, fairness, transparency and sense of public purpose. Public confidence in colleges and universities fell from 57% in 2015 to 36% in 2024, then rebounded modestly to 42% in 2025, according to Gallup. At the same time , the Pew Research Center reports that 70% of Americans now say the higher education system is headed in the wrong direction. Those aren’t the views of a small dissatisfied minority. They reflect a broad erosion of trust in one of America’s central civic and economic institutions. And yet students report something more positive, according to Gallup and Lumina Foundation. About seven in 10 rate the quality of their education as excellent or very good, 69% say they feel they belong on campus, roughly nine in 10 say their degree is worth the investment, 93% say they are learning career-relevant skills, and 88% believe their degree will help them get a job. This isn’t the portrait of a generation writing off college as a bad bet. It is the portrait of students who often value their own experience even while the wider public doubts the system that delivers it. That gap matters. It suggests that the crisis in higher education isn’t simply one of educational quality. It’s a crisis of legitimacy. Is it affordable and fair? Students may believe their own degree has value. But the public increasingly questions whether the system is affordable, fair, transparent and still anchored to a clear public purpose. The Yale Committee report makes that point with unusual candor. It argues that three main forces are fueling distrust: soaring costs and doubts about value, an admissions process that many people regard as opaque and tilted toward the already advantaged, and campus climates that raise concerns about free speech, political bias and self-censorship. It adds a fourth, deeper problem. Too many colleges have lost clarity about their core mission. When universities try to be all things to all people, they become harder to understand and harder to trust. The report is especially useful because it refuses easy slogans. It doesn’t say college has no value. In fact, it notes that Americans still want higher education to succeed, but “on terms that feel fair, affordable, and aligned with public purpose.” It also notes that community colleges are generally more trusted than elite private institutions, especially the Ivy League. That should get the attention of every university leader in the country. Trust doesn’t neatly follow prestige. It follows institutions that seem understandable, affordable and visibly connected to the lives of ordinary people. Cost is key Cost remains the largest driver of distrust. Pew found that 79% of Americans say colleges and universities do a fair or poor job of keeping tuition affordable. The Yale report reaches a similar conclusion, calling cost the most visible gap between public expectation and institutional practice. Even when financial aid softens the actual price for many students, the posted price still shapes public perception. Families see the sticker shock first. They often don’t trust the fine print that comes later. But cost alone doesn’t explain the problem. The Gallup-Lumina data show that students can like their professors, value what they are learning, and still think prices are unfair. The report found that 57% of students say four-year universities don’t charge fair prices, while only 25% say the same of two-year colleges. That helps explain why confidence in community colleges tends to run higher than confidence in four-year institutions. Students, in other words, are offering a more nuanced judgment than the public debate usually permits. College can still be worthwhile even if it feels overpriced. What’s the ROI? There’s also a value question beyond the tuition bill. Strada’s 2025 State Opportunity Index found that 70% of recent public college graduates experience a positive return on investment within 10 years. So postsecondary education still pays off for many people, but not reliably enough to sustain unquestioned public faith. Americans don’t simply want more access to college. They want greater confidence that the path leads somewhere meaningful. That’s why the Yale committee’s most important contribution may be its insistence on institutional humility. The answer to the trust crisis is not better marketing. It’s reform. Colleges need to make it easier for the public to understand what they want to achieve and how they operate. They need to explain their mission more clearly, price their programs more honestly, make admissions easier to understand, defend open inquiry more consistently, and show more convincingly how academic work connects to work, citizenship and civic life. Here are five recommendations that follow from this. First, colleges should publish clearer price signals. Net-price calculators are not enough. Families need plain-language, early estimates of what they are likely to pay over four years, not just a headline tuition figure and a maze of later adjustments. Second, institutions should prove value. That means publishing program-level outcomes on completion, debt, earnings, graduate school placement and job trajectories in a form that ordinary families can understand. Use the framework Strada proposes as a starting point: clear outcomes, quality coaching, affordability, work-based learning and employer alignment. Third, colleges should make work-based learning a mainstream feature of undergraduate education. Paid internships, apprenticeships, clinical placements and employer-connected projects do more than improve employment. They make the value of college visible. They connect the classroom to the labor market in ways families can see. Fourth, institutions should simplify and clarify admissions. Public trust won’t be rebuilt if the process looks mysterious, subjective and biased toward wealth and status. Academic standards need not become mechanical, but they should become more understandable. Fifth, higher education leaders should stop treating criticism as ignorance . Much of the distrust is not anti-college. It’s disappointment. Americans want colleges and universities to succeed on terms they recognize as fair. Make the changes The best defense of higher education isn’t nostalgia, branding or institutional self-congratulation. It’s a visible self-correction. College still changes lives. Many students say so plainly. But a sector cannot live forever on the testimony of its current customers while the broader public loses faith in its fairness, cost and purpose. If higher education wants to regain trust, it will have to earn it the old-fashioned way. Be more honest about its failures, more disciplined about its mission, and more determined to show that what it offers is worth both the price and the public’s confidence. The post The trust gap in higher education first appeared on Community College Daily .
28 Apr 2026
Wayfinding leadership: From managing systems to navigating convergence
Recently, I watched Amy Webb take the stage at SXSW and deliver what she described as an eulogy. Not for a person. For her annual trends report. Her message was simple and precise: we are no longer in a period where discrete trends can be identified, tracked and planned for. We are in a period of convergence, where multiple trend lines intersect to create something new and dynamic. What she described didn’t feel entirely new. I’ve long operated through the lens of complexity, the understanding that the challenges we face are interconnected and must be approached holistically. But something is different now. It’s not just that the forces are present. It’s that the signal strength has increased. What once felt like emerging complexity now feels like active convergence. And that changes the nature of leadership. From complexity to convergence Across higher education and increasingly across society, we continue to respond to challenges as if they are separate problems to solve. Inflation. Housing. Enrollment. Workforce alignment. Artificial intelligence. Trust. We name them. We assign them. We build strategies around them. But what if that’s the mistake? The issue is not any single pressure. It is how they are interacting, simultaneously, reshaping who our students are, what they can afford, what they expect and how they make decisions. This is not a list of problems. It is a shift in operating conditions. The question beneath the questions All of these pressures are now experienced through a deeper, often unspoken question: Is higher education still worth it? That question shows up everywhere, in enrollment behavior, in family conversations, in employer expectations and in legislative scrutiny. Last year, at a Silicon Valley Business Journal event, I was approached by a group of students after a panel presentation. One of them asked me a question that has stayed with me ever since: “Is my college education worth it?” That question was not really about one student alone. It was about value, cost, confidence and the future they were trying to imagine. This is not a messaging issue. It is a market signal. And more importantly, it is a credibility challenge. Credibility, once assumed, must now be continuously earned. While we were improving, the ground was shifting To be clear, our sector has made meaningful progress. We’ve improved student success outcomes. We’ve used data more effectively. We’ve built more intentional pathways. That work matters. But much of it has focused on improving performance within the existing system while the environment around it has changed. Students are navigating greater financial and social strain. Expectations for speed, flexibility and relevance have increased. The meaning of outcomes is evolving. We risk becoming more efficient at a model that is losing alignment with the world it is meant to serve. The compression of leadership As convergence accelerates, something else happens. Time compresses. Patience declines. Trust becomes conditional. Leaders are increasingly asked to provide simple answers to complex realities. We see this not in theory, but in daily decisions where leaders must navigate between competing goods: •Environmental sustainability vs. access and cost •Human dignity vs. safety and liability •Expression vs. inclusion and belonging •Compensation vs. fiscal sustainability. •Academic integrity vs. technological relevance Each reflects a legitimate value. Each matters. But they often pull in different directions. Leadership in this environment is not about choosing between right and wrong. It is about navigating between competing goods under constraint. From management to sensemaking Traditional leadership models were built for a different era, one defined by relative stability, predictable patterns and linear planning cycles. Those conditions no longer hold. Leadership today is not primarily about control. It is about sensemaking, the disciplined interpretation of signals in motion. The ability to recognize patterns, understand interactions, and act with clarity in the absence of certainty. This is not a technical shift. It is a cognitive and adaptive one. Why wayfinding Wayfinding is not about having a map. It is what you do when the map is no longer reliable. Wayfinders orient to long-term direction. They read subtle signals. They adjust continuously. They move with intention rather than reaction. In stable environments, leaders manage. In dynamic environments, leaders must navigate. And navigation requires something different: Intelligence is becoming abundant. Judgment is not. The question is not whether we use AI. It is how we guide it. Artificial intelligence is not a future concept. It is already embedded in the systems shaping decisions, access and outcomes. Which means the central challenge of leadership is ensuring that technology amplifies our values rather than replaces them. A discipline for leadership In this environment, leaders need more than answers. They need a disciplined way of thinking. Three questions can anchor that discipline: What values are in tension? What are the system-level implications? What does responsible stewardship require in this moment? These questions do not eliminate complexity. But they allow leaders to act with clarity, integrity and alignment, even when the answers aren’t clean. The work ahead The real question is not whether we are improving performance within our current model. It is whether we are positioning our institutions for the conditions that are emerging. If trends once helped us see the future, convergence is now asking us to navigate it. That requires something different. Not more control. Not more isolated solutions. But deeper awareness. Stronger alignment. And the capacity to lead in motion. The map is no longer enough. We must become wayfinders. The post Wayfinding leadership: From managing systems to navigating convergence first appeared on Community College Daily .
27 Apr 2026
Integrating AI across the institution
As the use of artificial intelligence (AI) spreads throughout society, community colleges are moving from a classroom-by-classroom and office-by-office approach to integrating AI college-wide. This requires training staff, faculty and students on how to use it and setting policies to ensure successful, ethical use of the technology while overcoming challenges that it poses. Doing this requires constant and multipronged communication, based on the understanding that AI is not just another tool, project or technology implementation, but will require wholesale culture change – drawing wisdom not only from throughout the campus but also employers and the community, according to representatives of three colleges who presented on their respective schools’ experiences with AI during the American Association of Community Colleges annual convening earlier this month. This article comes from the current issue of the Community College Journal, the bimonthly magazine of the American Association of Community Colleges . ‘Opportunity for a transformational shift’ The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) has approached AI institutionally and collaboratively, with voices from across the college, to adopt a holistic architecture and avoid excessive focus on specific tools and actions, says Stephanie McCaslin, dean of learning resources. “We’re assessing what AI means to us, as students, staff, faculty and our whole community,” she says. “We’re providing training, infrastructure, data and engagement opportunities for the purposes of moving forward together as a college that uses AI responsibly and sustainably.” Valarie Burks, vice president of information management and technology, says CSM sees AI as something more than a tool or a project. “We are looking at this as an opportunity for having a transformational shift that will touch every aspect of the enterprise,” she says. The campus-wide AI Task Force , pulled together last year to draw up the college’s AI Roadmap, decided it couldn’t work in silos, setting up working groups aimed at each AI strategic goal the college aimed toward: infrastructure, data governance, security, curriculum, policy development, student engagement, training and evaluation, Burks says. “That structure allows us to focus our alignment and our shared decision-making,” she says. “As an institution, we are assessing our AI readiness across all levels at the same time, looking at our current AI portfolio and contracts to see what opportunities exist that will allow us to optimize AI use. We’re looking at how we incorporate AI governance, embed topics in faculty and staff professional development and learning experiences for students.” Campus-wide surveys will give the college a sense of what decisions to make based on a broad swath of opinions, without overemphasizing early adopters or anecdotal feedback, Burks says. “Our goal all along has been to have consistency and clarity in our approach, so that what we do with AI supports our students and our communities in ways that are ethical and sustainable,” she says. CSM is providing “a buffet of opportunities” for students, faculty and staff that accounts for their breadth of learning preferences and needs, McCaslin says, publishing a yearlong AI professional development training guide with a variety of options rather than a one-off session. “Speakers have helped faculty and staff understand the instructional and operational use cases,” she says, adding that the college also has offered “panel events, hands-on skill sessions, asynchronous webinars – we have a variety of options.” These training sessions have been paired with leadership and guidance around institutional policy development, with strong input from across the college, McCaslin says. “We’ve intentionally slowed down that part of the process so we get it right,” she says. “We’re looking ahead to have more robust training around ethics and responsible use. That will give people clear parameters as AI becomes more embedded in their daily work that will empower them to become more confident in using AI technology.” Among the most significant challenges has been navigating the complexities of integrating AI given that it touches a wide range of issues: academic integrity, data privacy, accessibility and workforce readiness, Burks says. “There’s no one policy or training that addresses the immenseness,” she says. “A big part of what’s contributing to our success in this area is the trust and engagement in the process.” Building a ‘community of care’ Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio, last July launched a three-year strategic initiative called the AI Excellence Institute that’s worked to integrate AI into pedagogy and workforce engagement, embedding skills and forging industry partnerships. The $5 million initiative aims to help Sinclair become a national leader in integrating AI into its curriculum, with fellows representing the school’s four academic divisions coming together to gather information and share best practices on what’s working and what’s not in different divisions and departments, says Luis Sanchez Alcazar, an assistant professor in psychology and the fellow chosen to represent liberal arts, communication and social sciences. “From that specific hub, we’re working with the entire college to put out professional development resources and help faculty learn more about AI,” he says. “In addition, our associate director of external partnerships … is working with the community and the workforce to better understand what AI looks like in different [career] fields. We bring that back into the Institute to continue creating resources for faculty members.” Sinclair also provides reciprocal services to employers to help them better see the connection between AI and their industries, especially for graduates who will comprise their future workforce. Given that external partners want students to be workforce-ready, connections to understand their expectations are vital, which is why faculty and staff undertake externships and bring that knowledge back into the classrooms, says Wendy Moore, assistant dean for health sciences and the AI Excellence Institute fellow for that division within Sinclair. “AI gives us the tools to process charts that are 500 pages long that we can’t read in 10 minutes, to give us that bedtime back, to talk to patients and have more human relationships,” Moore says. “And using AI agents is a great way to simulate – we can tell our students that this patient might say this or that.” There’s more to this article! Read the rest online. The post Integrating AI across the institution first appeared on Community College Daily .
27 Apr 2026
Headlines
Apprenticeships are on the rise in North Carolina. Will that growth continue? EdNC As governments, nonprofits, and philanthropy increasingly invest in scaling apprenticeships, here are some of the key barriers those efforts face. AACC president speaks at SUNY Broome convocation WICZ “I love the focus today of SUNY Broome around AI and also humanity,” said AACC President and CEO DeRionne Pollard. “How do we make sure that we use AI as the tool that it can be while at the same time being very deliberate about the magic that happens in the classroom when faculty and staff interact with students.” The accreditation overhaul issue that could boil over Politico’s Weekly Education The Education Department’s wide-ranging accreditation proposal wants to address a long-standing higher education issue: transferring credits between colleges. Commentary: For new grads looking for work, the struggle is real – but not for all Hiring Lab (blog) Community colleges are uniquely focused on workforce development and typically offer students work-based and experiential learning opportunities that may lead to more direct employment opportunities. Santiago Canyon grad helps current and former foster youth overcome barriers Orange County Register As student services coordinator for the NextUp and Guardian Scholars programs at Santiago Canyon College, Esther Meade supports current and former foster youth as they pursue their goals through higher education. America’s ‘silent army’ of skilled tradespeople are retiring with no one to replace them — and the price tag could hit $1T a year Fortune The workers who keep America’s buildings running are disappearing — and the U.S. isn’t replacing them fast enough to keep the lights on, the servers cool or the labs sterile. The post Headlines first appeared on Community College Daily .
27 Apr 2026
: Im Schatten des Krümmel-Monsters
Bettina Boll spielte als Kind dort, wo später das AKW Krümmel gebaut wurde. Jahrzehntelang organisierte sie den örtlichen Protest gegen Atomenergie. Weg wollte die heute 72-Jährige nur einmal: Als es in Tschornobyl zur Katastrophe kam mehr...
24 Apr 2026
wortwechsel: Rivalitäten bei Arbeit, Sport und Spiel
Ein Laufwettkampf ist eine sportliche Herausforderung, Wer „nur zum Spaß“ einen Marathon mitläuft, kann ein Risiko darstellen. Erobert der Feminismus nun die Bergwelt? mehr...
24 Apr 2026
: „Die Milieugrenzen sind fließend“
Der Konservative Andreas Püttmann warnte vor zehn Jahren vor einer Rechtsradikalisierung seines Milieus. Wie blickt er heute auf diese Abgrenzung? mehr...
24 Apr 2026
: No future für die Bildung
Am kommenden Dienstag wird der sogenannte Chancenmonitor vorgestellt. Politische Sonntagsreden sind zu erwarten. Gleichzeitig wird massiv an der Bildung gespart mehr...
24 Apr 2026
Customized training helps company, employees excel
The robot is bigger than the one it’s replacing. Wires run panel to panel. Diagrams map every connection. One mistake, and the system stops. Issiaha Stickell is in the middle of it, working through the wiring, figuring it out piece by piece. “I’ve been working on that,” Stickell said. “Getting the wiring diagram for it. It’s all interconnected with PLCs.” Fifteen years ago, he was on the production floor. Now, he’s a programmable logic controller (PLC) electrician, helping bring new robotic systems online at Collis LLC in Clinton, Iowa. He worked his way up to it. “I want to learn as much as I can,” Stickell said. “Anything that’ll make the job easier.” That mindset is what Collis is building around. When Plant Manager James Isaacson stepped into his role, the challenge was clear. “We developed an internal cross-training matrix to analyze nearly every employee and identify skill gaps,” Isaacson said. “We quickly realized we didn’t have the internal resources to train adequately for some of these functions.” The equipment was advanced. The expectations were high. But the internal structure to build those skills wasn’t there. Robotics was one of the first pressure points. Programming errors. Crashes. Downtime slowed production and created frustration across teams. “We were seeing these different things, and the logic that wasn’t being written properly,” Isaacson said. The work was there. The people were there. The training was not. A new partner in training So, Collis looked outside its walls and found a partner in Eastern Iowa Community Colleges (EICC). What started with robotics training quickly expanded to electrical systems, hydraulics, troubleshooting and leadership development. “I think the most advantageous thing for us was flexibility,” Isaacson said. “We were able to send our employees to EICC’s facilities for a couple of hours a day if needed, or all day. The proximity was a nice addition as well.” The training met employees where they were: close to the plant, built around schedules and directly tied to the work happening on the floor. For Stickell, that connection was immediate. “The skills that I’m learning here at EICC are directly being utilized in the workplace,” he said. He saw it most clearly in the areas he didn’t know yet. “The fluid power systems course was really helpful for me because I didn’t actually know a whole lot about hydraulics or compressed air,” he said. “I’ve used it a lot since I went through it, and I think it’s definitely helped me get through troubleshooting issues quicker.” Isaacson sees that difference across the operation. “They’re able to get a machine back online in half the time of what it used to take them,” he said. Investing in people That kind of improvement changes more than production numbers. It changes how a team works. “It just expands their skill sets,” Isaacson said. “They get more confident and comfortable around some of the equipment and machinery that they’re working on.” For him, that is the point. “I’m a huge proponent of taking those people that want to grow and help them grow,” he said. Instead of looking outside for every new skill, Collis is investing in the people already there by building knowledge, creating pathways and giving employees the chance to move into more technical and leadership roles. That opportunity matters. “There’s a ton of employees here that have never had that opportunity to really excel and try to grow their own personal knowledge,” Isaacson said. For some, stepping into a classroom again was not easy. But the results speak for themselves. More than 30 Collis employees have now participated in customized training through EICC, building skills across robotics, electrical systems, safety, and leadership. And for employees like Stickell, it’s opening doors. “The courses I’m taking here at EICC are going to potentially help me move further into the company,” he said. He is already thinking about what comes next. With continued training, there is a path toward becoming a lead PLC electrician. More responsibility. More ownership of the systems he now helps build and maintain. That kind of growth does not happen by accident. It takes access, partnership and a willingness to invest in people before they need to be ready. At Collis, that work is already underway. The machines are evolving. The systems are growing more complex. And right alongside them, so are the people. The post Customized training helps company, employees excel first appeared on Community College Daily .
24 Apr 2026
Headlines
Community college is the new path to a bachelor’s degree. Not everyone likes it. SF Gate There are more than 50 bachelor’s degree programs at about 40 community colleges in California. Within the state’s higher education system, this has sparked conflict, as leaders clash over whether two-year colleges should step into four-year university territory. Lane Community College moves forward with program cuts KLCC To address a shortfall of more than $4 million for next year’s budget, Lane Community College’s board voted to raise tuition by $2 per credit hour, and they’re considering cutting up to 20.5 positions and suspending two associate degree programs. 160-acre property donated to Wisconsin college will serve as outdoor classroom WTAQ A large piece of property recently donated by an anonymous donor to Fox Valley Technical College is expanding hands-on learning opportunities. The land will be repurposed as an outdoor learning space for students in the natural resources technician and wildland firefighter programs. VCSU and Williston State Formalize Co-Matriculation Model Valley City State University In North Dakota, Williston State College’s Degree Bridge program is expanding through a partnership with Valley City State University. The Degree Bridge program is designed as a co-matriculation model, allowing students to begin at WSC while simultaneously working toward a bachelor’s degree through a partner university. Student hopes to serve up meals program for families during school breaks Jacksonville Journal-Courier A Lincoln Land Community College freshman hopes to use the skills she is learning in class and lessons from various organizations to create a group that provides full meals during school holidays and on weekends for families in need. The post Headlines first appeared on Community College Daily .
24 Apr 2026
Sowjetnostalgie in Russland: Putin ehrt Organisator des „Roten Terrors“
Feliks Dzierżyński hatte bis zu 250.000 Menschen auf dem Gewissen. Grund genug für Putin, die Akademie des Inlandsgeheimdiensts nach ihm zu benennen. mehr...
24 Apr 2026
Dual credit check
As the director of outreach and early college programs for Estrella Mountain Community College a few years ago, Catrina Kranich noticed a “disconnect” in how well high school students and their families understood dual enrollment. Part of the Maricopa Community College District in Arizona, Estrella Mountain has partnerships with about 15 high schools in the western Phoenix metropolitan area. Many parents in these communities never attended college themselves, and so they don’t have any frame of reference for understanding how early college programs work. Estrella Mountain has early college advisors on the ground in its partner high schools. These “embedded” advisors travel from school to school and talk with students about dual enrollment. But as students would go home and talk with their parents, something was getting lost in translation. “It was like a game of telephone,” Kranich said, where the message becomes distorted as it’s passed through an intermediary. This article comes from the current issue of the Community College Journal, the bimonthly magazine of the American Association of Community Colleges . As part of her doctoral dissertation at Arizona State University, Kranich – who is now the dean of students at Estrella Mountain – had to identify a problem in her area of expertise and develop a strategy for addressing it. “I saw an opportunity to engage with parents more directly, so they would better understand what dual enrollment was and how it worked,” she said. “I thought that would increase our participation.” Working with Agua Fria Union High School District, Kranich devised family workshops in which Estrella Mountain advisers met with students and their parents together to present the information. As a result of this simple change, dual-enrollment participation at Agua Fria soared – from about 14% of students whose families didn’t attend the workshops to 60% whose families did. These family workshops are one example of how community colleges have learned valuable lessons in implementing dual enrollment successfully, using strategies such as engaging with families directly, promoting dual enrollment beginning in middle school, thinking strategically about which courses to include in dual-enrollment programs, and nurturing relationships with partner high schools. Engage families When Kranich became the director of early college programs at Estrella Mountain, dual enrollment at the college totaled anywhere from 400 to 600 students per semester. Today, that number is more than 2,000, suggesting the value of engaging with parents directly. Before implementing family workshops, Kranich realized that parents held many misconceptions about dual enrollment. For instance, many parents assumed students had to travel to the Estrella Mountain campus to take dual-enrollment courses, or that these were extra courses students had to take in addition to their required high school classes, or that students had to be honors students to participate in dual enrollment. Engaging with parents directly “obviously changed their perspective,” she said. In her research project, Kranich interviewed students and parents who’d taken part in the family workshops and observed their confidence, beliefs and desire to pursue dual enrollment “changed dramatically.” Parents noted how their children would earn high school and college credit at the same time, without taking on additional work – saving them time and money in completing a college degree or credential. One parent stated: “I did have some misconceptions that it was more work than it is, but now that [I know] it is not, there is no excuse for my daughter not to do this.” As a result of this research, Estrella Mountain has implemented family workshops at each of the districts it serves. Recognizing that not all parents can attend in person, the college offers both face-to-face and online options. Embedded advisors also communicate directly with families using the schools’ messaging and email communications platforms, sharing information about the registration process and reminding them of deadlines. “Once we had data to support how important it was to engage with the parents directly, we were able to encourage our high school districts to allow us to communicate with parents in different ways,” Kranich said. Thinking about transfer About one-quarter of the students who take dual-enrollment courses enroll at Estrella Mountain or another Maricopa system college when they graduate, while many others go on to a four-year institution instead. “Students who participate in dual enrollment have a huge opportunity to earn a college degree or credential,” Kranich said, “including those who didn’t think college was for them initially.” Estrella Mountain has been intentional about its choice of dual-enrollment offerings. “Some of our most popular classes are English 101, college algebra and precalculus,” Kranich said. “We try to offer classes that fall within students’ general education requirements to support transfer to a university if that’s what students want.” There’s more to this article. Read the rest in CC Journal online. The post Dual credit check first appeared on Community College Daily .
24 Apr 2026
Probleme mit der Untermiete: Freundschaftsdienst mit Folgen
Untervermietungen können zu schwierigen Abhängigkeitsverhältnissen führen. Es muss nicht mal um Profit gehen. Zwei Fälle, die anders liefen als gedacht. mehr...
24 Apr 2026
Jobmesse für Geflüchtete: Bürokratie blockiert noch zu oft Arbeitskräfte
Die Berufsmesse Future Together bringt Unternehmen und Geflüchtete zusammen. Die Handelskammer sieht darin eine große Chance und fordert dabei noch mehr Offenheit. mehr...
24 Apr 2026
Grading the growth of apprenticeships
It’s been a year since President Donald Trump issued an executive order aimed at getting to 1 million apprentices in the United States. Apprenticeships for America (AFA) has rated the administration’s actions to date to reach that apprentice goal. The current number of apprentices is about 700,000. Last year, AFA issued a report with detailed recommendations on how to achieve this goal. The nonprofit’s new report card looks at four key practices they recommended that the administration needs to take and grades each one: Pay-for-Performance (PFP) funding Appropriately scaled funding A developed intermediary system A smarter regulatory and statutory environment The overall grade from AFA is a “B+.” “On balance, we think the administration has made impressive progress in this first year,” says AFA Executive Director John Colburn. “Alone, their actions to date will likely move the total apprenticeship count only at the margins, but the structures and strategies they have put into place are directionally right for growing apprenticeship.” Breaking it down PFP funding The administration gets high marks (A-) in the area of Pay-for-Performance (PFP) funding, according to AFA. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) in January 2026 announced the $145 million Pay-for-Performance Incentive Payments Program to fund up to five cooperative agreements testing Pay-for-Performance funding models for apprenticeship. DOL also has allocated $36 million to the American Manufacturing Apprenticeship Incentive Fund, which is a per-apprentice incentive fund for employers of manufacturing apprentices. AFA notes that “consistent, multiyear, per-apprentice funding is necessary to catalyze a market of solution providers to work with employers to grow apprenticeships.” Appropriately scaled funding AFA scores “appropriately scaled funding” lower – a grade of “C” – noting that the United States invests about one-tenth the per-apprenticeship spending as the United Kingdom or Germany. Current U.S. spending is $285 million a year on apprenticeship, but that number should be at least $5 billion. A developed intermediary system The administration gets a grade of “B” for its work creating an intermediary system. The PFP grant program will spur more intermediaries to enter the apprenticeship field, AFA says. Intermediary organizations are important to scaling apprenticeships because they run apprenticeship programs for employers and help connect education systems with the workforce. The U.S. intermediary field is still developing, and AFA estimates the nation needs around 5,000 intermediaries to properly scale apprenticeships across the economy. A smarter regulatory and statutory environment The Trump administration gets at “B+” for efforts to more quickly expand apprenticeships. This has happened primarily through DOL’s sub-regulatory guidance on the Registered Apprenticeship system “to improve flexibility, reduce burdens for employers, and improve timeliness of registration,” AFA says. Overall, Colburn says, “if the Administration maintains and builds on this trajectory, and if we can improve the funding base for apprenticeship, we think the President’s goal is attainable.” AFA is hosting its 2026 Summit in Washington, D.C., May 19-21. The post Grading the growth of apprenticeships first appeared on Community College Daily .
23 Apr 2026
Washington Watch: House committee approves WIOA reauthorization bill
On Tuesday, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce approved the “A Stronger Workforce for America Act of 2026” – House Republicans’ proposal to reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) – on party lines. The bill includes many elements of the bipartisan “A Stronger Workforce for America Act of 2023,” introduced by former Chair Virginia Foxx (R-North Carolina) and Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-Virginia), while introducing new, more partisan elements. Like its bipartisan predecessor, the bill authorizes the Strengthening Community College Training Grants Program (SCCTG) at $65 million annually – a longstanding priority for AACC. In welcome proposals, the bill also increases funding for training through individualized training accounts and would automatically include Workforce Pell and Registered Apprenticeship programs on the Eligible Training Provider List (ETPL). In a new addition, the bill would permanently move adult education programs to the Department of Labor (DOL), a proposal that will face opposition from House Democrats. The bill did not receive support from Democrats on the committee, who, while praising elements of the proposal, called instead for a bipartisan measure without the “poison pill” of the adult education program transfers. Because of this opposition, the bill is not expected to make any headway in the Senate, even if it is passed by the full House. The post Washington Watch: House committee approves WIOA reauthorization bill first appeared on Community College Daily .
23 Apr 2026