4 ways community colleges are tackling student success with fewer resources

Community colleges face mounting challenges. Since the Great Recession, states have pulled back their support, hurting the budgets of many two-year institutions. At the same time, a strong job market has pulled prospective students directly into the workforce, causing enrollments to drop nationwide. Nonetheless, community colleges have a mission to provide learners with a low-cost, high-quality education, propelling them either to a four-year institution or helping them land a better job. "Our jobs have never been more challenging, but they have never been more important," said Sandra Kurtinitis, chair of the American Association of Community Colleges' Board of Directors, to attendees at the organization's annual conference, held this week in Orlando, Florida. "This is indeed our time in the sun, and the ugly duckling that we once were from the wrong side of the ivory tower has indeed become the proverbial swan."