HIGHER CALLING
  • Welcome
  • Process
    • Step 1: Career Planning
    • Step 2: College Planning >
      • Applying to College - Early
      • AP vs DC College Credit
      • College Ranking
      • College Types >
        • Unique Types of Colleges
      • Campus Visits >
        • Tips for Campus Visits
      • Essay Support
      • Gap Year >
        • What's a Gap Year and Why Would I Do That?
      • Lots of College Statistics
      • Test Preparation & Tutoring
    • Step 3: Financial Planning >
      • Award Letter Process
      • Borrowed Future (Dave Ramsey)
      • Net Price Calculators
      • Paying for College
      • Possible Tuition Discounts
  • Resources
    • Essential Books for Students
    • Infographics
    • Podcasts & Videocasts
    • Social Media and College
    • Students with ADHD
  • HC Blog
    • Career & College Blogs
    • Your Calling on Campus
    • A Prayer For You
  • About HC
    • Services >
      • Personal Consulting
      • Organizational Consulting
      • Speaking Engagements
  • Contact

Community Colleges - Still at the Center of the American Dream

5/5/2017

0 Comments

 
This weeks guest post comes from Ross Dickie, who I've had the pleasure of knowing for a few years. He is always wanting people of all ages to understand more about themselves and make better decisions.

As 
CEO of Keys to Succeed and President & COO of Human eSources, he is dedicated to helping others "discover educational and career goals based on their unique combination of personality, preferences, skills and talents." Check out this report on the Do What You Are (DWYA) personality assessment, one of my favorite resources..

Like me, Ross started his career at a community college. Read what he has to share about the value of community colleges.
PictureCollege of the Mainland (Community College in Texas City, Texas)
In case you weren’t aware, April [was] National Community College Awareness Month. And never have community colleges played such an important part in helping individuals of diverse ages and backgrounds realize their American Dream.

According to the American Association of Community Colleges, its member institutions serve 45% of all college students and 41% of all first-time freshmen. However, that’s only part of the story.

Over half of all African American college students attend a community college. Representation among Hispanic and Native American college students is even higher. And over one-third of students are the first generation in their family to attend college.

Not surprisingly, community college students represent a wide range of ages, the average student being 29 years old.
​
Community college students are also a hardworking bunch. Well over half of all full-time community college students are employed at least part time, and nearly 75% of all part-time students hold down some form of employment.

In short, America’s community colleges serve students who are committed to a better life for themselves and their families, and are willing to work hard to achieve it.

Perhaps most importantly, this group of students are at the vanguard of a drive to upgrade their skills and remain competitive in a globalized workforce.

We also know that these students face greater challenges to graduation than most other college students. Nearly half fail to return for their second year of education.
The reasons are many.

In addition to attending to their studies, these students all have jobs to hold down. Seventeen percent are single parents. So, for these students, life has a way of intruding on their best intentions.

Many come to community college socially and academically unprepared, yet are committed to success. As a result, first-year experience courses play a particularly important role in helping these students succeed and matriculate through their college experience.

Our collective future depends, to a large extent, on our ability to teach all students to adapt, compete and thrive in a highly competitive global economy. The role of community colleges in reaching that goal has never been more important.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Combining my youth ministry and educational consulting experience, I guide students to connect higher education with God's calling.

    Share your experiences in the comments. I'd love to connect with you on your journey. 


    (Photo: UC San Diego, School of Architecture - Yes, they built a house on the corner of a building!)

    Picture

    Archives

    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    October 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    September 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015

    Categories

    All
    Admissions
    Application Process
    Athletics
    Bachelor's Degree
    Blogs
    Campus Visits
    Career Planning
    College Planning
    College Search Engine
    College Success
    Collegiate Sports
    Community College
    Counselors
    Essay
    Ethics
    Financial Aid
    God's Calling
    Grants
    Internships
    Leadership
    Loans
    Majors
    Mental Health
    Merit AId
    Military / ROTC
    Parents
    Podcasts
    Prayer
    Ranking
    Remedial Courses
    Scholarships
    Social Media
    Standardized Testing
    Summer
    Technology
    Test Prep
    Transcripts
    Tutoring
    Waitlist
    Work Study
    Youth Workers

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Welcome
  • Process
    • Step 1: Career Planning
    • Step 2: College Planning >
      • Applying to College - Early
      • AP vs DC College Credit
      • College Ranking
      • College Types >
        • Unique Types of Colleges
      • Campus Visits >
        • Tips for Campus Visits
      • Essay Support
      • Gap Year >
        • What's a Gap Year and Why Would I Do That?
      • Lots of College Statistics
      • Test Preparation & Tutoring
    • Step 3: Financial Planning >
      • Award Letter Process
      • Borrowed Future (Dave Ramsey)
      • Net Price Calculators
      • Paying for College
      • Possible Tuition Discounts
  • Resources
    • Essential Books for Students
    • Infographics
    • Podcasts & Videocasts
    • Social Media and College
    • Students with ADHD
  • HC Blog
    • Career & College Blogs
    • Your Calling on Campus
    • A Prayer For You
  • About HC
    • Services >
      • Personal Consulting
      • Organizational Consulting
      • Speaking Engagements
  • Contact