Abstract
The second edition of Understanding Community Colleges, edited by John S. Levin and Susan T. Kater (2018), provides a comprehensive overview of key topics facing community colleges today. Levin and Kater have assembled a thoughtfully curated set of chapters that would be a welcome addition to course syllabi throughout higher education graduate programs, a compelling read for current and future leaders at community colleges, and a useful resource for social science researchers and those working in 4-year institutions who seek to understand community colleges better.
For researchers, Understanding Community Colleges provides an in-depth look at many key challenges and trends in community colleges today, while also providing a veritable treasure trove of useful data points, future research ideas, and references to a wide range of existing literature. Rather than breaking new research ground, the chapters largely aim to provide a thorough overview and discussion of existing research, particularly for those new to the field. In particular, researchers will appreciate the attention to emerging trends and challenges that may drive future research agendas. Especially notable in these regards is Palmer and Romano’s (Chapter 12) discussion about state fiscal support, which provides context about long-term headwinds such as growing fiscal conservatism from state governments. Readers will appreciate their timely and well-considered discussions of current hot-button political issues, such as performance-based funding and the push for free college.
For community college practitioners and leaders, the text conveys a strong understanding of the community college as an institution that provides value for those working inside and outside of community colleges. For example, Ken Meier’s thorough overview of community college history (Chapter 1) nicely sets the stage for key themes and tensions that recur throughout the remainder of the book. Readers will appreciate how the text largely keeps practitioners at the core, with many chapters offering perspectives at the institutional level and highlighting key questions that future and current community college leaders should consider. Indeed, anyone currently working at a community college will likely nod along in recognition throughout, as the authors distill research in a clear and compelling way that aims to make sense of the experiences of those on campuses.
A clear strength of the book is its attention to the diversity of students, faculty, and staff at community colleges. With several chapters focused on student diversity, it pays dedicated and necessary attention to Hispanic students (Chapter 4, Nora, Carales, and Bledsoe), international students (Chapter 5, Zhang and Hagedorn), adult students (Chapter 6, Montero-Hernandez and Cerven), and academically underprepared students (Chapter 7, Perin). These chapters bring needed attention to the unique challenges and needs of populations growing in numbers on community college campuses. Tying these chapters together, Malcolm-Piqueux (Chapter 2) highlights a central tension that community college leaders must grapple with, that while community colleges provide greater access for historically marginalized students than any other sector in higher education, they often struggle to successfully and equitably serve these students. As Malcolm-Piqueux compellingly argues, in a central theme relevant to many of the chapters, “Given the diversity of community college students, these institutions have a high degree of responsibility to contribute to the educational attainment and social mobility of historically disadvantaged populations” (p. 35).
Diversity also plays a prominent role in chapters on faculty (Chapter 9, Levin), mid-level staff (Chapter 10, Amey and Eddy), and the increasing pressures facing shared governance models of community college leadership (Chapter 11, Kater and Kisker). These chapters collectively paint a portrait of a sector in transition as full-time community college faculty decrease in numbers and influence, as adjunct faculty take a growing role in instruction, and as staff and administrators become increasingly central to campus operations and governance.
Though no text could pay full attention to every important topic facing community colleges today, more in-depth discussions about dual-enrollment for high school students, online education, and for-profit colleges would have been especially welcome additions. As dual enrollment grows in prominence and online classes become increasingly common, chapters that more heavily highlighted these trends would add to the book’s ongoing themes about disruptions to traditional models, challenges facing faculty and staff, and the growing force of consumerism in community colleges (particularly as highlighted in Chapter 3, Hirt and Frank’s thoughtful chapter on the tensions between development and consumerist approaches to student services). Throughout several chapters, for-profit colleges are mostly an unaddressed elephant in the room. Key forces such as competition with for-profits for student enrollment and the influence of the market-based approach of these institutions seem to play an important, yet under-addressed role throughout the book. Dedicated attention to the role of for-profits and their impact on community colleges could serve as a useful chapter for future editions.
While perhaps not the primary target audience, Understanding Community Colleges might actually be most useful as a text for higher education scholars and practitioners who study sectors other than community colleges. Given the large numbers of students served by community colleges, these institutions are far too misunderstood by the broader higher education community. One common theme throughout almost all chapters was that more community college research is desperately needed. Though most authors acknowledged the limitation, many chapters rely heavily on research focused on 4-year institutions. Bragg’s excellent chapter on career and technical education (Chapter 8) relies largely on research from secondary schools. While the scarcity of community college-specific research may raise questions about whether some chapters’ findings generalize to community college settings, readers will finish the book with an overwhelming sense that we simply need much more research conducted in community college settings and with community college students.
Through a well-crafted collection of chapters, Understanding Community Colleges provides a useful overview to those new to community colleges and presents unique insights and perspectives that benefit community college practitioners and scholars at all levels, including faculty, staff, and leadership. It would also be a welcome addition to the study of community colleges in higher education graduate programs. This book provides readers with a clearer understanding of the challenges facing community colleges today, a stronger sense of the key questions and tensions facing leaders in the sector, and a renewed dedication to community colleges’ crucial mission in today’s society.
