Stepping Stones

I just read a surprising article published in U.S. News & World Report headlined, “Graduates of 4-Year Universities Flock to Community Colleges for Job Skills. As many as 1 in 5 community college students already have bachelor’s degrees.” According to the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), one out of every 14 people who attend community has already earned a bachelor’s degree, and in some colleges the number is one out of five.

Community colleges were always thought of as a stepping stone, preparing students for transfer to four-year institutions — not the other way around. They had open-access admissions policies, comprehensive educational programs, were community-based and cost-effective. In the latest College Board report average published tuition and fee prices in 2015-16 for in-district students at public two-year institutions averaged $3,430, compared to $9,410 for in-state students at public four-year institutions.

While lower tuition and costs may be attracting new students to community colleges, it is workforce development and skills training that are attracting students already holding bachelor’s degrees. While unemployment soared during the Great Recession, reaching 9.9 percent in March of 2010, the national unemployment rate has declined to 5.0 percent in March of 2016. Many of those who were unemployed are still under-employed. In 2016 wages are predicted to increase 2.5 percent when adjusted for inflation, but after years of salary cuts and no cost-of-living increases employees are leaving their current jobs and looking for greener pastures.

Many former students are taking courses at their local community college in an effort to make themselves more marketable. Others, especially in technology-related professions, are returning to keep their certifications current or upgrade their skills, and it is paying off.

In February 2014 the AACC and Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI) released a report, “Where Value Meets Values: The Economic Impact of Community Colleges.” The report shows that community colleges are a boon to the American economy at large as well as to individual students. For every one dollar a student spends on his or her community college education, he or she sees an ROI of $3.80. If you ask me, that is a pretty good investment!

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • California K–12 District Opens New Athletic Complex, Gym

    The San Mateo Union High School District (SMUHSD) in San Mateo, Calif., recently announced the completion of two new athletics facilities: a new gymnasium at Burlingame High School, and a new athletic training complex at San Mateo High School, according to a news release.

  • University of Kansas Opens $400M Football Stadium Reconstruction

    The University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan., recently announced that the $400-million reconstruction of David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium is complete in time for the 2025 football season, according to a news release. The university partnered with Turner Construction Company on the project.

  • Three U.S. Universities Install Acre Security Access Control Platform

    Cloud-native physical and digital security solutions company Acre Security recently announced that it has deployed its access control platform at three major universities in the U.S., according to a news release. Acre partnered with Atrium Campus to provide coverage for more than 69,000 students at the University of Virginia (UVA), George Mason University, and Rockhurst University.

  • Empowering People Through Smart, Sustainable Campuses

    Sustainability is facing increasing scrutiny, with some questioning its costs and priorities. Yet for universities, it remains an essential driver of resilience, operational efficiency and long-term competitiveness. At the same time, there is a growing recognition that sustainable transformation is not just about reducing energy consumption and emissions to comply with tightening regulations ‒ it’s about creating vibrant, comfortable environments where people can thrive, innovate and connect. For university leadership, this is a complex balancing act, with rising energy costs and limited budgets only adding to the challenge.