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Tracking Community Colleges From 1901 To The Present And The Future
The search for knowledge has always been a part of a civilized culture, as man has always desired to advance and seek wisdom. Plato and Socrates discussed the philosophies of life as they met daily, and they began the earliest of organized schools in ancient Greece. In the early years of the United States, a relatively "new" country, universities were available to the elite, higher class of society, those who desired higher status or etiquette or for religious reasons (ww.jjc.edu). Until the 20th century, though, education still hadn't touched the common man's life, and even finishing high school was sometimes considered a luxury that the commoner could not afford. At that time, the majority of the population was destined to remain in their family job or profession, or to settle with whatever trade they "could pick up" or learn; most had little choice.
At the turn of the 20th century, a new educational system was introduced that would change the outlook and environment of higher education. In 1901 a 'two year preparatory school' with the curriculum based in Liberal Arts, was formed that paralleled the first two years of a BA degree at the University of Chicago. This would come to be known as the first "junior college" as it consisted of the freshmen and sophomore, or junior years, and would come to be called Joliet Junior College. This first small school of six people would give multiplied thousands the opportunity to get an education. In the past 100 years, these colleges have exploded into a complete and comprehensive educational system of our country. This new concept opened the door to versatility relevance, by offering education to virtually all adults whatever their education need might be.
The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the progress and contribution that this concept of junior or community college has made on education, and to display the structural changes and the changes in curriculum that has transpired since the 1901and then looking into the future for the community college system.
In the Beginning....
From the beginning, the junior college was required to "be identical, in scope and thoroughness, with corresponding courses from the four year universities." In 1922, the junior college was comparable to the first two years of the collegiate level and in 1931 the definition of the junior college included the university branch campuses offering lower - division either on the campus or in separate facilities.
The first junior college began based on these definitions and was called Joliet Junior College, Joliet, IL. and had enrolled six people in the fall of 1901. The following year enrollment grew to 82, and "junior college" concept started growing. JJC is the prototype of the basic curriculum design of the junior, and later, community colleges in America. The curriculum design for this transfer-type education has not fluctuated much though thousands more courses and many more programs have been added since then. The curriculum design mirrored the freshmen and sophomore years of Chicago University, with the specific purpose of separating the first two years of the BA program and having the credits completely transferable to the university for the 'senior' years.
In the community college system, it is especially important to understand the definition of curriculum and curriculum design because it tends to change so much. Gaff defines curriculum "as the process and substance of an educational program, comprising the purpose, design, conduct, and evaluation of educational experiences. It gives shape to an institution's particular intellectual beliefs and aspirations.....that is manifested in a body of courses that present the knowledge, principles, values and skills desired". This definition is applicable to all the programs in the community college system and offers a framework or structure on which to build. The two co-founders, W. Harper and J. Brown, were both school presidents, one the president of a local high school (the first junior college encompassed only one public school district) and second, the president of Chicago University (www.jjc.edu). The two presidents would contribute the best of both worlds to form a foundational principle that would transition as the 13th and 14th grades, and would connect the high school graduate to the university. This original prototype was not to deviate from established higher education, but rather was designed to give students a two year 'space' of maturation without the added pressure that the university often thrusts onto students not prepared for it. The curriculum consisted of a basic pre-Baccalaureate transfer education and by 1920, 30% of the graduating high school seniors were attending a junior college.
In 1917, JJC was accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Students and certain programs were designated, then in 1918, JJC held its first commencement exercises (www.jjc.edu). Slowly over the next few years the number of programs and courses grew and the number of colleges increased slowly as more students were being attracted to the junior college concept. The junior college provided a low-cost tuition to the student, and a low cost to the government which supported it, and the student could live at home for two more years. All of these were major contributions to the growing success of the colleges, as it began.
The War Years
The 1920's brought a new fundamental addition to the junior college which would consequently set it apart from the university. This change would take the college away from being strictly academic and add business and industrial training to learn job skills, began being offered simultaneously with the academics. Historically, the two year institutions of postsecondary education have been defensive about their roles and the reason is because they serve a dual purpose which would only expand in the years to come.
Many have tried to downplay the true virtues, but as Harper states in, Community, Junior and Technical Colleges, the public clearly did not want more Ivy League institutions or massive universities because they cannot make use of all that now exist. The objectives of the junior college are different than a four year university, as they had been from the start adding more possibilities. In the 20's junior colleges began to expand their curriculum and prepare training for a growing technological society that was gaining momentum in the United States during that time period. Telephones and automobiles were becoming popular, and the need for qualified mechanics and technicians presented itself. The junior colleges were beginning to address the needs of their surrounding environment.
As the 20's turned into the 30's, the years became known as "The Great Depression" because of WWI. Since the junior colleges were expanding into the communities, they filled in the gaps between higher education and career, with job training, and helped our country get back on its feet. As the War came to an end, the junior colleges turned the training that was offered for the military, into civilian jobs, and with the advancing technology, the vocational programs allowed many to learn a trade. (www.aacc.com).
The 1940's introduced two significant changes into the junior college system. After WWI, the colleges began admitting more students for a variety of courses, but then WWII began the emerging college system experienced its slowest enrollment ever in its short history. This era proved to be the slowest in growth since the first junior colleges began. College-age men were fighting the War efforts overseas, while the women were taking care of the homes here in the States and there was no time or money for education. As the War came to an end in 1945, the junior college played a large part in educating this country to get it back on track once again. Scholarships from the government and the armed services encouraged people to go to school and learn a trade. Vocational programs were common in 80% of the schools by this time, and they came to be called 'terminal programs' since the student would not transfer on to a university. Junior colleghe curriculum was the first significant occurrence.
The second significant occurrence happening in the 1940's was incorporating business, vocational and academic program all under one roof. This curriculum expansion changed the definition of junior colleges, so in order to better describe their functions, junior colleges became known as community colleges. This new name encompassed the mission as the colleges were growing. There were other names also associated to the colleges besides junior and the community colleges. Some others were 'city college', 'county college, ' and 'branch colleges, ' and some referred to the major, like 'technical institute, ' and 'vocational, technical, adult education centers, ' and there was also the 'people's college, ' 'democracy's college' and 'opportunity college', but this variety of names fell under the collective title of community college. The name change made a tremendous statement to the general public.
The Transition Years
As the colleges developed, the period from 1950-1970 would explode with new campuses, new curriculum and new students as the growth of the U.S. population and interest in attaining education increased. In 1960 approximately 457 campuses were added in that one year, more than doubling the number of schools across the country.
Part of reason for this tremendous growth was attributed to the community colleges adopting an 'open door policy' and maintaining the excellence in the classroom. Bloom's Taxonomy also added to this success. Bloom introduced his concept of learning in 1948 to instill and insure educational comprehension in a successful curriculum at school. Briefly defined, Bloom describes in psychological terminology the process that a student must go through to learn efficiently and completely. There are six categories, and they are as follows: Knowledge is defined as the remembrance of previously learned material, Comprehension is the ability to grasp the meaning of the material, Application refers to the ability to use learned material, Analysis is being able to break down into component parts, Synthesis refers to putting the parts together to form the whole, and Evaluation is the ability to judge the material for its' value for a given purpose. These fundamentals apply to all subjects and these objectives form a design and a framework in which learning can successfully occur. (http://www.corrosiondoctors.org/training/Bloom.htm) These basic guidelines are necessary for a course to succeed regardless whether the class was academic or vocational. Community colleges became known for creating new courses to change the academic and certificate programs, and to create new skills in the vocational, business and professional curriculum. The objective for these curriculum changes was and still is, to address issues that were presented within the individual communities.
All educational institutions are subject to continuous criticism for their failure to become all that is expected of them. Two are noticed for the junior colleges: 1) failure to meet some of its claims and 2) failure in some cases to achieve and maintain their own identity. This was most assuredly a valid statement during the period after the 50' and 60's when the colleges were experiencing many different areas of growth. In addition, the educational criticism was that there was too much emphasis on the guidance and counseling. This was another difference between the community college and the universities. In the community college, which taught considerable more terminal courses there was more of a need for guidance, career and job training counseling, and it was available to them. The curriculum of community colleges from the 60's on can be committed to five essential services.
1. Academic transfer preparation for students who wish to progress to baccalaureate level institutions 2. Vocational-technical education for members of the community or employees at local corporations 3. Continuing education for adults 4. Remedial education, also known as developmental, preparatory, or basic skills education 5. Community service, including offering cultural events for the community and short, non-credit courses and workshops to meet community needs.
These five categories of curriculum developed in less then 60 years from the one transfer program. Now there are an estimated 14.5 million students enrolled in over 1160 community colleges across the country. In the 1960's, one of the main objectives of the community colleges was to have a campus within a 50 mile radius.
1970 to present
The sound foundational curriculum that was established years ago set the community college system in a strong position even though the flexibility of the curriculum kept the colleges continually changing. The years from 1970 to 1980 saw a tremendous increase in the vocational certificates, as the number of AA degrees awarded in occupational fields rose from 42% in 1970 to 62% in 1980. This was significant because at 62% the colleges were not primarily a transfer institution any more. This provided some controversy as to whether or not community colleges were, in fact, institutions of higher learning if they produced only half of the students to transfer. This was controversy was part of the 'Great Transformation', where the political and financial realms of our society accepted this fact because the vocational tracts provided what the community needed. Because of this controversy, the idea of more academics in the vocational field would arise. But the community college set wide boundaries for the programs that it encompasses and the college maintained its variety. The 1980's brought financial controversies and support even though the stock market crash made it more difficult for everyone; the community college continued to expand. Community colleges provided a means of attaining higher education for millions of people nationwide. What do colleges consist of today?
Who attends community colleges? The facts indicate that the academic aptitude on entering community colleges is somewhat below that of those who enter four-year colleges. In the fall of 1999, there were 5.3 million students enrolled in public community colleges, out of a total of 14.8 million students enrolled in higher education. In addition, another 5 million students participated in non-credit courses. Two-thirds or 62% of the students are in Part-time attendance, so full-time attendance is the minority. Fifty-seven percent of the students are women, and approximately 33% of the population is from an ethnic minority, either black, Asian, Indian, or Hispanic which presents a growing increase. Overall, 41% of all African American students, 56% of all Hispanic students, 40% of Asian/Pacific Islander students, and 50% of all Native American students in higher education attend community colleges. (Digest of Education Statistics, 2001)
How are community colleges financed? Nationwide, community colleges took in more than $23 billion in revenue in the 1996-97 school year and these sources were:
$10.2 billion (44%) from state governments
$5.0 billion (21%) from student tuition and fees
$4.4 billion (19%) from local governments
$1.4 billion (6%) from auxiliary enterprises
$1.2 billion (5%) from the federal government
$1.1 billion (5%) from gifts, grants, endowment earnings, and other sources
This means that because of the support that community college students receive, this assistance lowered the costs considerably making community college education more financially reasonable for the average citizen. There are no on-campus living expenses, and most of the students continue working while in school. (Digest of Education Statistics, 2001)
What and how are the vocational, professional and business programs handled? Almost half of the community college courses offered are in occupational fields, including business, nursing, and industrial and technical training. While some students enroll in programs leading to a certificate or a diploma, other students take one or two courses to improve their work capabilities. Some of the courses are handled contractually, and some are not. These usually fall into three categories: training designed specifically for the employees of certain companies, training for public-agency employees, and training for specific groups such as unemployed people or individuals trying to make the transition from welfare to self-sufficiency.
Another area that is presenting great interest is the addition of multicultural classes, and in 1998, the number rose to 26%, since they were introduced in 1975. (http://www.ericfacility.net/ericdigests/ed438011.html). Multicultural courses are based on minorities and their perspectives rather than the mainstream culture which usually overtakes the common course load. By adding multicultural courses, colleges are able to create new courses and programs by exploring minorities that have been overlooked in the past. This type of education provides a dual purpose; they benefit the students and also the surrounding community. For as students learn about cultures and traditions other than their own, they learn to respect other groups with an open mind, and the surrounding community gains fresh attitudes and respect as the students take the courses outside of the four classroom walls. By participating in these classes, students and citizens become more knowledgeable about their own environment. (www3.niu.edu/mcti/mcinfo.htm)
An area which separates the community college from the university is the area of guidance counseling for those who attend a community college. Since a community college offers so much in the way of career choices and academic majors, and the students come from such a variety of places, it is imperative that counselors are available. It should be noted here that as schools progressed, and opportunities for the students increased, and career and academic guidance became an asset in the public eye. The one on one guidance is significant in keeping the student on track and it also increases the retention at the school.
The 1970's showed a new concern from a study that done on the entering class of 63 two-year colleges in 1952. The study showed that only about a third of the class was transferring on to the university, the majority of the students were going into the work field or into careers. This was puzzling because originally two-thirds of the class stated that they would transfer, when they entered. This discrepancy grew and eventually demanded the colleges' attention. Eventually this lead to a Retention program which expresses concern in colleges if they can't retain their original students' intention.
How is faculty affecting the curriculum? One of the best methods of interdisciplinary teaching is with WAC - Writing Across the Curriculum. This program assumes that the faculty as a whole is responsible for a student's writing skills, not just the English department. With this concept, all courses can specifically offer writing assignments that will increase the students writing and reading skills.
Team teaching is another tool the faculty has at a community college for certain classes. For instance, a Humanities class could be taught from an interdisciplinary perspective. The art teacher, music, history, and literature instructors could uniquely form one class from each of their specific subjects. Team teaching allows students to see interaction on the subject and to get more than one perspective on the class.
Present to Future
As you can see, over the past 100 + years the community college has gone through immeasurable changes, and continues to do so. It's almost as if change is the official format for the community college. They went from a one dimensional college with a Liberal Arts transfer program, to a multi-dimensional and multi format campus that includes everything from academic degrees, to vocational and professional certificates, to non-credit and self-improvement classes, to adult education. Housewives enroll to learn computer skills and high school students are encouraged to participate in dual enrollment to advance their careers; the range is wide. Looking ahead there are a few colleges that have advanced beyond the community college boundaries. St. Petersburg Junior College is one of them. The name has recently changed to St. Petersburg College so that it could accommodate an additional group of students - the graduate levels. SPC now houses a full community college curriculum, but now in addition, thirteen universities are invited to teach graduate level courses from their own university status (www.spjc.edu). A few of the programs available are the BS in nursing, interdisciplinary Social Studies, BS in Advanced Technology, Dental Hygiene, or Mathematics, and the list is long. SPC broke the mold whereby a community college has AA or AS degree as it highest academic level. This definition states that "we define the community college as any institution regionally accredited to award the associate in arts or the associate in science as its highest degree."
SPC poses a unique geographic location that supports this innovative design. There are no universities located in a 75 mile radius from the college, so there is no school where these students of SPJC can transfer once they get their AA. SPC carries accredited programs from AA, AS, BA, BS, MA, MS, and even PhD. They have been using this format for a few years and it seems to be working at this location.
Another unique situation that has evolved in the system at Brevard Community College or BCC, which is also in Florida. The transition at BCC is the exact opposite situation that SPC was faced with, in that BCC actually shares the grounds and campus with University of Central Florida, a complete four-year and university. The reason that this makes a unique situation is that there is often a duplicate of classes from BCC and UCF. Students at UCF often go back to BCC for a course or two because of the lower costs. These two schools have chosen to share the campus, and it works for this location. They share parking, the Library and a number of classrooms. BCC maintains a two year community college and will support UCF by offering courses that aid their curriculum especially in the transfer majors. Because of their close proximity, it would be fruitless to have two four-year colleges right next door, so BCC offers the traditional AA and AS, and students transfer to UCF for higher degrees.
Conclusion/Summary
Today, in the year 2004, 50% of all students in postsecondary education enroll in community colleges, but what is amazing is that in a 1998 study compared to a 1991 study and discovered that though approximately the same number of students were enrolled, there were more than 30, 000 more courses offered, (http://www.ericfacility.net/ericdigests/ed438011.html) demonstrating the diversity level that the community college has achieved. They take on an increasing variety of subjects, most of which have been ignored by other institutions of higher learning, but the community college has opened the door to provide these educational opportunities. Some of the segments of society that the community college serves would not have the chance by any other means, to attend a university. So this brings the community college back to the original concepts that they were formed on; low-costs, availability, and low stress because the founders knew that there were some students that needed these special provisions. In educational discussions the question is posed, are the functions and programs that the community college undertakes 'conflicting or complementary?' Some say that the schools are trying to encompass too much, and they can't focus on their primary purpose - transfer programs. But as the statistics show, at this point in our history, vocational and business programs are in great demand. The community college is not now, nor have they ever tried to remain a transfer or 'junior university' with the mission to fill the educational needs of the surrounding community. The community college is taking on increasingly more functions, and that is as it should be because there is an increasing need in our neighborhoods and cities. The challenge comes to the colleges in maintaining an excellent and moral course load that all can benefit from, not from the variety of courses that are presented. So in answer to the question, is it conflicting or complementary? The answer remains as it has for 100 years, complementary can be controversial, but a mind is a terrible thing to waste!
By Liz Gamble - I spent years traveling and investigating Life........ I now live in a small beach town on the East Coast, only by the Grace of God and the winds of change that are continually blowing around me.
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