Jerry Sue Thornton, Ph.D. President Cuyahoga Community College The Renaissance Seattle Hotel Friday, July 13, 2012

 Community colleges serve as a gateway to higher education and as a result the middle class. ◦ In 2010, enrollment reached 13.3 million students in credit and non-credit courses.  Community Colleges enroll almost half of U.S. undergraduate students

 Student success rates, however, are: ◦ Unacceptably low, ◦ Employment preparation is not adequately connected to job market needs, and ◦ Handoffs between high schools, community colleges, & baccalaureate institutions are frequently dropped.

The U.S., formerly the leader, now ranks 16 th in the world in college completion rates for year-olds. By 2018, nearly 2/3 of all American jobs will require a postsecondary certificate, associate or baccalaureate degree. By adding 20 million postsecondary-educated workers over the next 15 years, income inequality will decline, reversing the decline of the middle class.

Phase I – Listening Tour Phase II – Creation in 2011 of the 21 st Century Commission on the Future of Community Colleges

More than 1,300 stakeholders – Students, faculty and staff, administrators, trustees, state policymakers, college presidents and chancellors Visited 13 cities in 10 U.S. regions, Jan – Nov Austin, TX 2.Detroit, MI 3.Washington, DC 4.Tallahassee, FL 5.Jamestown, NC 6.River Grove, IL 7.Columbus, OH 8.New York, NY 9.Anaheim, CA 10.Martinez, CA 11.Des Moines, IA 12.Harrisburg, PA 13.Grand Island, NE

 Two-fold mandate: ◦ Safeguard the fundamental mission of community colleges; and ◦ Challenge community colleges to imagine a new future, while ensuring the success of community college students, institutions and our nation.

Thirty-eight members from higher education, education policy and business. – Chair, Walter Bumphus, President & CEO of AACC – Co-Chairs, Augustine Gallego, Chairman Emeritus, San Diego Community College District Kay McClenney, Director, Center for Community College Student Engagement, The University of Texas at Austin Jerry Sue Thornton, President, Cuyahoga Community College, Ohio Funding provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, ACT, and Educational Testing Service.

The American dream is at risk. Because a highly educated population is fundamental to economic growth and a vibrant democracy, community colleges can help reclaim that dream. Stepping up to this challenge will require dramatic redesign of our institutions, their mission, and most critically, their students’ educational experiences.

 A call for a new vision for community colleges grounded in the “Three Rs”: ◦ Redesign students’ educational experiences; ◦ Reinvent institutional roles; and ◦ Reset the system to create incentives for student and institutional success.

AACC Recommendation #1  Completion ◦ Degrees ◦ Certificates ◦ Degrees by transfer

AACC Recommendation #2  College Readiness/Developmental Education ◦ Support/assist K-12 actions related to college readiness ◦ Improve developmental education delivery  Math emporia  Developmental gaming  Uri Treisman’s research – Carnegie Foundation (Quantway/Statway)  Faculty development and training  Increased academic/student support (tutoring)  Supplemental education

AACC Recommendation #3  Re-configure workforce training ◦ Develop “stackable” credentials ◦ Create short-term certificates ◦ Fill the “true” skills gap ◦ Define labor needs, supported with data

AACC Recommendation #4  Mission and institutional roles ◦ Access (Open Door) ◦ Success ◦ Multiple delivery modes (open entry-open exit) ◦ Faculty as coaches/brokers of education ◦ Forums for discussions (Boards/Faculty/Partners)

AACC Recommendation #5  Collaboration and partnerships ◦ Support structures to serve collaboration (community colleges, philanthropy, government and the private sector)  Partnerships and consortia  Strengthen credentialing through rigorous assessment and transparent documentation

AACC Recommendation #6  Public and private investments/Reclaim the American Dream ◦ Increase advocacy at all levels ◦ Incentives for student performance and progress ◦ Funding strategies ◦ Public funding models ◦ Accessible and interactive statewide data systems

AACC Recommendation #7  Rigor, transparency and accountability ◦ Degree Qualifications Profile ◦ Leverage the influence and collective purchasing power for development of learning outcomes assessments ◦ State data systems needed to track students on their educational and career pathways ◦ Voluntary Framework of Accountability

Successful AACC convention in Orlando, FL April – More than 2,200 attendees from across the country – Highly responsive and positive reaction to report Commission members are traveling across the country to discuss the report and its recommendations

AACC will: – Establish an implementation task force – Create an AACC 21st-Century Center – Widely disseminate the report – Conduct proactive outreach by AACC and Commission members

 Support flexible policies, rules and regulations (e.g., program development regulations)  Review and revise state rules and regulations that hamper competition  Assess and recommend appropriate funding formulas (advocate for removal of funding inequities)  Advocate, provide direction and oversight re. foundation investments (review differences in funding of community colleges vs. four-year institutions, for example)  Assist with institutional resource reallocation  Influence the alignment of the Common Core State Standards

 Help define accountability (e.g., completion rates/IPEDS)  Advocate for increased higher education credentials  Work toward the lessening of the gap between workforce need and worker availability  Advocate and educate toward efficiencies (better use of financial resources)  Develop relationships and work with regional accreditation bodies  Work with higher education partners on job market needs (career planning gap, degree gap, underfunding [especially developmental education programs], equity, help identify optimal collaborations and partnerships, etc.)