The Top Ten Issues Facing America's Community Colleges.

Designed to focus on the implications of change, Macomb Community College has comprised a list of the top ten issues facing America's community colleges today. Diversity is the first issue that community colleges face. Each college should develop a unique mission statement and respond to the changing needs of the community and the marketplace. The second major issue is open access. While open access has created diversity in the classroom, it has also made the task of meeting the individual needs of each student more difficult. Quality education is another major issue. The performance of community colleges is no longer equated to expansion; in the future, community colleges will have to define and document student success. A fourth issue relates to the shortage of professionals which will occur during the 1990s. Community colleges must prepare to compete in the recruiting arena in the coming years. The issue of physical access to education has also arisen due to changing demographics and increasing technology. Colleges must cope with the new wave of "electronic commuting." Instructional currency is another issue which must be dealt with by quality staff and college administrators, who must develop a future-focused vision. Such vision requires balancing community needs against programming which accommodates new advances and discoveries. Similarly, articulation efforts must be more efficient, as seamless transitions between institutions will help educators define their purpose, encourage more effective resource deployment, and produce better students. In addition, sound mission statements must be developed in order to define institutional niches; otherwise, colleges may fall into the trap of trying to provide programs and services for every niche in the community college marketplace, an unattainable goal with limited resources. The issue of college governance must also be addressed; boards have to work at becoming more effective by defining their role and setting goals for themselves as a board. Before many of these changes can occur, however, colleges must be willing to change, to move from a foundation of success into a future of uncertainties. (JMC)