Community College Funding
This is an excerpt from the paper...
With the changes in technology and industry that have occurred as America shifts into the Information Age, more and more Americans have recognized the importance of continuing their education. Many manufacturing and production workers have been paid off, downsized, or terminated. More and more, technological skills and capabilities are needed in order to secure gainful employment. Because of this, community colleges are gaining a renewed interest and significance in helping retrain many people seeking different or better paying careers. Traditionally, community colleges’ main objective was to prepare students for higher education at colleges and universities. However, its current role has shifted to one of preparing students for the job market. A community college education is one method of qualifying for better paying, high-tech employment. With the expansion of community colleges, many benefits have accrued to society in terms of narrowing the gap between the “haves” and have-nots. While no on doubts the future will continue to see an expansion of the role community colleges play in this equation, there are plenty of doubts regarding the funding of community colleges. The funding of community colleges has created a great deal of controversy because many argue they should not be funded through tax-dollars (like public education) and should be privately funded. Others contend the state and federal govern
. . .
llocations to further any particular type of education. As one opponent of this aspect of Minnesota’s funding system states, “There is no requirement that funds designated as continuing education funds by the Minnesota Community College system, at the state level, be used that way” (Kaufman 3).
Regardless of the funding system or source of funding, few quality studies exist with respect to the efficacy of funding with regard to student completion rates. Texas Community College, however, recently conducted a study whose purpose was to determine the relationship between the amount of funding received from students and program rates of completion. The study also sought to uncover whether different levels of revenue from students changed the amount of monies allocated to different expenditures, and if these allocations had any significant impact on completion rates. The test measured twenty-six variables, including revenue variables, functional variables, campus size, and output (degrees and certificates granted) variables. The study’s findings have important implications for the funding of community colleges:
Results of the twenty-six variables indicated that more adequately funded community colleges had higher program complet
. . .
Some common words found in the essay are:
System VCCS, Board Governors, Community College, Transfer Program, College Clevenger, Continuing Education, Total Total, Age Americans, COLLEGE FUNDING, Rock Valley, community colleges, community college, college funding, community college funding, funding community, funding community colleges, funding system, continuing education, community college system, economic development, college system, completion rates, universities independent, universities independent colleges, students enter workforce,
Approximate Word count = 3495
Approximate Pages = 14 (250 words per page)
More Essays on Community College Funding
|