Demonstrates that there are many different approaches to community colleges' partnering with the private sector and that when partners are actively engaged in tailoring education, training, and learning to their students, everyone is the beneficiary. Today as the need for information and workforce competency increases, it is especially important that community colleges embrace the opportunities inherent in collaborations with business and their local communities. These partnerships are particularly successful when each partner brings a different skill or experience to the relationship so that together they achieve, often more effectively, what separately they might be unable to accomplish. This is a true symbiosis. Appropriately, the focus of all these connections is students and learning, in one form or another.

This is the 119th issue of the Jossey-Bass series New Directions for Community Colleges.

This is the 119th issue of the Jossey-Bass series New Directions for Community Colleges.

EDITORS NOTES (Mary S. Spangler).

1. Successful Experiences with Making Partnering an Operational Strategy (David L. Buettner, Michael C. Morrison, Margery Wasicek)

A concise overview of the key components of sound partnerships developed at North Iowa Area Community College provides a conceptual foundation for practitioners. The chapter offers a narrative of the colleges successful experiences as a concrete illustration of the transformational benefits partnerships can provide. The discussion of common challenges is an important reminder of the need for a realistic consideration of such a strategy.

2. Building Partnerships with Business That Make a Difference (Lori L. Sundberg)

A successful partnership with private business requires attention to issues of benefit and value. This chapter recounts the gradual process by which Carl Sandburg College made these connections in opening the Center for Manufacturing Excellence.

3. Developing Successful Community Partnerships: "Teeing Up" for Change (Arthur Q. Tyler)

Thinking innovatively and taking prudent risks to bring a golf driving range to Los Angeles City College helped unite the community with the college. The chapter chronicles the long-term and complex partnership process behind this development, which led to a change in campus culture and reinvigorated the campus and community relationship.

4. A Community College Partnership with an Electrical Contractor and Union (John P. Allen)

Developing a partnership with union leaders and contractors to upgrade the education and training of their apprentices and members is a worthwhile but complex challenge. This chapter describes the origins of the Illinois Valley Community College partnership, the collaboration with surrounding educational institutions, the challenge of resolving contractual requirements and curriculum, and the partnership outcomes.

5. Asnuntuck Community Colleges Machine Technology Certificate and Degree Programs (Harvey S. Irlen, Frank D. Gulluni)

Although manufacturing remains a viable sector in Connecticut, it is experiencing skills shortages in the workforce. This chapter describes the machine technology programs purpose, the development of the Asnuntuck Community Colleges partnership with private sector manufacturers, the curriculum, the outcomes, and benefits of educating men and women in the field of manufacturing.

6. The Alameda Corridor Industry &College Collaborative (Lou Anne Bynum)

An ambitious undertaking to join eight community colleges in a consortium to develop and implement a comprehensive college-industrybased training partnership delivered more than it originally intended or committed to. The combined effort and leveraged resources added greater value to the original project while contributing to economic development and continuous workforce improvement in California.

7. Learning Into Action: Partnerships Take the Classroom to the Community (Linda P. Woiwod)

A comprehensive service learning program partners Skagit Valley College students with the local community and business entities to provide direct experiential learning while maintaining practical connections with future employers. This chapter describes the program, its range of learning opportunities, the roles of the partners, and the application to student learning experiences.

8. High-Tech Partnering Leads to Learning-Centered Curricula for Individuals with Disabilities (Kathleen S. Hurley)

Learning-centered curricula assist individuals with severe physical disabilities to be fully engaged members of the working community. This outcome is possible thanks to a high-tech partnership between the community college and a supportive council of business advisers at Valencia Community College.

9. Concluding Observations on Successful Partnerships (Mary S. Spangler)

Most successful partnerships between community colleges and external parties from business and industry have several common elements. They also face certain consistent challenges that must be overcome if they are to persist and flourish.

10. Sources and Information: Partnerships with Business and the Community (Fred Piegonski)

This chapter offers information from the ERIC database on partnerships between community colleges and the larger community, focusing especially on regional and state partnerships for economic and workforce development, including tech prep policy and program development. The process of developing the partnerships, examples of successful models, and guides to establish partnerships are cited for further reading. Additional unannotated sources for further reading conclude the review.

Index.