Synopses & Reviews
Since it was first published in 1982
The American Community College has become the primary resource that faculty, administrators, trustees, and researchers look to for a comprehensive analysis of the most recent findings and up-to-date information on the American community college. Throughout this important book, Arthur M. Cohen and Florence B. Brawer describe how community colleges fit into the American educational system, the services they provide, and the effects they have on the community.
This completely revised and updated edition contains information about recent changes in the community college landscape, including consolidation of faculty power, mandatory testing and placement of students, the greater prominence of developmental education, and the attention given to state-level directives regarding institutional functioning and funding. The authors also present the current information on a number of other topics, including student flow, instruction, student services, and curricular functions. In addition, The American Community Collegeincludes updated tables and graphs that reflect the most current data and incorporate new examples of the services that colleges provide.
The American Community Collegeis a comprehensive book that will be useful to anyone concerned with the role and purpose of two-year institutions in American higher education. The descriptions and analyses of each of the institution's functions can be used by administrators who want to learn about practices that have proven successful at other colleges, curriculum planners involved in program revisions, faculty members seeking ideas for modifying their courses, trustees and officials concerned with college policies regarding curriculum and student services, and graduate students preparing for careers in these institutions.
Synopsis
"This book is essential reading for anyone who thinks deeply about community colleges. Students in leadership programs as well as professionals with many years of experience will benefit from its rich content." —David R. Pierce, president, American Association of Community Colleges. In this completely revised and updated version of their classic work, Cohen and Brawer provide a comprehensive analysis of the most recent findings and up-to-date information on the American community college. Using pertinent new data on students, faculty, instruction, and curriculum, the authors analyze and critique recent enrollment trAnds, hiring practices and faculty issues, instructional methods and technologies, and academic needs and programs.
Synopsis
Since it was first published in 1982 The American Community Collegehas become the primary resource that faculty, administrators, trustees, and researchers look to for a comprehensive analysis of the most recent findings and up-to-date information on the American community college. Throughout this important book, Arthur M. Cohen and Florence B. Brawer describe how community colleges fit into the American educational system, the services they provide, and the effects they have on the community. This completely revised and updated edition contains information about recent changes in the community college landscape, including consolidation of faculty power, mandatory testing and placement of students, the greater prominence of developmental education, and the attention given to state-level directives regarding institutional functioning and funding. The authors also present the current information on a number of other topics, including student flow, instruction, student services, and curricular functions. In addition, The American Community Collegeincludes updated tables and graphs that reflect the most current data and incorporate new examples of the services that colleges provide.
Synopsis
Praise for the Previous Edition"This book is essential reading for anyone who thinks deeply about community colleges. Students in leadership programs as well as professionals with many years of experiences will benefit from its rich content."
— David R. Pierce, president, American Association of Community Colleges
"I have been using the earlier editions of this book with my graduate students for more than a decade, and they and I love it for its conciseness, accuracy, and treatment of issues in an analytical way. The book has great 'take-home' value."
— Joseph N. Hankin, president, SUNY/Westchester Community College
"Comprehensive, scholarly, and well-written. Already a classic in its field, this third edition of The American Community Collegeis an indispensable resource for graduate students, professors, and anyone else who wants to understand the development and unique mission of America's community colleges."
— George B. Vaughan, professor of higher education, North Carolina State University
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 449-494) and index.
About the Author
Arthur M. Cohen is professor of higher education at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is the author of The Shaping of American Higher Education (Jossey-Bass, 1998)
Florence B. Brawer is research director of the Center for the Study of Community Colleges.
Cohen and Brawer are the editor-in-chief and associate editor, respectively, of the Jossey-Bass quarterly series New Directions for Community Colleges.
Table of Contents
Foreword to the First Edition (John Lombardi).
Preface.
The Authors.
1. Background: Evolving Priorities andExpectations of the Community College.
2. Students: Diverse Backgrounds, Purposes, andOutcomes.
3. Faculty: Building a Professional Identity.
4. Governance and Administration: Managing theContemporary College.
5. Finances: Sustaining and Allocating Resources.
6. Instruction: Methods, Media, and Effects.
7. Student Services: Supporting EducationalObjectives.
8. Vocational Education: Occupational Entry,Change, and Development.
9. Developmental Education: Enhancing Literacyand Basic Skills.
10. Community Education: Extending CollegeServices and Training.
11. Collegiate Function: Transfer and theLiberal Arts.
12. Scholarship: Research in and About theColleges.
13. The Social Role: A Response to the Critics.
14. Toward the Future: Trends, Challenges, andObligations.
References.
Name Index.
Subject Index.