I am still relatively new to the community college environment. Although I've been privileged to be in the California community college system for the past 4.5 years (with the first year at Oxnard College), I built my career in the halls of baccalaureate education.
As a result, the uniqueness of the American community college system still holds a fascination for me: its focus on being accessible to any student who wants to pursue a post-secondary education, its mix of both transfer and career education, and most importantly, its singular focus on learning through faculty and staff wholly dedicated to their students.
Another feature of community colleges that I find intriguing is its counter-cyclical nature; in other words, the economy goes down, enrollment goes up (best described in this article). This phenomenon is completely opposite to the experiences of my previous life in the four-year realm. For example, my first job after graduation was in south-central Nebraska: Kearney State College (now University Nebraska-Kearney), a former "normal school" situated in the middle of the wheat and corn fields, nestled along the banks of the South Platte River. Our enrollment fluctuated, to be sure, but in the opposite direction. When the economy was good--in this case, when the growing season was blessed with the right conditions to generate a strong harvest--student enrollment increased. Conversely, if the family farms surrounding the college experienced a bad season, then students dropped out to work on the farm.
All the projections indicate that we're accelerating into a recession, prompted primarily by the pervasive impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. Yet West, like many other community colleges, is already seeing an increase in enrollment requests; for example, we had a waiting list of almost 700 students for the second eight-week term.
That these students want to continue--or to begin--their education is a testament to their belief in higher education as a path to a better life, in spite of the negative press often received by the post-secondary sector. As a result, I believe we have a moral obligation to provide access to these students to help them continue to pursue their dreams of an education--and, in this environment, it may be the one dream that keeps them going.
So, in response to the counter-cyclical nature of community colleges, West made the decision to create a special six-week session. Beginning April 27, students will be able to take one or more general education courses, all meeting transfer requirements to both UC and CSU institutions. Offerings include Communication 101, English 101, Astronomy 001, Economics 001, History 011, and Art 103. My thanks go to the leadership in Academic Affairs who coordinated these efforts and to the faculty who have stepped up to provide instruction.
And, as of this writing (Tuesday morning, 7:00 a.m.), we're already 27% enrolled.
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Here's a national observance of which you may not be aware: April is National Community College Month! This commemoration of the contributions of American community colleges was initiated by President Ronald Reagan in 1985. You can read more about this history here.
I encourage you to stop for a few minutes and ponder the importance of what we're doing here at West, especially as we help our students--and each other--navigate through the uncharted territory that is the coronavirus pandemic.
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Finally, as I said yesterday, I'm a bit of a history buff, so here's your daily dose of "what happened today in history," courtesy of Bing.
753 BCE: Rome is founded.
1836: Texas wins its independence at the Battle of San Jacinto (as a native Texan, I had to memorize all these dates).
1918: The "Red Baron," the World War I flying ace, is shot down over the fields of France.
1926: Queen Elizabeth II,c the longest-serving monarch in British history, is born.