Community College Month – Celebrate Impact of Community Colleges

April has been designated national community college month, a time when community college organizations, state legislatures, and local community colleges celebrate the importance and impact of the nation’s community colleges.

Given the fact that California’s community colleges are an essential resource of the state, the California Legislature has introduced Assembly Concurrent Resolution (ACR) 31 naming April as Community College Month in California.

Often called the engine that drives California’s economy, community colleges have been proliferating since the early 1900s in our state. Born out of a need to provide publicly funded higher education in close proximity to the students who needed it most—primarily those who were low-income, minorities and women—the mission of California’s community colleges has changed little, while their importance has grown tremendously over the years.

Today, there are 115 community college districts in California serving more than 2.3 million students annually. Forty-three percent of them are first-generation college students and 73 percent of students overall receive a tuition waiver or financial aid. More than half of California veterans who receive G.I. educational benefits attend a community college, and students who earn a degree or certificate nearly double their earnings within three years.

With the median course section size at 25 students and numerous student services that promote student success, California community college students do very well, both in the workplace and at completing baccalaureate degrees at four-year colleges and universities. At California State University, 51 percent of graduates started their higher education journey at a California community college.

California’s community colleges are also on the cutting edge of innovation. Programs such as Dual Enrollment, where students take college courses on their high school campuses, Promise Programs that provide courses virtually cost-free to qualified students, and state-of the-art vocational and career programs in modern, high-tech facilities make community colleges the institutions of choice for millions of students each year.

As ACR 31 states, “…by 2020, 65 percent of jobs in the United States will require some type of credential or degree beyond high school… California Community Colleges train students to be competitive in today’s demanding workforce, providing the skills and knowledge students need to obtain a productive, higher-wage future, (while) supplying the state’s fastest-growing industries with the skilled labor upon which their success depends.”

With the passage of ACR 31 the California State Legislature urges the residents of California to participate in public events held on their local community college campuses in the month of April to celebrate the impact and importance of this unique American institution of higher education called “community college.”

About the Author:

Dr. Edward C. Ortell is the senior governing board member at Citrus College and a Professor Emeritus at Pasadena City College. He has served on the California Community College Trustees (CCCT) state board of directors and eight terms as president of the Citrus College Board of Trustees.