Now in its fifth edition! An indispensable reference for anyone concerned with the future of American colleges and universities. Whether it is advances in information technology, organized social movements, or racial inequality and social class stratification, higher education serves as a lens for examining significant issues within American society. First published in 1998, American Higher Education in the Twenty-First Century offers a comprehensive introduction to the complex realities of American higher education, including its history, financing, governance, and relationship with the states and federal government. This thoroughly revised edition brings the classic volume completely up to date. Each chapter has been rewritten to address major recent issues in higher education, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the movement for racial justice, and turmoil in the for-profit sector. Three entirely new chapters cover broad-access colleges, race and racism, and organized social movements. Reflecting on the implications of ethnic and socioeconomic diversity within higher education, the book also grapples with growing concerns about the responsiveness and future of the academy. No other book covers such wide-ranging issues under the broader theme of higher education's relationship to society. Highly acclaimed and incorporating cutting-edge research, American Higher Education in the Twenty-First Century is now more useful and engaging than ever. Contributors: Michael N. Bastedo, Philip G. Altbach, Patricia J. Gumport, Peter Riley Bahr, Joy Blanchard, Julia Brickfield, Michael Brown, Katherine S. Cho, Daniela Conde, Charles H. F. Davis III, Hans de Wit, Peter D. Eckel, Martin Finkelstein, Denisa Gándara, Liliana M. Garces, Roger L. Geiger, Leslie D. Gonzales, Jillian Leigh Gross, Jessica Harris, Nicholas Hillman, Julia Rose Karpicz, Robert Kelchen, Adrianna Kezar, Lisa R. Lattuca, Demetri Morgan, Rebecca Natow, Anna Neumann, Audrey Peek, Laura W. Perna, Gary Rhoades, Tykeia N. Robinson, Roman Ruiz, Wonson Ryu, Lauren T. Schudde, Jeffrey C. Sun, David A. Tandberg

Understanding Community Colleges provides a comprehensive review of the community college landscape--management and governance, finance, student demographics and development, teaching and learning, policy, faculty, and workforce development--and bridges the gap between research and practice. This contributed volume brings together highly respected scholars in the field who rely upon substantial theoretical perspectives--critical theory, social theory, institutional theory, and organizational theory--for a rich and expansive analysis of community colleges. The latest text to publish in the Core Concepts in Higher Education series, this exciting new text fills a gap in the higher education literature available for students enrolled in Higher Education and Community College graduate programs. This text provides students with: A review of salient research related to the community college field. Critical theoretical perspectives underlying current policies. An understanding of how theory links to practice, including focused end-of-chapter discussion questions. A fresh examination of emerging issues and insight into contemporary community college practices and policy.

The only overview of research on the uniquely American community college system, which is increasingly becoming the site of entry for students seeking a higher education. This new volume shows why America's community colleges increasingly find themselves at the epicenter of social conflict, surrounded by unresolved questions such as: In a country based on the notion of equal opportunity, shouldn't all high school graduates have access to higher education? Are access and excellence really compatible? What is the real work of community colleges? Is it to provide transfer programs for students going on to baccalaureate colleges or training workers for careers in business and industry? In this comprehensive guide, readers will find not only a solid grounding in the latest research on these difficult questions but also a thoughtful analysis of the social forces that gave rise to American community colleges and still shape them today.

This reference provides a comprehensive treatment of all aspects of the community college in America. The volume contains broad sections on the historical development of community colleges, their mission and functions, curriculum and instruction, managerial concerns, financial issues, human resources, faculty, students, and the context in which they operate. Roughly 50 chapters, prepared by expert contributors, summarize and synthesize available research on particular topics and discuss those issues critical to the future of the community college in America. Each chapter provides detailed, bibliographic references and the volume concludes with an informative, bibliographical essay. A massive synthesis of research on theory and practice, this reference will be valued by everyone interested in the past, present, and future of the community college in America.

Winner of the 2007 Outstanding Publication Award given by the American Educational Research Association Division J. Community colleges enroll almost half of all undergraduates in the United States. These two-year colleges manifest the American commitment to accessible and affordable higher education. With about 1,200 institutions nationwide, community colleges have made significant progress over the past decade in opening access and have become the critical entry point to higher education for many Americans who traditionally have been left out of educational and economic opportunity. Yet economic, political, and social developments have increased the challenges community colleges face in pursuing an “equity agenda.” Some of these include falling state budgets combined with growing enrollments, a greater emphasis on outcome-based accountability, competition from for-profit institutions, and growing immigrant student populations. These trials come at a time when community colleges confront crucial economic and workforce development pressures that may impact their mission. How can community colleges continue to maintain their open-door policies, support underprepared students, and struggle to help enrolled students complete degrees and certificates that prepare them for success in the workplace? Building on case studies of colleges in six states—New York, Texas, Florida, California, Washington, and Illinois—this volume offers a fresh examination of the issues currently facing American community colleges. Drawing on their fieldwork supplemented by national data, the authors analyze how these challenges impact the community college mission of educational opportunity—especially for low-income students, students of color, and other underserved groups—and how colleges are responding to a drastically different environment. They then propose a set of strategies to strengthen the role of community colleges in providing both access and opportunities for achievement for all students.

Long regarded as a local institution, the community college has become a globalized institution. It has been affected by global forces, and by the interpretations of organizational members to both global forces and to the responses of intermediaries. Globalization as a process finds an outlet within the community college where economic, cultural, and technological behaviors are advanced along lines consistent with and supportive of globalization. Furthermore, government actions have directed community colleges to respond and adapt to a global economy. In this book, seven community colleges are examined to demonstrate organizational change in the 1990s precipitated by globalization.

This book covers initiatives related to higher education’s public mission such as university-community engagement, knowledge transfer, economic development, and social responsibility, using empirical and conceptual cases in the US, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. In order to develop a better understanding of public mission initiatives in higher education across the globe, the volume editors developed a theoretical framework emerging from organizational theory. Each chapter analysis uses both external environmental elements (political, economic, sociocultural, and technological), as well as internal institutional elements (mission, vision, leadership, and governance). Finally, each chapter highlights issues related to implementation and challenges with the intent of prompting readers to consider appropriate ways in which to adopt some of the lessons learned by the contributing authors.Chapter 10 is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.m.

This handbook series provides a compendium of literature reviews on a wide array of topics of interest to the higher education scholarly and policy communities. Each chapter provides a comprehensive review of research findings on a selected topic, critiques the research literature, and sets forth an agenda for future research. Coverage focuses on twelve general areas that encompass the salient dimensions of scholarly and policy inquiries undertaken in the international community.