AACC President and CEO Dr. Walter G. Bumphus and senior staff launched a series of regional Listening Tour meetings in 2011 with community college presidents and trustees, community and business leaders, and policymakers to gain insights about pressing issues confronting community colleges and their more than 12 million students.
The Listening Tour launched on January 31, 2011 in Austin, Texas, at a meeting of the Texas Association of Community College Trustees and Administrators.
Other sites were:
- February 17, Detroit, MI—Wayne County Community College and Macomb Community College
- February 23, Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia, and DC community colleges
- March 3, Tallahassee, FL, in conjunction with the Florida Council of Presidents meeting
- March 21, Jamestown, NC—Guilford Technical Community College
- March 23, River Grove, IL—Triton College
- March 24, Columbus, OH—Sinclair College
- April 4 , New York, NY—SUNY/City University of New York
- July 20, Southern California—North Orange County Community College District
- July 21, Northern California—Contra Costa and Los Rios Community College Districts
- July 28, Des Moines, IA—Des Moines Area Community College
- September 8, New York, NY—SUNY
- November 2, Grand Island, NE—Nebraska Community College Association
The 21st-Century Commission on the Future of the Community College—comprised of thought leaders in higher education, governance, business, policy, and philanthropy—reviewed, synthesized, and analyzed the findings of the Listening Tour to develop a report for a new vision for the future of community colleges.