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Community College Staff and Services

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Community colleges are in the midst of a transition brought about by the numerous retirements among administrators and faculty members. Many of those retiring have worked at community colleges since the expansion of institutions during the 1960s.

Many colleges are using the opportunity to create more inclusive staffs, and increasingly women and members of minority groups are being selected to fill leadership positions. Nationally, approximately one-third of all community college presidents hired during the 1997-98 school year were women. Women make up about 18 percent of community college chief executives overall. 

Adjunct professors (PDF, 12 KB) - or part-time faculty members - have long been part of community college staffs for reasons beyond economics. People are typically hired for adjunct positions because they possess technical skills and knowledge that are beneficial to students. Their expertise and workplace experiences help keep curricula fresh.

Technology presents a challenge for some faculty members, and it presents challenges for the college in determining equitable faculty pay. Faculty salaries often are based on the amount of time instructors spend face-to-face with students. As more instruction occurs in computer labs and over the Internet, some modification of this structure is expected. With the advent of Internet courses, administrators and faculty grapple with questions about who owns courses and whether faculty members who develop courses deserve compensation when the courses are re-transmitted to other institutions and to individuals outside the community college district.

As a complement to their large variety of courses, many community colleges provide services that make them  resources for area residents as well as for students. Local theater companies or visiting lecturers may be allowed to use community college auditoriums. At urban campuses particularly, colleges often allot space for services ranging from AIDS prevention to senior citizen lunches. Childcare services at many campuses make it more simple for students with children to attend classes and study.

In addition, the educational and social services available at community colleges have made them favorite launching pads for welfare reform efforts (PDF, 11.5) aimed at getting public assistance recipients working. Many colleges offer specific job training, work skills workshops, job placement and follow-up counseling for welfare recipients, along with basic skills and English as a Second Language courses.

Community colleges have excelled in providing support services to individuals with disabilities. (PDF, 11.9 KB) In addition to assessments and counseling, many community colleges provide tutors and special learning materials to disabled students. Some colleges assist disabled students with housing and transportation.

Increasingly, community colleges offer service learning programs (PDF, 8.61 KB) for students, as well as international education programs (PDF, 8.87 KB).

Through constant evolution and ever-changing technologies and student needs, community colleges' overriding goal remains to provide up-to-date, quality education and services to a varied public.

Based on material from National Profile of Community Colleges: Trends & Statistics, Phillippe & Patton, 2000.

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