부산대학교 도서관

The writers discuss the national Listening Tour of American Association of Community Colleges President Walter Bumphus with fellow community college leaders. Community colleges have done a commendable job of getting people back to work and educating students who cannot afford to go to a four-year college. However, the influx of mid-career students enrolling to acquire new skills after losing their jobs in the down economy and shrinking budgets have made it necessary for colleges to pursue alternative funding. Given the prevailing sluggish economy, it is important for community colleges to assess their progress by their own measures and not those designed for their four-year counterparts. Nothing from past experience has prepared educators for what they have encountered, but luck and a roadmap gleaned from local initiatives and conversations should hold them in good stead on the long, uncertain road ahead.