Most of state's higher education students at community colleges
Ventura Star 3/20/07
Those students range from teenagers to seniors, and they come to community colleges with a wide range of goals that include university preparation, career training and lifelong learning.
Beyond that, they're an ethnically diverse group, more so than is found in the state's other college systems. Despite that diversity, the state's 109 community colleges generally are meeting their students' needs, according to a performance report released Monday.
Yet they still must do more for students who need extra help, said state Vice Chancellor Patrick Perry.
"Certain students who come to us underprepared have lower success rates," Perry said.
"Having all these multiple missions is a stretch. When you have so many things to do, it's hard to master one role."
The report, "Focus on Results: Accountability Reporting for the Community Colleges," grew out of a call in the state Legislature for an accountability system for the colleges.
The resulting study was produced by researchers from the community colleges, national experts, state agencies and advisory groups made up of college administrators and faculty.
Among the findings:
Nearly half the students at California State University and University of California campuses have transferred from community colleges.
Students who earn certificates or degrees from California community colleges see their median income go up significantly, from $17,000 before they start to $49,500 five years after they've finished.
California community colleges have awarded more than 7,000 degrees and certificates in nursing at a time when hospitals nationwide are suffering nursing shortages.
Community colleges have a more diverse enrollment than the state's two other college systems. For example, more than 28 percent of community college students are Latino. In the CSU system, it's 21 percent, and in the UC system, 15 percent.
That diversity, however, is more than ethnic, said Pam Eddinger, executive vice president of student learning at Moorpark College.
"What we're finding in Moorpark is diversity happens in many ways," Eddinger said. "It's not just ethnic groups. It's age. It's level of preparedness."
The report also looks into the future, predicting that an additional 480,000 students could seek to enroll in community colleges by 2013. That would bring the total enrollment to about 3 million, up from 2.5 million in 2006.
Money will determine whether the community colleges can handle that potential growth, Perry said.
"We're funded only a certain amount," Perry said. "Whether we can meet the challenges of that enrollment will be up to the state."