How Community College Campuses are Preparing for the H1N1 Virus

Community colleges were intended to help all students access higher education, regardless of socioeconomic or geographical constraints. Subsequently, some community colleges have adjusted their admission policies, allowing undocumented immigrants to enroll on campus.

While all mentoring programs help improve student performance and graduation rates, some community colleges are finding that minority mentorship programs are even more beneficial. Colleges across the country are celebrating the outstanding results achieved through the collaborative efforts of on-campus minority mentoring programs. As the Education Resources Services Center articulates, “Mentoring is a process that can increase the retention of minority students, with larger numbers graduated and hired for faculty positions.”

To discover the benefits of minority mentoring opportunities, consider what some of the top-performing organizations have been able to achieve with their local community college support.

In their paper, Institutionalizing Mentoring in Community Colleges, Dr. Robin Phelps-Ward and Dr. Amanda O. Latz make the point that "Opportunities for institutionalized mentoring in community colleges have the potential to manifest in the promotion and tenure process, faculty development seminars, student recruitment and admissions procedures, and throughout curriculum development. However, colleges must make a concerted effort to weave and explicitly communicate mentoring as a value through mission and vision statements, strategic goals and outcomes, and even course objectives."

This video reports on the minority mentoring initiative at Montgomery County Community College.

Examining the College Student Spectrum

According to the Community College Review-Journal, diversity among community college student populations is constantly shifting. In fact, recent US Census Bureau reports show that 42.3 percent of African Americans enrolled in college programs

While many community colleges have educational incentives to provide reform for convicted criminals, some political leaders are taking an opposing stance. According to recent reports from the San Francisco Chronicle, “Some of the nation's worst sex offenders will no longer be eligible to receive generous educational financial aid packages while they are confined in treatment centers under a bill approved by Congress.”

As political leaders and college presidents strive to balance their budgets amidst a struggling economy, one of the first programs to be eliminated is the financial aid and grants that were available for individuals guilty of serious crimes.

This TEDTalk looks at the issue of prisoner education.

Fighting for Reform

In exploring the recent amendments denying convicted criminals of free tuition and grants, one must first understand how these free college opportunities were even initially created. In truth, allowing convicted criminals to gain access to free publically funded courses was a mere oversight in a much larger educational overhaul. As The Hoya, Georgetown University’s central newspaper, explains, the House of Representatives passed a bill to reauthorize the Higher Education Act in 2008. This act was reinstated in order to provide individuals with enhanced financial aid benefits, and the act allowed individuals to access aid with fewer obstacles and hassles. As a result of this bill, students were able to apply for and receive federally funded student aid Pell Grants throughout the entire year.

Unfortunately, while most students found the

Historically, when the economy sputters, community college enrollment rates rise. In facing today’s growing student population, some campuses are struggling under the increased demand. As a result, some community college students have been forced to halt their academic pursuits, finding themselves placed on waiting lists.