Search

As community colleges focus on becoming more efficient and preparing more students for success in a climate of reduced state and federal funding, many institutions are reaching out to neighbors in business and industry, forming partnerships and working together to achieve goals that require money and resources colleges are unlikely to raise on their own. Across the country, community college leaders are realizing the benefits of working with industry. "Partnerships are the new currency for community colleges of the future," says DeRionne Pollard, president of Montgomery College (MC) in Maryland. "There will be no new resources magically appearing, and no one is going to be handing us money." Every relationship needs a quid pro quo. No one understands this better than Tony Zeiss, president of Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) in North Carolina. "Give value first," he says. "If you deliver a very good service to a business, they want to reciprocate." Experienced college leaders know that maintaining relationships with industry is as important as starting them. Zeiss has accomplished this at CPCC by identifying new ways to help business partners perform better. The college is working with Family Dollar, a nationwide discount retailer, to find and train qualified minority employees to staff its stores. Experts believe that today's community college presidents spend at least 80 percent of their time building relationships and raising money. The days of just running the college are long gone. Good leaders have the passion and ability to connect with industry, nonprofits, and any and all stakeholders within their reach.

Construction on community college campuses is often paid for out of general capital or operations budgets or by way of taxpayer-approved bonds. But, as state and local money becomes increasingly scarce, many colleges, while still pursuing traditional funding sources, are also considering alternative strategies to support facilities upgrades on campus. As state funding dried up for the Building 4 project at Valencia College in Orlando, Florida, the administrators reached out to their neighbors at the University of Central Florida (UCF) to discuss co-ownership. Florida Keys Community College (FKCC) decided to build an on-campus student housing three years ago which was approved by the state legislature in 2008, but with limitations. Committed to moving forward, administrators established two direct support organizations (DSOs) to fund the project through the use of gifts and grants. Metropolitan Community College (MCC) did a total renovation of an existing building rather than construct a new building.

Those following recent employment trends have heard about the nursing shortage. A combination of increased demand and impending retirements means 1 million nurses will be needed in hospitals, homes, and medical facilities by 2018. That's good news for job seekers. But it is not just shortages in nursing. Allied health careers, including opportunities for technicians, hygienists, assistants, medical coders, and others, also are on the rise. Georgetown's Center on Education and the Workforce estimated in its landmark June 2010 "Help Wanted" report that the health care job sector added some 650,000 jobs during the recession and will continue to expand at a rapid pace for at least the next seven years. Though the number of health care jobs continues to grow, some say the vast majority of jobs will require at least an associate degree. Across the country, community colleges are positioning students to take advantage of these opportunities. From nurses and allied health professionals to hands-on training for first responders, the focus is on training future health care professionals to meet the needs of the local workforce. This article features some community colleges that are taking advantage of these opportunities.