The Spread of Neoliberalism in US Community Colleges: TQM Accreditation, 'Consumers,' and Corporate Sponsored Non-Profits

This article examines the extent of neoliberalism's influence within US community colleges during the last decade. It argues that such influence is changing non-profit, publicly funded community colleges into consumer colleges, serving the needs of corporations and "customers" at the expense of civic responsibility. Educating 46% of all United States undergraduate students, 2-year community colleges have historically been "the people's college" educating citizens and university transfer students while simultaneously serving a community's need for vocational training. Evidence of the spread of neoliberal ideology includes the adoption of accreditation mechanisms based on Total Quality Management and Continuous Improvement models derived from industry; the evolution of discourse in public institutions equating students as customers; and non-profit educational associations, funded by multinational technology companies that manipulate and influence educational reforms. This article is an attempt to illuminate the conscious and unconscious intertwining of public, non-profit, and for profit systems and discourses that have lead to the continued commodification of an essential public service.