Differences in funding mixtures across the United States create widely variant levels of unmet need for students. This research examines gaps of unmet need between 2003-4 and 2013-14, particularly considering the presence of any local funding provisions and Pell Grant funding changes. These findings are also considered across state, community college type by both size and setting. Data were collected from the National Center for Education Statistics' (NCES) Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Results show that the change in the cost of attendance and the average amount of financial aid to students over the decade this study examines has been steady. Increase in Pell Grant aid have helped ameliorate some of the differences in unmet need across states. However, national averages mask stark differences in unmet need across the subsections listed above. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

This chapter reviews multiple variables across all public community colleges, and unveils marked disparities in public funding between and within the states at community colleges of different sizes and geographical settings.

The transfer rate from community college to four-year institutions has been dropping for the past 70 years. In the most recent statistics, the national rate of transfer is 23% (Cohen & Brawer, 2008). In the state of Alabama the transfer rate is approximately 4%, and in the rural counties of Alabama the transfer rate hovers around 1%. Many studies have been conducted on the transfer process, but none have focused on the transfer process from a theoretical perspective. Most studies focus attention on disparate pieces of the transfer puzzle. To date, there is no overarching theory of the transfer process that will bring coherence to this field of study. This study views the transfer process through the experience of nine transfer advisors who serve students in 11 community colleges located in rural counties in the state of Alabama. The findings establish a substantive theory that will provide a contextual framework for researchers who wish to study specific features of the transfer process. The Influence Theory establishes five factors that play a prominent role in the transfer advising process: institutional, cultural, contextual, advisor, and student. This article concludes with implications for practice and future research.

This chapter discusses the historic struggle to extend geographic access from before World War II to the end of the Baby Boom era (1965–1973), when states created/expanded community college systems to accommodate record numbers of new students. The significant differences in state-assigned missions, functions, organization and financing across rural, suburban, and urban community colleges today dates to this period. These differences impact rural colleges’ capacity to extend access and build sustainable regional innovation, with dramatic negative effect. The 2005 Basic Classification of Associate’s Colleges of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (CFAT) quantitatively analyzes National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)/Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) data on students, faculty, financial aid, and finances, disaggregating rural, suburban, and urban Associate’s Colleges. The relative invisibility of rural community colleges in national and state policymaking circles challenges these institutions perhaps as never before to find sufficient funding to fulfill their missions to provide postsecondary access, economic skill building, and cultural enrichment.

Dwight D. Eisenhower reportedly met with a group of senior faculty.As the meeting was concluded, the General

This paper explores differences in associate’s degree production in the STEM-related fields of engineering, engineering technology, biological/biomedical science, mathematics/statistics, physical sciences, and science technology at publicly controlled, stand-alone, rural-serving, suburban-serving, and urban-serving associate’s degree colleges in the United States, its territories, and its protectorates. The study compares production of STEM-related associate’s degrees in 2005−2006 with the number of associate’s degrees awarded in 1985−1986 and 1995−1996, and found that while increases have occurred in the past decade, the improvements that have been realized have still not brought STEM-related associate’s degree production back to the overall level of 20 years ago. This paper further explores the differences in STEM fields of study at community colleges by women and men, and confirms that despite being awarded the majority of all associate’s degrees at rural, suburban, and urban associate colleges, women are greatly underrepresented as the recipients of degrees in STEM disciplines. Specific data extracted from the NCES IPEDS system on institutional characteristics and enrollments, as well as completions by CIP code, and aggregated by gender, field of study, and institutional classification using the Carnegie 2005 Basic Classifications of associate’s degree colleges, is also presented for each STEM discipline included in the study. This paper concludes with a discussion of what the data might mean, and recommendations for future research and policy development related to women’s participation—and participation in general—in associate’s degree-level STEM education.

Drawing on Rankin's 2008 study and literature on retention and community colleges, this study presents perceptions of community college Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and Chief Academic Officers (CAOs) in relation to issues affecting retention and access. Childcare, transportation, and funding concerns are examined.

This study had two major purposes. The first purpose was to compare federal, state, and institutional direct grant aid, unmet needs, and headcount in 2000-2001 and 2005-2006. The second was to assess if any changes found related to the presence or absence of two key factors identified by experts as important to understanding the community college field: (a) type of Associate's College (rural, suburban, and urban) delineated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching's 2005 Basic Classification, and (b) significant local funding, using the Grapevine definition that defines 25 states as having local tax appropriations accounting for more than 10% of total funding and 25 states without. Analyzing data from the National Center for Educational Statistics' Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, the study found that between 2000-2001 and 2005-2006, enrollment at Associate's Colleges grew by 30%, and while all categories of direct student aid also grew, the growth was overwhelmed by tuition increases averaging 40%. Analysis of descriptive data revealed stark differences between community colleges in states with the presence of local tax support, and those without, and by type of Associate's College (rural, suburban and urban). By 2005-2006, it was more difficult for low-income students to attend college without incurring debt. The paper concludes with discussion as to the impact on open access for students attending community colleges if these trends continue.

This chapter provides the numbers and statistics related to the five most popular men's and women's community college sports teams, athletically related scholarship aid, expenses, and other pertinent topics associated with athletics at the community college.

Many rural community colleges have long provided on-campus housing. This article profiles the availability of housing at rural community colleges in 2001—2002 and 2005—2006, examines the factors that will continue to make on-campus housing an important service at rural institutions, and draws on 2005—2006 data from the Institutional Characteristics survey of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System to analyze the potential importance of housing as a source of revenues for rural community colleges.

This article uses the 2005 Basic Classifications of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a framing device through which to examine patterns of student financial aid at America's rural community colleges, which represent 64% of all U.S. community colleges. Rural community colleges serve more first-time, full-time students than suburban and urban community colleges, and their 3.2 million students have different patterns of student financial aid. Rural small and medium colleges have the most aided students, receive more Pell Grants and institutional aid, and have more students incurring loan indebtedness than do other types of community colleges. The article offers recommendations for future research, as well as for policy development and practice.

This chapter applies the new 2005 Carnegie Basic Classifications to analyze gender equity issues at community colleges using Equity and Athletic Disclosure Act data. Gender inequities were observed, and suggestions are offered to create more gender-friendly practices and improve compliance with Title IX.