Community colleges are the least glitzy, most proudly diverse, and stubbornly egalitarian workhorses of American public higher education. With a modest average tuition of $2,963 per year, these two-year colleges quickly prepare students for careers (and often serve as a springboard for those seeking a degree at a four-year institution). According to a recent study by the American Association of Community Colleges, state and local governments get an estimated 16% return on investment for every $1 they spend on community colleges, along with the societal benefits of having a better educated, higher-earning workforce.
Already the institutions of choice for almost half of U.S. undergraduates, these schools provided an affordable lifeline to learning during the Great Recession, with enrollment at the nation’s more than 1,100 community colleges jumping almost 22% from 2007 to 2011. Yet the surge in demand has coincided with shrinking resources. Since the 2006 fiscal year, 43 states have decreased higher education appropriations per student, which is especially significant for community colleges since state support, combined with local taxes, represents more than half of these institutions’ revenues. In California, for instance, where 112 community colleges serve more than 2.6 million students, the budgets for these schools have been cut by 12% since 2009, and an estimated 200,000 students were crowded out of the system last year.
Yes, community colleges can operate more efficiently. They can no longer afford to offer boutique programs with limited demand or practicality, and they must ensure that the coursework they do offer readily transfers to four-year institutions and fully aligns with workplace needs. But this is also a question of resources, and in an era of tight government budgets, the private sector has to step up. While some corporations such as Siemens, Verizon, UPS, and Goldman Sachs are already working with community colleges to help bridge the skills gap, these partnerships have to increase in scale and scope. The stakes are high, but increased collaboration can help reduce income inequality, revive the middle class, and provide an economic engine for national recovery.
Bumphus is president and CEO of the American Association of Community Colleges.