The author states:
In the 2009 American graduation initiative, President Obama
enthusiastically highlighted the importance of community
colleges—publicly
funded 2-year institutions—for meeting the
projected growth in jobs requiring a college degree. Increasing the
number of college
graduates earning science- and math-related degrees
depends on these institutions increasing workforce preparation through
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
(STEM) education. Community colleges are accessible, affordable,
diverse,
and flexible, and thus well positioned to meet this
need. However, the current demand for courses far exceeds capacity, thereby calling for more government, business, and local resources to support these institutions.
and she then continues:
Community colleges can play a pivotal role in preparing
under-represented students for STEM careers. People of color will
make up 45% of the working-age population in the
United States by 2030, up from 18% in 1980. According to the U.S.
National
Academies, they “embody a vastly underused resource
and a lost opportunity for meeting our nation's technology needs.”
Community colleges currently enroll more than 50% of undergraduate
Hispanic students and about 45% of African American and
Asian undergraduates. Among those currently holding
a baccalaureate or master's degree in science or engineering, 55% of
Hispanics
and 50% of African Americans attended a community
college. For immigrants pursuing the American dream, community colleges are a vital resource. They provide English language instruction,
citizenship preparation, job skills, and assistance in navigating American bureaucracy.
My observations are somewhat in line but with some variance. I speak of a New Jersey CC and one in a somewhat upscale county. The students were a real mix, about 50% female, about 25% minority, Asian and Hispanic, and many returning to college or seeking a low cost path to their last two years. Thus this was an alternative path and a valuable one. It allowed them to attend college near their residences at a fraction of what it would cost.
The teaching was good, albeit at a High School level, the instructor always "warning" students, and yet he was competent and engaged. Yet he lacked what one would find at a first class university, namely engagement with the students. But he was not at a first class university, yet the material paralleled the MIT class material. Thus basically the student would have the book exposures. The Labs were twenty years old or older, the equipment was quite aged, computers ran Windows 95 in the Lab, and the techniques were also at best High School. Yet the resources were limited.
The students were for the most part intelligent, motivated, accomplished. Yet they lacked the vision that would be necessary. It was not their problem, the school did not provide it. What was missing was the nexus with what a professional does. At MIT a Freshman can do research with a top class researcher. At CC there is no such opportunity. Instructors are competent but they just teach, and try to seek other income as possible. The mindset of what real research is one cannot find.
The students learn technique not technology, and especially no science. Science is the art of asking questions having the expertise to frame the answers. The CC provides technique, and that is the shame. It clearly is a step above High School, but it is run as a High School. I do not blame them, yet the opportunity is there to expand the plane to provide the insight, namely seek stronger industry ties, seek out retired researchers and academics as adjunct advisers, and open the doors to those who are accomplished. The Administration of the CC is more politically oriented than academically, that to me is the challenge. The students are fertile ground, it should not remain fallow.
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