I just returned from the 2010 SCUP North Central Conference held at the University of Cincinnati. I always find it energizing to reacquaint with old friends, make new ones, and truly inspiring to witness the passion in higher education that SCUP members share in common. It was a privilege to present the topic “The Future is Now: Community College Planning for 2020” with Bruce Massis of Columbus State Community College and Jerry Webster of Terra State Community College. Our talk focused on the challenges and opportunities that these colleges face from the impact of the “Great Recession”, the varied needs of an increasingly diverse group of students, effective strategic planning, effective partnerships that benefit both community colleges and surrounding communities, and the positive impact that architecture can have to enhance the experience of learning, social interaction, and student success. Over the next several weeks, I will continue to share more information about the subject

Tags: Behavior, Campus, Change, Generations, Leadership, Learning, Millenials, Programming, Recession, Research, Strategy, students
Posted in Architecture, Campus Planning, Classrooms, Futuristic, Generations, Higher Education, People, Trends

As we continue to struggle through the “great recession” Community Colleges are experiencing a boom in enrollment. Across the nation’s community colleges, enrollment has increased by more than 45 percent over the past decade! Increasing tuition costs at four year colleges, coupled with demands to accommodate a diverse student population at community colleges that includes veterans, adult students who have lost their jobs and are in need of retraining, adult workers in need of continuing education needed to keep their jobs, and incoming high school students looking for affordable educational alternatives. While this enrollment boom may appear to be a tremendous opportunity for community colleges, there are numerous challenges including space needs to accommodate the vast numbers of new students, finding the numbers of qualified faculty to provide high quality instruction, doing more with less state funding to name just a few.

Tags: Recession, students
Posted in Classrooms, Higher Education, People