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Work and Education in America pp 53–75Cite as

The American Community College

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Abstract

The community college has become a fixture in the American higher education landscape. From the very beginning, community colleges have had to serve multiple constituencies: they have been expected to provide academically rigorous programs, offer initial vocational education, help underprepared students, provide lifelong learning for all community members, and engage in specified industry training all while serving as a focal point of the community and being open to all students desirous of a college education. This chapter describes community colleges in terms of social roles, students, student services, programs, leadership, finances, and faculty members. It further explains how all these different parts of the college are affected by and deal with the complex college mission and how community colleges can respond to the challenges of the twenty-first century.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Workforce Development Education, College of Education and Health Professions, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA

    Carsten Schmidtke

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  1. Carsten Schmidtke
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Correspondence to Carsten Schmidtke .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. CEDEFOP, Europe 123, Thessaloniki, 570 01, Greece

    Antje Barabasch

  2. TVET Research Group (I:BB), Universität Bremen, Am Fallturm 1, Bremen, 28359, Germany

    Felix Rauner

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Schmidtke, C. (2012). The American Community College. In: Barabasch, A., Rauner, F. (eds) Work and Education in America. Technical and Vocational Education and Training: Issues, Concerns and Prospects, vol 15. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2272-9_4

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