Community Colleges in US Higher Education

1. Community Colleges in US Higher Education Thomas Bailey, Director Community College Research Center Teachers College, Columbia University How might the changing labour market transform higher education? OECD Expert Meeting February 13, 2007 Paris, France

2. For more information: Please visit us on the web at http://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu, where you can download presentations, reports, CCRC Briefs, and sign-up for news announcements. Community College Research Center Institute on Education and the Economy, Teachers College, Columbia University 525 West 120th Street, Box 174, New York, NY 10027 E-mail: ccrc@columbia.edu Telephone: 212.678.3091 CCRC is funded in part by: Alfred P. Sloan foundation, Lumina Foundation for Education, The Ford Foundation National Science Foundation (NSF), Institute of Education Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education

3. International Context • Dramatic growth of post-secondary education in most countries, resulting from growing and changing requirements for learning • Much of that growth in “sub-university” or “middle” sector • In most countries, these per student costs in this sector are lower than the university sector • These sectors have many advantages—cost, serving different needs and different students • Potential disadvantages, particularly relating to opportunity and equity

4. Examples • Community colleges—US and Canada • Fachhochschulen—Germany and Austria • Institutes Universitaires de Technologie—France • (Technical and) Further Education Colleges—(Australia) and the UK • Hogscholen—Netherlands • Others in Finland and Norway

5. Many Issues • Institutional relationship between middle and university sector (ie. transfer?) • Substantive content of each • Relative costs and relative tuition • Balance between broad educational and focused “trade school” missions • Characteristics and goals of students

6. Structure of US HE • Majority of students in public institutions • Hierarchy of institutions • Sub-two-year institutions—private • Community colleges—mostly public • Lower tier four-year colleges—public and private • Prestigious research universities—public and private • Degrees—Graduate, Bachelor’s, AA, Certificate, non-credit

7. Fall Headcount: 1970 to 2000 7,000,000 Public four-year 6,000,000 5,000,000 Public two-year 4,000,000 Private four-year 3,000,000 2,000,000 1,000,000 Private two-year 0 1970- 1972- 1974- 1976- 1978- 1980- 1982- 1984- 1986- 1988- 1990- 1992- 1994- 1996- 1998- 2000- 71 73 75 77 79 81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 Source: U.S. Department of Education. (2002). Digest of Education Statistics.

8. To Which Field of Study? Source: BPS89.

9. Current Fund Expenditures (per student, 1995-96) Source: U.S. Department of Education. (2002). Digest of Education Statistics.

10. Tuition (2001-2002)

11. States with the Largest and Smallest Two-Year Enrollment (Fall 2000) Five states with most CC students Public Ratio of two-year Four-year Two-year to four-year 1) California 551,871 1,375,900 2.49 2) Texas 436,530 460,004 1.05 3) Illinois 193,783 340,372 1.76 4) Florida 238,189 318,723 1.34 5) New York 336,003 247,414 0.74 Five states with fewest CC students Public Ratio of two-year Four-year Two-year to four-year 46) West Virginia 69,967 6,169 0.09 47) Montana 32,059 5,328 0.17 48) South Dakota 29,882 4,975 0.17 49) Vermont 15,609 4,412 0.28 50) Alaska 25,396 1,163 0.05 Source: U.S. Department of Education. (2002). Digest of Education Statistics.

12. Summary • CCs account for 40-50 percent of PS enrollments • CCs have much lower costs and much lower tuition • The majority of students in community colleges are in occupational programs • Structure of PS sector varies by state

13. Economic Outcomes by Degree Source: NELS.

14. Economic Value of CC Education • Benefits of an Associate Degree (compared to a HS degree) • Men earn 15 to 30 percent more • Women earn up to 50 percent more • Certificates • Positive for women • Uncertain for men • Earnings benefit of an associate degree is at least half of the benefit of a BA

15. Summary • AAs and BAs have economic value • CC education, on a per year or per course basis, has as high a payoff as BA education (at least so far) • Certificates have uncertain value and rarely serve as lower rungs of educational ladders • Education without degrees has value, but degrees have more value

16. Providers of Non-Credit Job-Related Education (1999) Source: NHES99

17. High School Completion and Initial Postsecondary EnrollmentEighth Graders in 1988

18. High School Completion and Initial Postsecondary Education by SES QuartileEighth Graders in 1988

19. Community Colleges and AccessCompared to Students in BA Programs

20. Percent Distribution by Total Credits Earned in All PSE within Eight Yearsby Initial Institution Type

21. CC First PSE StudentsPercent Distribution by Highest Outcome in All PSE within Eight Years (NELS)

22. CC First PSE Students in Various GroupsPercent Distribution by Highest Outcome in All PSE within Eight Years (NELS)

23. Grubb and Sweet • Emulate universities • Collaborate with universities • Develop a distinctive role independent of universities • Providers of training at the sub-tertiary level