What do students consider important for creating a sense of welcome and belonging at college? Susan Bickerstaff, Selena Cho, Elisabeth A. Barnett, and Andrea Lopez Salazar spoke with students and found that relatively simple actions by faculty and staff can make a big difference.

As dual enrollment participation has expanded, so too have the types of programs and courses offered. Lauren Schudde and Wonsun Ryu discuss how differences in course set up have the potential to shape students’ dual enrollment experiences and overall course performance, as well as their subsequent college enrollment decisions.

Students are told that enrolling in a community college is an affordable onramp to a bachelor’s degree. But in reality, only a small percentage of students transfer and graduate. To fix the problem, experts first have to know what’s causing it. Alex Anacki and Jessica Steiger address the current lack of available transfer data.

There is no simple recipe for developing an equitable, effective community college funding system. But understanding the challenges facing community colleges and the finance systems that underpin them can help policymakers, educators, and advocates develop new funding approaches. Kate Shaw, Lauren Asher, and Stephanie Murphy share findings from their latest report, Mapping Community College Finance Systems to Develop Equitable and Effective Finance Policy.

While commentary on the dire state of the humanities in higher education continues, the role that community colleges might play in helping put students on the humanities track has been largely overlooked. How might community colleges strengthen their humanities offerings, and working with their four-year partners, better propel more of their students to successful transfer in the humanities?