Multiple Missions and Roles of Community Colleges

October 2000–December 2006

During its hundred-year history, the community college sector has undergone a number of transformations. Today, community colleges are complex institutions serving a multitude of constituencies with dozens of programs and activities. This study, part of CCRC’s National Field Study of Community Colleges, analyzed the roles of community colleges, their organizational changes, and the ways in which their missions conflicted with or complemented one another with regard to college curriculum and operations. The inquiry focused on factors external to the colleges, including state policy, financing, and economic context, as well as internal factors, such as leadership, faculty, and the history of the colleges.

This project was funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Project Lead

Thomas Bailey