Re-visioning Community Colleges: Positioning for Innovation

(Paperback)

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Re-visioning Community Colleges traces the development and generational evolution of community colleges, explores the past success and future capacity of community colleges as disruptive innovators, and analyzes this sectors unique advantages and vulnerabilities. Ultimately, Sydow and Aflred presents alternative futures for community colleges as theylike all sectors of higher educationface rapidly changing environmental forces and conditions. Re-visioning, the primary thrust of the book, is the process of foresight into the shape that community colleges will likely take in the future, on the basis of their growth and innovation trajectory and in response to the dramatic industry shift that is currently underway in the higher education enterprise.

Reviews

With the spotlight on community colleges as never before, this book is a MUST READ for all community college educators! In honoring the past, Sydow and Alfred provide a great synopsis of the history of the community college movement.As we look toward the future, they challenge educational innovators to lead the way for community colleges to be 'change adept' as opposed to 'change adverse.'Opportunities abound as never before for community colleges to help insure the economic future of our country.The ideas contained in Re-visioning Community Colleges will inspire and motivate educators to chart a bold future for this important sector of higher education. -- E. Ann McGee, president, Seminole State College of Florida
Sydow and Alfred have provided, through this text, a desperately needed field guide for the uneven and shifting landscape surrounding todays community college.Grounded in thoughtful context, yet providing a view of promising practices, the authors ask fresh questions of the reader, suggesting opportunity, and ideally prompting deliberate action for grappling with the seemingly unending disruptive innovation in higher education. -- Daniel J. Phelan, President/CEO, Jackson Community College; Chair of Board of Directors of American Association of Community Colleges

Author Bio

Debbie L. Sydow is the president of Richard Bland College. Richard Alfred is professor emeritus of higher education in the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education at the University of Michigan.