Study Reveals Americans
Support Expanding Community College System to Serve More Students
By Ivette Zamora
Community colleges
are highly valued and integral in American society, a new
national survey of more than 1,000 adults has revealed. When
informed that there are more people who would like to attend
community colleges than the colleges have space for, two-thirds
(67 percent) of those surveyed would support “using
tax dollars to expand the system of community colleges so more
students can attend, even if this means raising state taxes.” With
81 percent of people having some relationship to the nation’s
more than 1,200 community colleges, these schools receive high
marks from a majority of the public for providing high quality
education and the opportunity for career training and advancement.
Dr. Kay McClenney,
a leading expert on community colleges and advisor to the
Ford Foundation’s Bridges to Opportunity
Initiative said, “The public understands that by offering
the opportunity for everyone to access higher education and
job training, community colleges are a gateway to realizing
the American dream.” The survey illustrates how the public
puts a high priority on supporting community colleges, even
when faced with competing state funding issues. Seventy-nine
percent said that “given the limited funding and the
number of other demands on tax dollars” they would nonetheless “oppose
cutting back spending on community colleges” in the short-term
in order to balance the state budget.
At a time when some
colleges are threatened with budget cuts or are actually
turning people away, most favor expanding the system rather
than curtailing access to these important institutions. Only
27 percent of those surveyed would support a solution to
raise tuition and fees and become more selective in whom
they admit versus 67 percent who support expanding the community
college system. Respondents found much to praise in community
colleges, describing them as conveniently located (93 percent
say this describes them very or somewhat well), providing high
quality education (89 percent), providing good job training
(85 percent), and affordable (82 percent). Serious challenges
exist, however, because the public is largely unaware of the
unprecedented demand community colleges face, with half (51
percent) believing there are enough spaces available for students
who would like to attend, one-third (33 percent) saying they
don’t know, and just 16 percent reporting the community
colleges in their area have to turn away students.
“The big irony in this survey is the fact that the public
is so supportive of community colleges, but is also very unaware
about how big the challenges are that face them,” said
Nancy Belden who directed the survey. While two-thirds (67
percent) of Americans are likely to agree with increasing financial
support for community colleges if asked, they are yet unaware
of the struggle these institutions face as they try to meet
increasing demands with fewer resources. With only 40 percent
of Americans aware that state taxes fund community colleges,
and 15 percent having no information at all on how community
colleges are funded, there is a critical need to inform the
public. “Without more flexible policies and financial
support from states and the federal government, community colleges
will not be able to meet the growing demand for educational
and career opportunity, particularly among low-income individuals
for whom community colleges often offer a first entry point
to higher education,” said Cyrus Driver of the Ford Foundation.#
