Purpose. The purpose of the study was to examine the social and cultural characteristics of successful and unsuccessful Mexican American community college students and compare them to successful and unsuccessful Anglo American community college students. The goal of this study was to collect data on ten independent variables that consistently appeared in the review of literature and were suspected of affecting the success of Chicanos in the California College system. Procedures. The major research question of this study was exploratory in nature in that it looked at possible factors which might affect the success or failure of Chicano students. A total sample of 260 community college students was surveyed at two Bay Area community colleges. Results. The research found that not all ten independent variables studied were as important in determining the key elements of academic success for Anglo or Chicano community college students. In particular, family structure, socioeconomic status, peer group support, and academic self-concept showed a strong relationship to the success of these community college students. In addition, there were six other variables, parental support, career goals, college staff support, sex roles, acculturation and world view which were not found to be as critical to the academic success of community college students. Conclusions. The first critical success factor was the family structure of these students and the data showed it was one of the most important factors in whether or not they succeeded in community college. The data implied that Chicano successful students come from families with more traditional/authoritarian structure. The second key success factor in this research was the socioeconomic status of the student. The data revealed that regardless of the type of job held by their parents, economically well off Chicano students were much more likely to be successful in college. The third significant independent variable in this research was the peer group support of these students. Most importantly, the data revealed that those students who have a strong network of peer group support are more likely to do well in college. The fourth significant independent variable to be examined was the academic self-concept of these students. The data concluded that college success can be determined in part by the view that a student has of himself in the classroom setting. Recommendations. This research suggests that a more extensive orientation of all community college staff is needed to sensitize them to the varied cultural background of their student population.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect receiving a Pell Grant or not receiving a Pell Grant had on graduation rates at Mississippi community colleges. National averages suggest that Pell Grant recipients graduate at a much lower rate than non-recipients. This proved not to be the case in Mississippi. There were three Mississippi community colleges that participated in this study. The total number of students involved in the study was 3,479. The colleges provided the researcher information on Pell Grant status, gender, and ethnicity (i.e., Caucasian, African American, Hispanic or non-Hispanic, American Indian, Asian, or other). Students were compared based on their Pell Grant status and then combined with their gender and ethnicity as well as the region of the state in which they attended community college. The researcher used a quasi-experimental design for the study. The data gathered allowed for chi-square tests to be performed based on Pell Grant status, gender, and ethnicity. Each test included all 3,479 students involved in the study. The study used an ANOVA to study the effects Pell Grant status had on graduation rates in the different regions of the state. The study found that the differences among graduation rates for Pell Grant recipients and non-recipients are significant for gender and the different regions of the state. The results are not significant for Pell Grant recipients and non-recipients nor are they significant for Pell Grant recipients and non-recipients combined with ethnicity. Mississippi African Americans and Caucasian students graduate at a much higher rate than the national average. This study finds that Mississippi students perform better than the national average when it comes to graduation rates. Considerations for future research are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to review the established sustainability guidelines in place at each of the 15 public community and junior colleges in Mississippi and to illuminate the ways in which these community colleges interacted with environmental sustainability during the 2013-2014 academic year. Dimensions studied within the established guidelines included curriculum, research and scholarship, operations, faculty and staff development, outreach and service, student opportunities, and administration, mission, and planning. This research study was qualitative in nature and utilized a multiple case holistic design. Sustainability guideline documents, informant commentary, college policy documents, and college course catalogs were gathered from 6 of the 15 community colleges in Mississippi and used to prepare a descriptive analysis of the results. The results of this studied showed the following: a) only a portion of the reporting community colleges discuss sustainability topics in courses on campus, b) none of the colleges reported having sustainability guidelines related to research and scholarship, c) all colleges reported having sustainability guidelines and efforts in the area of operations, d) a small number of the reporting colleges noted having faculty and staff development concerning sustainability guidelines on campus, e) half of the reporting colleges noted that sustainability guidelines are incorporated into outreach and service, f) a small number of reporting colleges stated that sustainability guidelines and efforts are incorporated into student opportunities, g) half of all reporting colleges noted that sustainability guidelines are utilized in the area of administration, mission, and planning. Recommendations for further research are discussed.

Using data provided by administrators at California community colleges, campus level perceptions regarding institutional goals were analyzed with the purpose of studying the prospect of a statewide set of priorities. Two primary areas of inquiry were addressed: (1) Where do differences between administrators' ranking of present and preferred priorities suggest a need for change, and (2) are there differences in the ranking of priorities associated with particular institutional characteristics? Administrators of a representative sample of forty-seven California community colleges completed Educational Testing Service's Community College Goals Inventory. Participants ranked thirty goal areas in both the present and preferred dimension by rating the importance of ninety goal statements on a five point scale. Differences between present and preferred dimension mean scores indicated a desire for an increased emphasis in almost every goal area. Because of the fiscal and political impracticality of such action, an alternate approach to the analysis of the data was chosen. The ranking of goals in the present dimension was compared with that of those in the preferred dimension. Those goal areas with the greatest increase or decrease in rank going from the present to the preferred dimension were identified for further consideration. Reviewing the implications of each change in priority, it was determined that the additional revenues required to increase the emphasis on those goal areas with the greatest increase in rank would not be offset by the decreases in funds committed to those goal areas where a substantial decrease in rank occurred. Significant differences in the ranking of priorities were found to be associated with the institutional characteristics examined, i.e., total enrollment, district wealth, geographical location, student ethnicity, and percent of students enrolled part-time. However, only one significant difference was associated with the preferred ranking of priorities. This finding seemed to indicate that, given similar patterns of response from other constituent groups, these institutional differences would not likely interfere with the development of a statewide set of priorities.

Community colleges spend considerable amount of time and resources on strategic planning. They engage in strategic planning for a variety of reasons ranging from responding to changes in the external environment to increased expectations for accountability from external agencies such as regional accreditation agencies. While there is no shortage of evidence about the involvement of these organizations with strategic planning, very little research exists about the benefits community colleges derive from engaging in strategic planning. This dissertation explores the relationship between strategic planning and perceived institutional benefits in Maryland community colleges. / Ph. D.

The purpose of this study was to survey the chief development officers in selected Mississippi community colleges in order to ascertain the fundraising efforts in which they are engaged. The community colleges were selected based on the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program. The institute identified the community colleges based on an assessment of institutional performance, improvement, student retention and measures of completion. The program selected the top 150 United States community colleges out of over 1000 public community colleges for the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence 2015. Of Mississippi’s community colleges, 7 were among the top 150 in the nation. Resource Dependency Theory guided this investigation by considering factors, goals, implementation and activities involved in fundraising at the selected community colleges. In order to respond to the problem of this study 4 research questions were generated and a 7-question survey was administered. The results of this study showed that all of the selected Mississippi community colleges are engaging in fundraising. The results also showed that the colleges have goals and they are evaluating their goals at least yearly. Personal letters, personal phone calls, invites to campus and special events were rated as successful fundraising techniques with special events as the method used extensively to obtain donations. The foundation office was rated highly successful for fundraising functions success. Satisfaction with fundraising performance ranked the highest as the method of determining success with gift solicitation as a meaningful effort in obtaining funds.

Community colleges continue to play a vital role in the higher education system. However, the institutions’ commitment to open access has been problematic for leaders as enrollments continue to increase, but the institutions’ ability to maintain their services and remain committed to their mission has been decreased. With regard to state funding for education, community colleges generally exist as the least funded entity. Most states place a clear emphasis on financial support for K-12 institutions, often viewing institutions of higher learning as secondary in the funding process. The purpose of this study was to examine community college funding trends in other southern states in an effort to discover advantages associated with a stable funding process in Mississippi. The researcher used a finance survey to survey fifteen southern states in February 2008. Thirteen of the states returned a completed survey, with South Carolina and West Virginia declining participation. Results of the survey yielded several interesting findings. First, with the exception of Alabama, all of the surveyed states reported the utilization of funding formulas in the appropriation process to a certain degree. Second, the concept of community college governance is being actively explored by states that participated in this study. Finally, tuition and fees continue to rise among community colleges in the surveyed states, which undermines the institutions’ ability to maintain their open-door policies. Several recommendations were also made as a result of this study. First, the State of Mississippi should reconsider how its public community colleges are governed. Second, the state’s community college leaders should continue to press for full funding of the Mid-Level Funding Bill. Third, leaders should conduct periodic surveys of peer institutions in other SREB states. Fourth, leaders should continue to develop community college alumni associations and foundations. Finally, leaders should increase awareness of the state’s community and junior colleges.

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