This question builds on the paper *Attached* by digging deeper into the literature to expand your understanding of the comprehensive community college. Instructions Complete the following: Read and in

Running head: EVOLVING NEEDS OF COLLEGE STUDENTS 0

Evolving Needs of Community College Students

Students Name

Institutional Affiliation

Evolving Needs of Community College Students

Introduction

Community colleges were created with the sole purpose of providing an educational value to the students who could not make it to university. Most community colleges were built around a mission to allow those students that may not make it to other primal facilities of higher learning (O'Banion, 2019). In as far as the higher education system is concern in the United States, Community Colleges have played a major part in serve the greater part of the population. They are geared at providing very intrinsic value to the business environment. Community college enables students to acquire hands-on experience that allows them to operate in a very versatile economic environment. Some of the students that attend community colleges do not have enough money because they may be from disadvantaged backgrounds or fail to win a scholarship to university.

Stakeholder roles

Internal stakeholders are faculty members, students, staff, the board of trustees, and professors who form and implement the students’ curriculum. These stakeholders are responsible for formulating and designing the lesson plans and designing frameworks that enable the overall learning to add value to the student. To a greater extent community colleges have been able to stay at par with other universities and colleges not only in the United States, but also across the world. It is tailor-made to suit specific needs in the job markets and allow the students to be innovative and inventive within their learning capabilities. The most immediate results are the ability to gain a competitive edge in the workforce and also provide innovative solutions. Other stakeholders are parents, business owners, and teachers. External stakeholders include the state.

Funding model

There are various ways through which community colleges get resources in the form of capital to facilitate their operations. Community colleges get their most significant funding through state funding. Budget allocation for higher learning by the state dictates how much comprehensive community colleges get. It is based on certain factors such as the economic state of the country. There had been significant budget cuts after the global recession to community colleges that compromised the quality of education in the sector (Remington & Remington, 2012). The second source is tuition revenue, which is also significant. The local property tax revenue is also a source of funding for community colleges. Community college facilities require a high level of financial support to function effectively. Any decline of the financing gravely affects the quality of education.

Curriculum and Programs

During the recession in 2008, most programs in community colleges were shut down. Also, many facilities were consolidated, and the faculty staff was reduced to fit the new state funding allocations. These moves gravely affected the curriculums and program, mostly offered at the colleges (Beach, 2011). Many students ended up with less quality of return on their investment, and they struggled in the job markets. Besides, the closure of some lab facilities affected how useful the learning tools were and how applicable the theoretical framework served the needs of the students. An increase in funding from 2012 corrected this situation, but still more needs to be done to ensure that students get their return on investment.

Personnel

Personnel in a community college also need to ensure that they keenly follow up with students to identify the challenges that they experience (Gaulee, 2018). The quality of personnel and experience within a college has a significant impact in the quality of education that the students receive from said educational institution. Most university personnel are not sensitive to the needs of the students and do not follow up with the social and cultural needs of the students. For instance, bullying in community colleges is very rampant, and prejudice may make learning extremely difficult for some students. Some students are parents, while others are of different family set-ups or religions, and this results in stigmatization that needs to be addressed by the colleges. Student affairs personnel may also be well informed on the particular needs that are presented by the students that require to be discussed further.

Novel needs in the business world

It is paramount for the funding in community colleges to be tailor-made to the new age of technology. The use of artificial intelligence in manufacturing and even in business has made it very difficult for some skills to survive the job market. In addressing this challenge over the next ten to twenty years, curriculums should incorporate artificial intelligence even in their learning. Community colleges should ensure that they can adapt to the new needs of the business world, and the teaching models should always be updated (Remington & Remington, 2012). This move aims to reduce redundancy in the job market and to make sure that the students remain relevant.

Personalization and authenticity is another new evolution in the business models. If one needs a specific product, nowadays they are easily customizable to suit the needs of the customer. A personalized touch is added to the product marketing model, and therefore one-size-fits models cannot work for students at the community colleges. The evolution of customer care is an essential feature in marketing and should be incorporated within the teaching models in the business. Awareness of the needs of the business environment is critical. For instance, the emergence of social media marketing and digital presence is necessary for almost every business.

Physical locations are becoming less popular, and over time everything will be accessible online.

Flexibility in learning is also a vital part when designing the curriculum for the next twenty years. Flexibility addresses the needs of models like distance learning. Flexibility is essential to the learner because, as time goes on, the students have to define a model within which they can work and study. Besides, it accommodates students who are not physically able to attend the class or have other location challenges. The curriculum needs to accommodate all these needs of the student so that learning becomes more appealing to the students. Education delivery models have to adapt to these needs of the students.

Impacts

The most apparent impact of refusing to evolve into the new world is redundancy. Redundancy is evident where college students from community colleges fail to join the workforce and remain unemployed for years after leaving college. It does not make logical sense educating thousands of students who at the end of the day will not be able to obtain permanent employment and hence fend for themselves. Consequently, they may end up in the field completely different from what they studied for in school to survive. The students do not feel like their time in college allowed them the opportunity to fend for themselves and live a quality life. They end up viewing colleges as a waste of time. They aspire to never take their children to such an institution in the future. It is, therefore, going to affect the overall mission and vision of the college in driving change and impacting society.

Lack of innovation is another result of a lack of flexibility. The workforce is very stretched out and requires some level of innovation to adapt to economic versatilities. Community college education models should develop skillsets within the students that enable them to innovate where there is a gap in their professional lives (Beach, 2011). The skill sets acquired should provide up to date solutions fo0r the various sectors that the students engage in and should ensure that they are enlightened in problem-solving and deriving solutions. Resultantly, the students remain relevant and are retained at their places of work for longer.

Conclusion

Comprehensive community colleges play a huge role in society and the impact on how culture thrives by providing relevant education to students. Community colleges need to be continuously updated by revising their curriculum often and ensuring that the students get the maximum return on investment. Some of the ways through which community colleges obtain funding include state funding which is highly dependent on the economic state the region the college is located. Budget cuts and the most recent global recession have had a significant impact in the funds allocated to community colleges. The students must add value to the sectors in which they serve and remain valuable. Funding should be geared towards making sure that the changing nature of education is made to suit the needs of the students as well as the business models.

References

Beach, J. M. (2011). Gateway to opportunity? A history of the community college in the United States. Sterling, Va: Stylus Pub.

Gaulee, U. (2018). Global adaptations of community college infrastructure.

O'Banion, T. (2019). 13 ideas that are transforming the community college world.

Remington, N., & Remington, R. (2012). Alternative Pathways to the Baccalaureate: Do Community Colleges Offer a Viable Solution to the Nation's Knowledge Deficit?. Sterling: Stylus Pub.