One of my most memorable and meaningful teaching experiences was working with a special needs student who was deaf. She entered our program with a distinct disadvantage considering the importance of communication within our occupation. I questioned if she could truly make it with so much to overcome. Two years later, she graduated and found a job in her field. Upon reflection, it was her who taught me. I learned that even though this occupation requires certain skills and abilities, an indomitable will can overcome even a high level of challenges. Based on this experience, I would highlight three areas as defined roles of a Community College within the context of higher education.

The first area is a learning centered philosophy. This is one of the fundamental missions for a Community College is to provide an accessible, high-quality education to enrich the community and the lives of individual learners. In support of this, Community Colleges must continue to test their flexibility as they strive to address changing educational and training needs. This continued emphasis on flexible learning will become the brand of the Community College and define its role in higher education moving forward.

The second area is an occupation-based curriculum where the Community College functions as a reflection of its community’s workforce needs. This requires careful attention to the interests of the local public, the occupation, consumers, and employers. An advantage of 2-year schools in higher education has been their ability to quickly adapt to demands of the workforce. Thus, workforce technology is a factor affecting most of the demographic, economic, and academic challenges that Community Colleges face.

The third area is to serve the nontraditional student. Community Colleges serve historically disadvantaged groups: women, minorities, people of low socioeconomic status, and first-generation college students. This is yet another defining attribute of 2- year schools and is a critical role of the Community College within higher education.

In context to my experience, I believe a learner centered philosophy is one of the greatest assets of a Community College. Another important asset is an occupation-based curriculum which provides students with a direct pathway to a career. Lastly, serving nontraditional students provide a gateway to opportunity for many people who otherwise would have been denied access to higher education.