Community College Futures Assembly

The Community College Futures Assembly
There are a number of conferences and organizations who provide oversight on community colleges. Here is one of the community college conferences called the Community College Futures Assembly.
The Community College Futures Assembly is an independent public policy forumsponsored by the Institute of Higher Education of the University of Florida. The purpose of the assembly is to identify critical issues facing community colleges and to recognize and competitively select Bellwether programs for colleges to consider replication. It has been held annually since 1995 at the end of January-early February at the Hilton in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

The Bellwether Awards annually recognize outstanding and innovative programs and practices that are successfully leading community colleges in the United States into the future. Applications for the awards are competitively reviewed and finalists are selected based on how well the programs address:
1. the conference theme
2. an identified critical issue
3. the published criteria
Every year between 100-300 attendees assemble to discuss critical issues facing community colleges and to hear presentations on the top ideas and best practices in community college administration. On average, around 100 applications are received for presentation proposals for the three conference tracks: (1) planning, governance, and finance; (2) instructional programs and services; and (3) workforce development. A peer-reviewed panel judges the merits of each proposal to select the "top ten" Bellwether Finalists in each category for presentation. During the conference a panel of judges will then review the proposals again to select the winning Bellwether proposal for each track.
In addition to the conference presentations a subset of the assembly participants are also invited to attend focus group sessions to brain-storm critical issues facing community colleges with respect to a central theme derived from a current best-selling book applicable to leadership of community colleges. This "think tank" is used to inform policy makers throughout the country in community college and higher education administration. The research from these focus groups is presented during the conference and published in the peer-reviewed Community College Journal of Research and Practice.

Conference Central Themes
2010 Graduate America Michael Fullan
2009 "Leading Change" Dr. Jacqui Banaszynski, Knight Chair in Editing at the Missouri School of Journalism
2008 Change or Die! Alan Deutschman
2007 Declining by Degrees John Merrow
Bellwether Categories
Instructional Programs & Services
This category depicts programs or activities that have been designed and successfully implemented to foster or support teaching and learning in the community college.
Past Winners:
2009-Cleveland State Community College - Cleveland, TN
New Math: The Impact of Course Redesign on Learning and Scheduling
In 2008, the Cleveland State math department undertook a course redesign project involving developmental and college-level math courses. In addition to having very positive effects on student learning and engagement, the project has changed the department’s approach to enrollment and schedules. Ramifications in instruction and enrollment will be discussed.
2008-Community College of Baltimore County - Baltimore, MD
High Impact Assessment: Implementing Changes to Improve Student Learning
Assessment at CCBC involves asking the right questions and using data to determine what changes should be implemented to enhance student learning. Guided by a five-stage design, CCBC’s assessment program is faculty-driven, risk-free, and externally validated. Curricular and pedagogical changes have resulted in evidence-based learning improvements that benefit everyone.
2007-LaGuardia Community College/City University of New York - Long Island City, NY
First-Year Academies: Facilitating Engagement and Success in the First Year of College
The First Year Academy provides a comprehensive first-year experience for students focused around their chosen discipline areas. Placing all freshmen into one of three Academies based on choice of major, the Program contextualizes basic skills instruction through discipline-based learning communities. Other key aspects include ePortfolio development and discipline-focused, co-curricular activities.
2006-Palm Beach Community College - Lake Worth, FL
The Career Pathway Model: Small Steps to Big Leaps (and everything in-between)
Palm Beach Community College realigned its curriculum to allow students to seamlessly progress through career pathways. Students can start in clock-hour based instruction and transfer that learning into credit-based Associate in Science degrees. Along this pathway, students can use exit points to employment with recognized certificates.
Planning, Governance & Finance
This category depicts programs or activities that have been designed and successfully implemented to improve efficiency and effectiveness in the community college.
Past Winners:
2009-Rio Hondo College - Whittier, CA
Providing Ways and Means for Students to “GO RIO”
“GO RIO” is a universal access, mass-transit program that has been offered for all students who are registered full-time at Rio Hondo College. Through an agreement with five local transit agencies, fulltime students can obtain a pass that provides full access seven days a week throughout the entire semester.
2008-Brookdale Community College - Lincroft, NJ
Five-Year Impact Study of the New Jersey Coastal Communiversity
The New Jersey Coastal Communiversity, led by Brookdale Community College, is a six member partnership of colleges and universities that provides increased local access to post-associate degree education. In operation for six years, this presentation discusses nine measures of institutional effectiveness and lessons learned on the development and operation of the state’s first university center.
2007-Austin Community College - Austin, TX
College Connection: Connecting Possibility to Expectation One Student at a Time
College Connection’s innovative approach, taking admission and enrollment services onto high school campuses, is increasing post secondary enrollment rates, especially for minority and low-income students. All participating seniors receive an ACC District acceptance letter with their diplomas, resulting in increased college-going rates: 38% at ACC District and 9.8% during the first two years in overall Texas higher education enrollment.
2006-Cape Cod Community College - West Barnstable, MA
You Too Can Be Green
Our "green campus" includes energy management (fuel cell, solar, plans for wind); conservation, composting and recycling; environmental technology and renewable energy curricula; student internships; partnerships across education, business, non-profits and government; a new LEED-certified building; and vigorous fundraising (private donors, NSF, business, government). Learn how “green” your campus can be, too.
Workforce Development
This category depicts programs or activities that have been designed and successfully implemented to improve efficiency and effectiveness in the community college.
Past Winners:
2009-Linn-Benton Community College - Albany, OR
Going the Distance: Taking a Diagnostic Imaging Program to Frontier
The “Grow Your Own” Diagnostic Imaging Program is a public/private collaborative venture involving the efforts of an array of community colleges, employers, workforce, and educational partners throughout Oregon. This statewide Community College Partnership Program delivers Imaging education to Oregon’s rural communities where the demand for qualified Radiological Technologists is unmet.
2008-University of Hawai`i-Maui Community College (UH-MCC)
“Sink or SLIM”: Sustainability Model
The UH Maui Community College’s Sustainable Living Institute of Maui (SLIM) led a partnership with a major Maui-based agriculture and land development company and two international research universities to develop a model to respond to emerging local and global workforce needs. Visit http://sustainablemaui.com/institute.html to learn more about this outstanding program, or visit http://www.mauicc.biz/NML/view.asp?ID=77 to watch an info-cast presentation about SLIM.
2007-Temple College - Temple, TX
The Central Texas Biotechnology Education-to-Employment Model: The Texas Bioscience Institute
Learn how a community college partnered with a state-supported medical school, a major private teaching hospital, and public and private independent school districts to turn a declining degree into a program of study that enhances medical research and economic development through the development of a state-of-the-art bioscience institute.
2006-Meridian Community College - Meridian, MS
Rush Health Systems and Meridian Community College: People Serving People
Meridian Community College and Rush Health Systems are partners in delivering training focused on Rush's mission statement of hospital-wide commitment to “excellence in service management.” Rush and MCC have delivered customized classes in the following areas: Medical Billing, Leadership Management, computer training, Admissions Clerk and system-wide Customer Service training.
Policy Research
2009
Leading Change in an Uncertain Environment
2008
Change or Die—Keys to Enacting Change in the Community College
Assessing Community College Student Learning Outcomes: Where are We? What's Next?
2007

Bellwether Winner: You, Too, Can Be Green: The Case for Campus Commitment and Action.
2006
The New Rules of Business

Bellwether Winner: Wallace State's New Rules of Business: Affirming the Truths of Intentional Transformation.
2005
Recreating America’s Community Colleges
Recreating America's Community Colleges: Implications of the Substantive Issues in Their Future: The Keynote Address
2004
2003
2002
Trends Reshaping Colleges
2001
Bellwether Winner: Technology and Grease: A Formula for Edutainment and Efficiency

Bellwether Winner: Collaboration for Excellence: Engaged Scholarship at Collin County Community College.
Bellwether Winner: Leveraging Resources through Strategic Alliances for Workforce Development.
2000
Anticipating the Futures of Community Colleges: Linking External Analysis to Internal Decision-Making
We are being bombarded by tumultuous forces for change as we enter the next decade: Virtual classrooms, global communications, global economies, telecourses, distance learning, corporate classrooms, increased competition among social agencies for scarce resources, pressure for institutional mergers, state-wide program review and so on. In order to plan effectively in this environment, community college leaders must be able to anticipate new developments that will affect their institutions and curricular programs.
1999
Commitment to Quality: There from the Beginning
Reflections on Values, Vision, and Vitality: Perspectives for the 21st Century.
External References
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