Innovations
In the dynamic landscape of media production, where skill and adaptability are paramount, Cuyahoga Community College's (Tri-C) Film Academy stands out as a beacon of innovation. Its six-week Film Crew Intensive Training is not just an educational offering; it is a strategic intervention designed to cultivate a cadre of immediately employable film technicians. Tri-C's model presents a compelling case study in how targeted industry-integrated training can directly address workforce needs and foster student success.
Building Local Crew: The Origins of Tri-C's Film Initiative
The genesis of Tri-C...
Colleges and universities across the U.S. and beyond have recently been focused on efforts that promote a sense of student belonging or community (Ellard et al., 2022). However, students are not the only ones needing this connection. Faculty also need to feel a sense of belonging and community (Allen et al., 2021). Historically, educators worked within the confines of their office or classroom and had limited interactions with colleagues (Louis et al., 1996). The lack of interaction remains unchanged today and, in many ways, has been exacerbated by the pandemic (Leal Filho et al., 2021)....
July
2025
Onboarding of faculty workgroups at Delta College is facilitated by the faculty-run Faculty Center for Teaching Excellence (FCTE). As the workgroups have varying needs, the onboarding process for each is, likewise, varied. By tailoring the onboarding process to the workgroup, Delta College strives to achieve its mission to empower, include, and welcome our diverse community.
The FCTE designs onboarding experiences with an intensive focus on belonging because we believe it is the key to retention. To this end, we endeavor to ensure that the welcome is sincere, the integration of all parties...
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“Gig work” and “side hustle” are labels often used to describe the work done by today’s entrepreneurs. These self-employed individuals are a significant component of today’s workforce, and their number is growing. This segment of the workforce found new momentum during the pandemic, which led to 36 percent of the U.S. workforce freelancing in 2021 (Upwork, 2021). Businesses were shut down, workers were sent home, and unemployment compensation was slow coming in and sometimes insufficient. So, workers undertook the steps necessary to feed themselves and their families.
The rapid need to pivot...
The landscape of higher education is continually evolving, demanding innovative approaches to student access, retention, and success. Community colleges serve as crucial gateways to higher education and workforce development for diverse populations. Ensuring that these institutions effectively meet the needs of their communities requires a proactive and data-driven approach to enrollment management. This article details the establishment and initial impact of the Office of Strategic Enrollment Management (OSEM) at Seattle Colleges, a pivotal initiative launched in late spring 2024. The new...
As part of its One College model, HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, has created a framework referred to as HawkSOAR. It consists of a collegewide cross-functional team focused on the alignment of HACC’s student success efforts. The concept stemmed from the college’s partnerships with Achieving the Dream (ATD) and the Community College Research Center (CCRC), both of which champion evidence-based institutional improvements for student success. HawkSOAR consolidates all programs into one cohesive structure to establish a strategic, data-informed culture for students and employees...
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Humber Polytechnic’s Idea Lab is a library initiative designed to support digital fluency skills development and media-rich assignments requiring fabrication, audio, video, photography, and more. Digital fluency was highlighted as a key skill-in-action in the Humber Learning Outcomes (HLO) framework, a pillar of the institution’s 2018-2023 strategic plan, designed to equip students “with the skills and perspectives they need to succeed as global citizens and professionals” (Humber Polytechnic, 2025, Humber Learning Outcomes section). Developing digital fluency is also the first priority in...
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Congratulations to the 2024-2025 Innovation of the Year Award winners from 35 participating League member colleges! The League initiated the Innovation of the Year Award over 35 years ago to recognize local community college programs and initiatives that reflect the spirit of innovation and experimentation on which our organization was founded. The award provides an opportunity for colleges to showcase their innovative efforts; celebrate the dedicated educators, staff, and administrators who are responsible for this exceptional work; and promote a culture of innovation at their institutions....
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Mental health has increasingly become a significant barrier to student success in community colleges, second only to the growing cost of tuition (Gallup & Lumina Foundation, 2024). According to The State of Education 2024 by Gallup and the Lumina Foundation (2024), 64 percent of students who considered dropping out of higher education cited stress or mental health struggles as a primary reason. As reported in Supporting Minds, Supporting Learners (Center for Community College Student Engagement, 2024), 56 percent of respondents experienced emotional or mental difficulties that hurt their...
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Lone Star College-Tomball's (LSC-Tomball) leaders recognized educational technologies that will revolutionize education and reshape teaching strategies and student learning experiences years before ChatGPT gained popularity. The Internet, social media, and a wide range of educational resources had widespread digital influence, presenting both opportunities and challenges for traditional brick-and-mortar academic environments (Wiesinger & Beliveau, 2016). The college strived to stay at the forefront of the newest trends and challenges, which prompted the development of proactive strategies...
Monroe Community College (MCC) is a cornerstone of education and workforce development in the Finger Lakes region of New York. As part of Governor Kathy Hochul’s One Network for Regional Advanced Manufacturing Partnerships (ON-RAMP) initiative, MCC is honored to lead the Finger Lakes-based ON-RAMP program alongside those in the Capital, Mohawk Valley, and Central New York regions.
The primary hub of the Finger Lakes ON-RAMP Center will be located at the Finger Lakes Workforce Development (FWD) Center located on MCC’s downtown campus. At the center, learners will earn industry recognized...
The Emerging Technologies Institute (ETI) at Foothill College originated in summer 2022 as a way for virtual reality (VR) to be integrated into education. ETI’s mission is to give all staff, faculty, students, and administrators a chance to engage with emerging technologies that have the potential to shape change in society and education. Opportunities include interacting in physical lab settings such as Foothill’s VR lab, where faculty and students can explore how technology can provide more immersive learning experiences, and participating in research projects, where they engage with...
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In 2014, Dalton and Crosby noted that, “colleges and universities have long recognized that helping students to become personally connected and committed early in college is critical to their successful retention and graduation” (Abstract). However, feeling connected to an institution and its academic process can be “especially challenging for new students who must quickly master a wide range of academic, personal, and social adjustments” (Dalton & Crosby, 2014, Abstract).
In a mission to retain students and guide them toward success, Rio Salado College, an online community college based...
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Whether or not college pays off financially, and to whom, is an increasingly important question for institutions of higher education and their students. Career reasons are top motivators for students when deciding to enroll in postsecondary education, yet public perception has declined for the past five years regarding whether college is worth the cost (Lumina Foundation, 2023; Nguyen et al., 2024). This issue is especially salient for community colleges, underscoring the need for robust evidence that students of all backgrounds can attain positive post-completion career outcomes.
Measuring...
In July 2022, Rogue Community College’s (RCC) new President, Dr. Randy Weber, energized the college with an initiative to stabilize enrollment. This was identified as the first of five institutional priorities. Leveraging his expertise in strategic enrollment management (SEM), Weber, in collaboration with the newly appointed Dean of Enrollment Management, spearheaded a strategic shift. This transition moved the college from a narrow focus on recruitment and new students to a more comprehensive approach, embedding American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers SEM...
Arapahoe Community College (ACC) celebrated the completion of Phase 1 of its Health Innovation Center in October 2024 with healthcare and education partners, state and county officials, donors, civic leaders, and ACC students and employees. The Center’s simulated education spaces are used across ACC’s healthcare programs to improve functional collaboration between disciplines while preparing students to better serve patients. This expansion of healthcare programming, which began as a vision in 2017 before finally commencing in May 2023 with the renovation of ACC’s existing two-level annex...
Moraine Valley Community College is committed to providing students with the resources they need to be successful. Understanding that students cannot accomplish their educational goals if they face challenges in meeting their basic needs, the college developed the Project Care initiative, which offers an array of wraparound services and resources to help them meet those needs, ultimately allowing them to better focus on their education.
According to Teresa Hannon, a counselor at the college’s Counseling and Career Development Center (CCDC), the initial focus of Project Care was the campus...
The Seattle Promise Initiative, a pioneering program launched by the City of Seattle, aims to ensure that all public high school graduates in Seattle have access to higher education without the financial burden of tuition. An innovative component of this initiative is the Path to UW program, a collaboration between the Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning, Seattle Colleges, and University of Washington (UW). The program provides targeted support to Seattle Promise students as they transfer from community colleges to one of the most competitive universities in the nation....
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Established in 1970, Rogue Community College (RCC) serves Oregon residents in Jackson and Josephine counties at campuses in Grants Pass, Medford, and White City. A public two-year community college, RCC offers multiple transfer degrees; more than 80 career and technical education degrees or certificates; a variety of workforce and short-term training, academic skills, and continuing and community education classes; and services to the business community.
Developing College Priorities
After experiencing the fastest enrollment decline in the state over a five-year period, RCC was faced with the...
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In fall 2024, Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) began offering its first bachelor’s degree: a Bachelor of Applied Science in integrated digital manufacturing (IDM) engineering technology. To understand why Tri-C developed a four-year IDM degree, we need to look at some historic and recent economic data about Northeast Ohio.
Ohio has held a notable position in the manufacturing sector, typically ranked number three in the U.S. with over 14,000 manufacturing companies (IndustrySelect, 2024). More importantly, Northeast Ohio is a crucial player within the state, with over 6,000 manufacturers in...
