The articles in this series describe key ideas and trends in the community college realm, and are intended to expand the conversation about community colleges, the documented achievement gap among the burgeoning Hispanic population, and the national imperative to graduate more STEM students with higher earning potential.  Our mission for the Community College STEM Pathways Initiative at Science Foundation Arizona is to collaborate, mentor and assist institutions and their communities increase the quantity and quality of STEM students who utilize the Community College system as part of their pathway to achieve certificates, Associate’s, Bachelor’s and advanced degrees. My desire is that you will read, discuss and share these articles, and join me on this mission. – Caroline VanIngen-Dunn, Director of Community College STEM Pathways, SFAz

ARTICLES

Making a Difference: Community Colleges are Key Drivers of Rural Development
Released – Sep 26, 2016

When Community Colleges and Universities Collaborate, Everyone Wins
Released – June 28, 2016

Getting the Credit You Earned: The Importance of Stackable Credentials
Released – June 17, 2016

Extracting Technical Education’s Hidden Gems—a Key to Career Success
Released – May 23, 2016

Why Business Leaders Must Get Involved to Close the Gaps
Released – April 19, 2016

Why Improving Hispanic Education Rates
Is Important to US All
Released – Mar 11, 2016

Why Community Colleges Can-and
Must-Disrupt Higher Education
Released – Feb 8, 2016

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In Community College STEM Pathways Articles Posted

Making a Difference: Community Colleges Are Key Drivers of Rural Development

Community colleges are often the lifeblood of rural communities. They help drive economic opportunity and engagement, providing access to higher education and creating hubs of information, cultural development and personal training. It is hard to underestimate their importance in rural America, which covers some 72 percent of the nation’s geography but.....
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In Community College STEM Pathways Articles, News, Press Release Posted

Science Foundation Arizona (SFAz) Attracts Ms. Anna Tanguma-Gallegos as Program Officer of its Hispanic Serving Community College KickStarter Program

With support from the State of Arizona and the National Science Foundation (NSF), SFAz has established very significant STEM pathway programs in eight rural Arizona Community Colleges and in Hispanic Serving Community Colleges around the country.  SFAz staff developed on-line STEM guides, including one directed at Community Colleges, that are used throughout the state and […]
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When Community Colleges and Universities Collaborate, Everyone Wins

Earning an engineering degree is hard work, however smart, talented and motivated a student may be. Among all engineering students, only 41 percent graduate. The numbers are lower for women and minority students. Yet improving these numbers is neither insurmountable nor magical. It takes clear planning and a methodical approach, particularly when students start their education in community college and must transfer to a four-year institution.
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Getting the Credit You Earned: The Importance of Stackable Credentials

It’s appealing to imagine a linear climb up the career ladder, but the reality is often more circuitous—or messy. The building blocks of a technical career increasingly may include a mix of degrees, certificates, industry certifications and other credentials. That lively collection of experience and training can be confusing for potential employers, causing them to miss or misunderstand actual competencies when they are assessing candidates for available positions.
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Extracting Technical Education’s Hidden Gems—a Key to Career Success

Learning the basics of welding metal may be the way to land that first job, but what happens when an employer introduces robotics or other automated systems? What happens when a promotion and a raise depend on knowledge in trigonometry because your boss is running pipe at odd angles? Welding is like many technical professions these days that are increasingly dependent on more advanced skills and knowledge, both to land existing jobs and possess the adaptable learning skills necessary to evolve as these fields change. Today a sustainable technical career can depend on robotics, lasers, computer programming and systems integration.
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Why Business Leaders Must Get Involved to Close the Gaps

Far too often college students worry that, after earning a degree, they will fail to find a related job. Far too often business executives (and particularly employers involved in tech fields) worry about finding a fresh crop of qualified graduates to deal with shortages of skilled workers. Clearly, there is a disconnect between education and employment.
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Why Improving Hispanic Education Rates is Important to Us All

The challenge could not be more vivid: Only 11 percent of Hispanics in Arizona graduate from a four-year college or university and less than two-thirds possess a high school diploma. With a dramatically expanding population in Arizona and nationwide, this is a red flag for the economic and social prosperity of the Hispanic community, as well as the fortunes of an economy facing serious shortages of educated workers. Failure to progress portends higher Hispanic unemployment rates, lower income and buying power, and a missed opportunity to benefit from the talent and potential of this increasingly significant segment of our society.
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Why Community Colleges Can—and Should—Disrupt Higher Education

Community college leaders and advocates have a unique opportunity, indeed responsibility, to address the various ways that community colleges can both disrupt and enhance higher education. This can be a turning point, a moment in which community colleges finally get their due as a smart response to many of the challenges that students and parents are facing. Consider: A recent Time magazine column touted a “perfect storm” coming to higher education, comprised of “too-high tuition and unhappy parents.”
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