Washington, DC – The Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) is excited to publish a new brief that explores how states fund community colleges based on the enrollment for their students, including those pursuing credit-bearing degrees and certificates, non-credit workforce programs, and those enrolled via dual-enrollment programs. An interactive data dashboard based on the findings of the brief, Funding Models for Community Colleges: How states fund credit-bearing, dual-enrollment, and noncredit activity, describes specific funding policies and funding levels for each state.
Research was conducted with project partners at the Student Success Through Applied Research (SSTAR) Lab at the University of Wisconsin and explored how each of the 50 states, plus Washington, D.C. and select territories, are funded for each of the three program types. The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO), served as a resource and shared the resulting systems funding brief and map that will serve as a tool for college leaders and policymakers to compare how funding models vary across states. Lumina Foundation provided funding for the project.
The resulting inventory identifies the prevalence of state funding for credit-bearing, dual-enrollment, and noncredit activities across the U.S., along with identifying the policy mechanisms that states use to fund these activities. The inventory represents the first step in a new research imperative; it is not an exhaustive list, nor an indication whether the funding mechanisms provide adequate resources to support students. The findings reveal the need for a more comprehensive investigation into how community colleges are funded so that they can best support the students and the communities they serve.
“This work highlights an important knowledge gap for community colleges and demonstrates the critical need to understand the funding mechanisms so they can effectively support all three pathways,” points out ACCT President and CEO Jee Hang Lee. “We have to continue to provide these types of resources for community colleges so they can have informed discussions with policy leaders about this topic.”
Walter G. Bumphus, president and CEO of AACC, said, “This comprehensive analysis will inform future campus programs and services, and will influence local, state, and federal funding structures to benefit the 10 million students served each year at the nation’s community colleges.”
“This project provided a valuable information landscape for states undergoing funding model reviews to ensure they align with state higher education goals,” said Robert Anderson, president of SHEEO.
Lumina Foundation Strategy Director for Employment-Aligned Credential Programs Kermit Kaleba said, “Expanding our understanding of current community college funding models through this work reinforced our commitment to expanding access to and completion of high-quality degrees and postsecondary credentials and gave us a better understanding of what’s working to increase opportunities for learners.”
The brief of systems funding approaches and interactive dashboard can be found HERE. For more information about this initiative, contact ACCT Center for Policy and Practice Associate Vice President Steve Jurch at sjurch@acct.org.
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ACCT
ACCT is a non-profit organization of governing boards representing over 6,500 elected and appointed trustees who govern over 1,000 community, technical, and junior colleges. Its mission is to foster the principles and practices of exemplary governance while promoting high-quality and affordable higher education, cutting-edge workforce development training, and the opportunity for all individuals to achieve economic self-sufficiency and security. Learn more at www.acct.org.
American Association of Community Colleges
Uniquely American, community colleges serve more than 10 million students annually, providing critical access to higher education in academic and workforce development. As the voice of the nation’s community colleges, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), delivers educational and economic opportunity for more than 10 million diverse students in search of the American Dream. Uniquely dedicated to access and success for all students, AACC’s member colleges provide an on-ramp to degree attainment, skilled careers, and family-supporting wages. Located in Washington, D.C., AACC advocates for these not-for-profit, public-serving institutions to ensure they have the resources and support to increase economic mobility for all. https://www.aacc.nche.edu/
State Higher Education Executive Officers
The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) serves the chief executives of statewide governing, policy, and coordinating boards of postsecondary education and their staffs. Founded in 1954, SHEEO promotes an environment that values higher education and its role in ensuring the equitable education of all Americans, regardless of race/ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic factors. Together with its members, SHEEO aims to achieve this vision by equipping state higher education executive officers and their staffs with the tools to effectively advance the value of higher education, promoting public policies and academic practices that enable all Americans to achieve success in the 21st century, and serving as an advocate for state higher education leadership.
Lumina Foundation
Lumina Foundation is an independent, private foundation in Indianapolis that is committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all. We envision a system that is easy to navigate, delivers fair results, and meets the nation’s need for talent through a broad range of credentials. Our goal is to prepare people for informed citizenship and for success in a global economy.