Threats Of Community College Essay

Community colleges offer students the opportunity to earn a degree or certificate, transfer to a university, and use the knowledge they gain to enter the labor force or promote within their current occupation. According to Austin (2009), there are 1,200 community colleges in the United States and approximately 112 community colleges in California. One of the primary benefits with taking your undergraduate courses at a community college is the savings in tuition compared to taking the same courses at a university. According to Bers and Head (2014), “every aspect of a community college has come under increased scrutiny, from academics to student services and from facilities to finances” (pg. 103). Even though community colleges are not-for-profit organizations and are exempt from taxes, they conduct transactions and hire employees similar to other types of firms.
Recession (impacts state, property taxes, budgets, students)
Recessions cause firms to adjust their labor force as a result of a reduction of sales and production. When a recession lowers the

Colleges receive financial resources from the Federal, State, and local government agencies. They also have the opportunity to receive resources from trusts, endowments, fundraising, school sponsored entities, and investments made with reserves. One of the greatest threats community colleges are encountering are as a result of private institutions. According to Phelan (2014) for-profit institutions “threaten not only the current nature of community college funding streams” as well as their viability. In my experience, the cost of personnel including teachers, staff, and administrators are approximately 80% of total expenditures. If these positions are permanent, schools will not be able to reduce them, in the short term, in order to balance their