APA 2002 Preparing Future Faculty

1
Community College Teaching A Chance to Make a
Difference

• Dr. Diane Finley
• Associate Professor, PsychologyPrince
  Georges Community College
• Largo, Maryland

2
What is a Community College?(Historically)

• First community college was founded in 1901
  Joliet (IL) Junior College
• In early years, focus was on general liberal arts
• During the Depression, community colleges began
  offering job programs
• In 1948, the Truman Commission promoted the
  creation of a network of community colleges
• National Network was in place by the 1960s with
  457 public community college

3
What is a Community College?(Today)

• Community colleges educate more than one-half of
  the nations undergraduates
• They offer transfer programs, workforce training
  and non-credit enrichment courses
• Each is a distinct institution with its own goals
  and missions but they share goals of access and
  service
• They are becoming centers of education open to
  all (AACC)
• There are 1004 public institutions and 147
  independent ones. They enroll 10.4 million
  students

4
Who are community college students today?

• 44 of all undergraduates
• 45 of first-time first year students
• 58 are women
• 46 of African-American students
• 55 of Hispanic/Latino students
• 55 of Native American students
• 46 of Asian/Pacific Islanders
• 63 are part time (11 or fewer credits)
• 33 receive some sort of financial aid
  (tuition averages 1500)
• Average age 29

5
Students, cont.

• 60 of those taking the RN tests are graduates
  of associates programs
• 65 of new healthcare workers get their training
  at community colleges
• In Maryland 60 of elementary teachers begin
  their careers at community colleges
• 450,000 earn associates degrees annually

6
Famous Community College Students

• Gwendolyn Brooks, Poet Laureate, Kennedy-King
  College
• Billy Crystal, Comedian, Nassau Community College
• Annette Bening, Actress, San Diego Mesa College
• J. Craig Venter, Celera Genomics Corp, College of
  San Mateo
• Nolan Ryan, Pitcher
• Sheryl Swoopes, Professional Basketball Player
• 39 current members of Congress

7
Who are community college faculty today?

• 254,000 faculty
• 44 are female (will increase in future)
• 15 are minorities (number is shrinking)
• 45 are over 49 years of age (1/2 will retire in
  the next 15 years)
• 53 are part-time
• 65have a masters as their highest degree
• 25 engage in research (often teaching related
  and involving students)

8
My journey

• High School English teacher
• Masters in Counseling
• Chaplain/Counselor
• PhD program
• Teaching at the College level
• four year liberal arts college
• four years adjunct/visiting
• community college, 4 year liberal arts,
  weekend college, graduate counseling
  program, comprehensive university, distance
  courses
• Community College of Baltimore County
• Prince Georges Community College

9
Pros of teaching at this level

• Celebrates teaching
• Low student/faculty ratios
• Opportunity to shape core curriculum
• Opportunity to influence students
• Diverse student body
• Flexible teaching schedules
• Tenure process less onerous
• Salary schedules recognize prior teaching

10
Cons of teaching at this level

• Reliance on part-timers
• Less prepared student body
• Limited course offerings
• Teach 5 courses a semester

11
Advice to new and soon-to-be graduates

• Think long and hard about your career goals
• Test out the environment by adjuncting while in
  graduate school
• You will have to seek out mentors who will
  support your choice of a community college
• You may face some resistance from hiring
  committees prepare a set of application
  materials that focus on your teaching experiences
  and your desire to work with students, not to do
  research
• Read the literature on teaching and the community
  college journals
• Get any and all teaching experience you can,
  especially for lower level courses
• If you teach at a community college, be sure to
  get a letter of recommendation from the chair or
  another faculty member.