Community colleges nationwide serve 11 million students and are under increased public pressure to develop new programs to meet the training needs of the 21st century workforce and to expand educational opportunities for high school graduates and older workers who need to develop new skills. At the same time, legislators are heightening scrutiny of community colleges and often demanding "more for less."

A new resource to help community colleges meet these challenges was announced today (Nov. 11, 1998) at Cornell University at the conclusion of the inaugural meeting of a new Institute for Community College Development that is based at Cornell. Senior community college leaders from across New York and from nine other states attended the meeting Nov. 8-11.

Created through collaborative efforts by the State University of New York (SUNY), Cornell and community college presidents, the institute will study educational, social and financial issues of importance to community colleges as they enhance their programs to meet the needs of the 21st century workplace.

Announcement of the new institute was made at a joint news briefing by SUNY Chancellor John W. Ryan; Cornell President Hunter Rawlings; Carl Haynes, president of Tompkins-Cortland Community College; and David R. Pierce, president and CEO of the American Association of Community Colleges.

"The SUNY trustees understand that our community college sector is essential to responding to the demands of access and quality. It brings a special contribution to our overall strategy for public higher education in New York and must be fully integrated into the continuum of higher education offered by the State University," Ryan said. "As chancellor, I recognize the importance of ensuring our capacity to provide community college leaders with the accumulated wisdom of experience and research at the cutting edge, and I believe we have done so during this productive

conference.

"The State University and Cornell have a long tradition of collaborating on issues of importance to higher education -- and the future of community colleges deserves our

highest priority," Ryan added. "For the State University, the institute marks the latest step in our revitalized emphasis on community colleges."

Cornell's Rawlings said, "Cornell is the only research university in the country to unite the educational resources of a privately endowed institution with those of a state-assisted land-grant university serving all citizens. We are eager to play a role in helping to enhance community college programs."

Haynes said that the new institute will be international in scope. Describing its mission, he said, " There are fifty countries around the world that have some kind of community college system. Not only can we be partners with them, but we have a lot to learn from them. The institute will support the analysis of educational, social, political and economic issues of particular importance and concern to community colleges and their peer institutions by conducting high-quality and timely research that will be disseminated through consulting and outreach services. Our aim is to create a center to support community colleges in the United States and similar institutions around the world."

Pierce added that community colleges have a unique role to play in better preparing people for life in a global village.

"Most of our corporations and industry do a large portion of business overseas. We must be knowledgeable and informed about the planet and the global economy. Community colleges have a unique role to play in helping better inform and position people in the community, business and industry to engage in international commerce," Pierce said.

Attending the institute's inaugural meeting were administrators from Adirondack, Broome, Cayuga, Corning, Erie, Dutchess, Fulton-Montgomery, Herkimer, Jamestown, Jefferson, Mohawk Valley, Monroe, Onondaga, Orange, Rockland, Suffolk, Sullivan, Tompkins-Cortland, Ulster and Westchester community colleges in New York. Other states represented are Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina and Ohio.

They attended sessions covering leadership training and assessment; competing expectations such as budget cuts in the midst of demands to increase programs and enrollment; managing large-scale organizational change; the impact of technology; and corporate management approaches.

The meeting also covered the future role of the institute as a resource for community college development. It will provide ongoing educational programming and research support to administrators and faculty at community colleges and their peer institutions. Future conferences sponsored by the institute will draw together administrators from various levels, such as business officers and computer technology directors, as well as academic deans and faculty.