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April 6, 2006
Presentation by Dr. Eduardo J. Martí
President, Queensborough Community College/CUNY
Before the Community College Research Center of
Columbia University Teachers College
Introduction:
I am delighted to be part of this distinguished panel. As you know, I have the distinct honor of being a member of Teachers College Board of Trustees. I believe that my experience of 24-years as CEO of 4 different community colleges and another 16 years as a faculty member and as a Dean provides me with a unique perspective for this service. I hope that my tenure on the Board of Trustees will benefit this wonderful institution.
I originally got involved with Teachers College through the Community College Research Center. This Center is uniquely positioned to be a major influence in this most important field of higher education. Since 1996, over 170 publications on the topic have emanated from this group. Tom Bailey and his colleagues are recognized around the country as outstanding researchers who study this important sector of higher education.
Earlier, Tom presented on the educational trends and their relationship to the equity agenda, and you heard from Nan Poppe about the effectiveness of urban community colleges in providing opportunity to traditionally underserved communities. I want to explore the role of CUNY in advancing the equity agenda.
The Case for a Need for the Equity Agenda to Extend to Community Colleges:
As you know, community colleges operate under an open admissions policy. Slide 2 This policy was founded on the recommendation from the 1947 President’s Commission on Higher Education that “public education be made available, tuition-free, to all Americans able and willing to receive it, regardless of race creed, color, sex or social status.” [1] At most community colleges, students can enroll if they have a high school diploma, a GED, or in some instances, they can enroll without the high school diploma if they are able to demonstrate an ability to benefit. This latter cohort obtains a GED after completion of 24 college credits with a 2.00 GPA. Slide 3 This open admissions policy can only succeed if community college students are provided with different types of support services other than those found at colleges and universities that operate under a selective admissions policy.
Slide 4 Acknowledging that many students who attend community colleges are under-prepared, developmental education is an integral part of the educational experience at a community college. Without a strong remedial education program, the alternative is a very low retention rate or lower standards. Ninety-eight percent of two year colleges offer remedial education as compared to 59-80 percent of four year colleges offering one or more remedial courses. [2] Remediation is expensive. Student/Faculty ratio in remedial classes must be low. In addition, remedial courses must be completed before students attempt most college level courses. This, by definition, extends the time to degree at either type of institution, but the impact is more prevalent for the two year colleges. Slide 5
As many of the community college students come from lower economic status, most have to work. Slide 6 Whereas the percent difference between 4 year and 2 year students who work is 7 (22% and 29% respectively), 36.4% of 2 year students work full-time as compared to 17% from the 4-year colleges. [3] This is a significant difference when one considers the under-preparedness of 2 year college enrollees. Slide 7 More minority students attend 2 year-colleges than any other sector [4] .
The under-preparedness and the lower socio-economic status of most community college students contribute to lower graduation rates. Six years after initial enrollment, only 53 percent of all students had completed a certificate, bachelors or were still enrolled. The other 47 percent are lost. [5] Slide 8 When one considers that 46% of all undergraduates attend community colleges, or 6.6 million students, in six years, 3.1 million students will be lost. [6]
An interesting study, again conducted at CCRC by Bailey’s group, where they studied graduation rates and factored for institutional characteristics such as location, size, expenditure, and student composition, found:
- A consistent negative correlation between enrollment size and completion.
- Colleges that serve high proportions of minority students, part-time students and women have lower graduation rates.
- Instructional expenditure per FTE is correlated to a greater likelihood of graduation.
- The state’s policy environment has a strong bearing on the measured performance of community colleges. [7]
Slide 9 The cost of educating the high risk students who attend community colleges is great. Remedial classes must be small to be effective. Remedial courses are a necessity in order to maintain standards under an open admissions policy. Slide10 In addition, community colleges have a high student/faculty ratio in non-remedial classes; the faculty have high teaching loads and there is a high dependency on adjunct faculty members. This is a function of the relatively low funding received by community colleges. Slide 11
In fact, two year colleges receive significantly less funding per student than the four year colleges.
Slide 12 It is a matter of social policy. The high proportion of minority students served by community colleges is not a trivial matter. When one understands that two year public colleges enroll more ethnic minority students than four year colleges, and when one realizes that two year public colleges enroll students from the lower income families, it becomes very clear that the campaign for equity must extend to the community colleges.
It is a matter of social policy. The globalization of manufacturing that promulgates outsourcing the production of U.S. products, necessitates a highly skilled American workforce. Vocational/Technical post-secondary education is delivered by the community colleges. It is unlikely that the U.S. will regain the economic dominance of the past, but for our society to maintain its position as a major economic power, we need to pay very close attention to how we educate the youth of our country. Community colleges are in a position to be major contributors to the economic well-being of our country.
It is a matter of civic responsibility. As almost one-half of the freshmen and sophomores attending college in the U.S. are attending a community college, and as community colleges offer a large number of vocational/technical programs, there is a danger that future generations will be well-trained, highly-skilled workers but less equipped to sustain a representative democracy. The competition between the general education courses designed to provide communication skills, historical perspective, and critical thinking skills and the technical courses designed to provide the necessary skills to perform a defined task, is great at the community colleges. The 60 credit limitation makes it difficult to satisfy these, at times, competing interests.
To extend the Campaign for Equity for the community colleges is a national imperative.
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Slide 13 CUNY:
One of the largest urban universities in the country enrolling almost 200,000 students, CUNY’s community colleges enroll over 70,000 students. Slide 14
Over the last 7 years, the University has moved from what was, at best, a loose confederation of 17 quasi-independent colleges to an integrated, tiered University with 17 campuses. Slide 15 This transformation began with the preparation of the Schmidt Report, a critical report commissioned by then Mayor Guliani and authored by Benno Schmidt, now Chairman of the CUNY Board of Trustees. [8] Based on this report, a CUNY Master Plan was adopted by the Board of Trustees in 2004. [9] This plan laid the groundwork for the creation of a tiered University wherein the community colleges were the portals of entry, where remediation was done by the community colleges, where a College Now program would help high school students be better prepared for college-level work. Slide 16
The most controversial of actions was the elimination of remedial courses from the baccalaureate-granting units. As a result of this decision, all students admitted into a baccalaureate program must demonstrate that they are not in need of remediation prior to enrolling in classes. They can do so by having SAT scores of 480 or above in Reading and Math or by scoring 75 or better in the Regents exam or by taking the ACT/ASSET test and scoring above a 7. [10] Although students could be accepted conditionally at four year colleges if they enrolled in a Prelude to Success program offered by community colleges at the four year college sites, the majority of the students who needed remediation were directed to community colleges.
Many skeptics believed that this action would have a negative impact on enrollment. Many feared that the four year colleges would enroll the majority of white students while most of the minority students would wind up at the community colleges.
In view of the fact that “more than 40 percent or students arrive on college campuses needing remedial work,” [11] and in spite of dire predictions that community colleges were going to be swamped, the enrollments at CUNY remained pretty constant. Slide 17 Community college enrollments grew at approximately the same rate as at the four year colleges. This may have to do with the fact that students enrolled in Prelude to Success are counted as students attending four year colleges. In fall 2004, CUNY community colleges enrolled 33.6% of the 218,134 students. [12]
Is there Equity at CUNY?
CUNY is unique in its approach to community college education.
There is no question that the CUNY system appreciates the community college sector. As presidents, we have equal standing with the four year college presidents. For example, I chair the Fiscal Affairs Committee of the Council of Presidents and President Carolyn Williams, President of Bronx Community College, Chairs the Faculty and Staff Affairs Committee of the same Council. We are provided with similar courtesies at most levels. Very importantly, community college faculty and administrators have salary parity with their colleagues at the 4-year colleges. Slide 18 This is unprecedented in American Higher Education. But with salary parity comes higher standards for hire, promotion and tenure for community college faculty. A doctorate is required to be appointed as an Assistant Professor at the community colleges. There is an expectation of academic publications for promotion and tenure consideration.
There are some differences in the sectors. The faculty load at the four year colleges is 21 contact hours per year as opposed to 27 contact hours at community colleges. The tuition at CUNY’s community colleges is less than that of the four year colleges.
Community colleges are a fiscal entity of the City of New York. Senior or four year colleges are a fiscal entity of the State of New York. As City supported colleges, the community college funding comes from tuition, a state basic aid allocation per FTE, and the City. Slide 19 Tuition is at $2,800 per year. Slide 20 Therefore, there are years that the senior colleges do better than the community colleges and vice versa.
Educational Equity:
There are still some areas where the CUNY community colleges are not equal with the four year colleges. Slide 21
1. The general public’s perception is that community college education is inferior to that received at the four year colleges. In the public’s mind, highly selective admission policies equal a high quality of education. Therefore, community colleges, by definition, must have low standards. This public perception will change with time as more successful alums come out of the “academic closet.”
2. Transferability of courses continues to be uneven across the University. As departments are the units that accept the transfer credits, and as faculty from departments vary in their perception of quality, the transferability of credits toward the major sometimes is difficult. Community colleges are partly responsible because the faculty at some community colleges refuse to acquiesce to the demands of the receiving colleges. An example would be calculus based physics or calculus based economics.
3. While public funding is relatively even, when one factors out research and grants, private support clearly favors the selective units of the University. Again, it is not as glamorous to give to a community college as it is to give to a four year college.
4. Capital funding needs to catch up with the many years of neglect. For some time, the CUNY community college capital budget was not released. As State capital dollars must be matched by the City, there were a number of years that the City did not allocate monies to the Capital projects of community colleges. This left almost $100 million of state aid untouched. Two years ago, the City began to release some of this money and construction is beginning.
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Queensborough Community College : Slide 22 One college’s quest for educational equity.
First some facts about the college:
- Founded 1959
- 37 acre campus in a residential neighborhood in northeast Queens
- 14 buildings including an astronomy observatory and renovated Art Gallery
- Enrollment: 13,008 students in 9 transfer degree programs and 18 career degree programs
- Graduates: 1,231 in AY 04-05 (50% in transfer degree programs)
- Historic Graduation: 47,127 degrees granted since 1962
- Post Graduate Employment : 84% (AY 04-05)
- Further Education: 47% (AY 04-05)
- Full time Faculty 293 (54% have Ph.D. or equivalent)
- Continuing Education Program: 10,500 enrollments a year
We enroll approximately 13,000 students with almost an equal distribution between full and part-time students. Slide 23 The student body, representing over 130 countries, is almost equally distributed among the various ethnic groups. When we look at the composition of first time freshmen, we can get a picture of the type of students attending our college. Slide 24 A large percentage of students are in need of remedial courses. Slide 25 As expensive as remedial courses are, they work. Slide 26, 27 (Stop here and go to the slides.) However, even though we have one of the highest graduation rates in the country, we still only graduate about 30% of entering freshmen in six years. Slide 28
Queensborough Community College Initiatives to address inequities. Slide 29
Recognizing the excellence of the faculty at Queensborough Community College and taking advantage of the renewed vigor at CUNY, for the last 5 years we worked to promulgate an atmosphere that supports creative approaches to what we call “community college pedagogy.” While the validity of this term could be argued- after all, pedagogy is pedagogy- our student population has special needs that differentiate them from other college students. Queensborough Community College is perfectly positioned to engage in serious study of the theory and the practice that works at this level of higher education.
So, we have been participating in a number of university initiatives. We have been part of the General Education Inquiry project; we are leaders in instituting Writing Across the Curriculum and Writing Intensive Courses- currently, we require all associate degree graduates to complete two writing intensive courses; we have tested different modalities such as learning communities and e-portfolios. We instituted a program of advisement that provides the student with a MAP or my academic plan. We have entered into dual-joint registered programs with Queens College and pursued a Bridge to Transfer Program. All of these initiatives have been supported by the university through the Coordinated Undergraduate Education Initiative.
Now, we are ready to establish a Plan for Integrated Education that puts all these initiatives together. The goal is to ensure that the College accepts the responsibility for student success rather than simply providing students with the opportunity to fail. The objective is to increase our graduation rate to 50% by 2012. Slide 30 We will be admitting students in cohorts and placing them in academies; we are going to provide students with individualized advisement; and we will have relationship managers for separate cohorts.
Furthermore, we are seeking funding to provide full scholarships for any student who, after completion of the remedial obligations, commits to completing the associates degree in two years.
The idea is to provide individualized educational services; removing the barriers presented by educational and economic disadvantages so as to improve the retention rates of students attending community colleges.
It is our hope that as we refine these programs, we can find the private and public funds needed to salvage this significant segment of our population and, thus, reduce the equity gap at CUNY.
The bold steps taken by Arthur Levine and Michael Rebell will change the landscape of public education in this country. We in the City University are ready to join you in the battle for educational equity.
I appreciate the time that you have given me today. I will be happy to answer any questions.
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[1] President’s Commission on Higher Education: Higher Education for American Democracy, a Repot, , Harper& Bros,1948.
[2] NCES Report: Remedial Education at Degree-Granting Postsecondary Institutions in Fall, 2000, November 2003
[3] Learning And Earning: Working In College,Jonathan M. Orszag, Peter R. Orszag, and Diane M. Whitmore Commissioned by Upromise, Inc., August 2001 and reproduced with permission of Upromise, Commissioned by Upromise, Inc., August 2001 and reproduced with permission
[4] Digest of Educational Statistics, 2004, Table 207
[5] Is student success labeled institutional failure? Student goals and graduation rates in the accountability debate at community colleges, . Bailey, T, Jenkins, D. and Leinbach T., June, 2005, CCRC Working Paper No. 1,
[6]Statistics from National Profile of Community Colleges: Trends and Statistics, Third Edition (2000
[7], Is the Student Right to Know All You Should Know? An Analysis of Community College Graduation Rates. Bailey, T, Calcagno, JC, Jenkins, D, Leinbach, T, Kienzl, G, June, 2005, CCRC Working Paper No. 2, June, 2005
[8] The Schmidt Report, 1999
[9] CUNY Master Plan 2004-08
[10] CUNY Board of Trustees Resolution, May 26, 1999
[11] School Challenge, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Section B, March 10, 2006
[12] CUNY Office of Institutional Research, Table A01.01, 3/2/05
Alternate Views. The following represent alternate views of the presentation including the PowerPoint presentation which accompanies the above speech. The report is in PDF format and will require Acrobat or equivalent to view. The presentation is in HTML format and requires Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher (or equivalent) to view.
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