In response to an article I published on Ghanaweb (Thursday May 18, 2006), a Ghanaian who calls him/herself CORNY and was obviously angered by my thoughts wrote among others:
?For my fellow Ghanaians back home who do not know what a community college is, I will give you a brief description of that. In America every County or what we call districts in Ghana or some cities have what we call community colleges which are mostly two year colleges or universities that award only ASSOCIATE DEGREES and after completing that one has to continue to four year colleges or universities. It's one of these colleges that this Obosu-Mensah guy teaches. It's only people who live in his state know about that college. I believe he got his degrees online.?
This piece is not about my degrees or about me so I encourage anybody who is interested in my degrees or accomplishments to go to any search engine like google.com, yahoo.com, hotmail.com, mns.com, etc, and type in my name for a search
My aim is to educate people like CORNY on community colleges. As I told a colleague the other day, when those who know do not speak out, the ignorant decimates wrong information. Due to misinformation spread within the minority community in the US, only 30% of community college students are minorities. It is known that community colleges are growing faster than four-year colleges, and many four-year colleges are taking advantage of that by partnering with community colleges. It is on record that 46% of all U.S. undergraduates are enrolled in community colleges. In 2003, 62% of applicants taking the national registered nurse examination to become licensed professional registered nurses were graduates of associate degree programs. Actually, 65% of new healthcare workers get their training at community colleges. Employers are so satisfied with graduates of community colleges to the point that 95% of businesses and organizations that use them recommend community college workforce education and training programs (www.aacc.nche.edu)
Traditionally, community colleges are two year post-secondary institutions that offer certificate programs, Associate of Arts degree, Associate of Sciences degrees, plus many other programs. However, today many community colleges offer degrees up to the Master?s level.
Community colleges were initiated in the US more than 100 years ago, and according to latest statistics from the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), there are 1,157 community colleges in the United States. The question is why has the Community College concept flourished in the United States? Why does the United States, a developed, if not the most developed, economy tolerate and even encourage Community Colleges? Is there any functional utility or societal benefit to operating Community Colleges?
What is unique about community colleges is the low tuition, compared to four-year institutions. At public community colleges, the average annual tuition is only $2,076. Remember that foreign students pay a little more. The blunt of the cost is borne by the tax payer. Low tuition tips the scale in favor of community colleges for many people when they are weighing higher education options.
Most community colleges have transfer agreements with four-year colleges by which the four-year colleges accept community college credits toward four-year degree requirements. To take advantage of low tuition, many students complete their freshman and sophomore years of coursework at a community college and transfer to four-year institutions as juniors.
All community colleges offer classes in English as a second language which assists immigrants to familiarize themselves with the written and spoken code in the US. The multitude of community college courses and the various times they are offered allow working people to fit higher education into their schedules.
The latest trend is the growing number of students with Bachelor's and other degrees who come back to community colleges. Such people attend community colleges in order to keep up with the technology that permeates work and leisure activities. Certification programs or workforce training classes offered at community colleges appeal to people who want to move up the ladder in their current jobs as well as to those who want to obtain different work that requires particular skills. This is due to the fact that apart from traditional courses like sociology, mathematics, history, and psychology, community colleges offer courses like astronomy, banking, nursing, computer programming, paramedic, radiologic technology, diagnostic medical sonography, welding, dentistry, fire science, forensic science, police science, photography, surgical technology, tourism, welding, etc.
According to our CORNY, ?It's only people who live in his [Obosu-Mensah] state know about that college [Lorain County Community College]?. Thus, CORNY gives the impression that community colleges attract only local people. The truth is that every community college has an office that deals with international students. Thus, community colleges attract not only Americans but also foreign students. At Lorain County Community College (LCCC), there are 195 foreign students from 75 countries, including Ghana. The first Ghanaian physician I met in Cleveland told me that he attended LCCC. Mr. Hongju Lee, a 24-year old South Korean student of Lorain County Community College was one of the recipients of US Today?s 2006 Community College Academic All-Stars Award. Check the April 24 issue of USA Today
LCCC offers almost every course under the sun, and in partnership with all major four-year institutions in Ohio, offers several courses up to the master?s degree. Thus, a student at LCCC may complete his/her master?s degree from, let?s say, Ohio University by taking most if not all courses at LCCC
On Saturday, May 20, 2006 LCCC had its spring commencement (graduation), and 1,524 students graduated that day with various degrees including master?s degrees. LCCC with a student population of 15,000 has introduced the concept of community college to some countries in Asia, and the college intends to start an exchange program with the University of Ghana, Legon. In Europe, LCCC already has exchange programs with institutions in Britain, France and Greece.
If you want financially cheap but high quality college education in the US, start with a community college. For those interested you may go to: www.lorainccc.edu or www.aacc.nche.edu for the necessary information.
Assistant Professor of Sociology, Lorain County Community College, USA
Views expressed by the author(s) do not necessarily reflect those of GhanaHomePage.