Perspective: Community colleges deserve more respect

Community colleges are the Rodney Dangerfields of higher education. They get no respect. A national news magazine, in an article about higher education, once dismissed community college students as "not ready for prime time." The state of Florida has told its nearly 1-million community college students that they're worth little more than 50 cents on the dollar. While Florida provides public universities with $5,900 per year per student, community college students receive little more than half of that amount -- $3,183.

So, why are community colleges and their students stigmatized? Maybe the fault lies with America's winner-takes-all society and our recurring love affair with exclusivity and elitism. Every year, colleges and universities across the United States battle furiously to be among the top 50 in U.S. News and World Report and other national rankings. Every year, American families incur massive debt to send their children to one of America's finest, hoping to buy them a ticket to the good life. Everyone aspires to Harvard, where perception is prestige.

But perception is not always reality. Particularly in Florida. Florida's system of 28 community colleges has been recognized as the most productive in America. Nine of Florida's community colleges are among the top producers of associate degrees in the nation. More of Florida's college students are enrolled in community colleges than in all the state's universities and private colleges combined -- 58 percent vs. 43 percent. Nearly two-thirds of all junior and senior students in Florida's state university system began their course work at a community college.

The people of Florida recognize real value when they see it. A recent public agenda survey, Great Expectations: How the Public and Parents View Higher Education, confirms that Floridians are impressed by both the value of higher education and the quality of their state's community college system. Survey findings revealed that 89 percent agreed that a college degree has become as important as a high school diploma used to be. Also, 77 percent agreed that qualified and talented students should not be denied access to college because of cost. According to the same survey, 58 percent of Florida residents say that community colleges are doing a good or excellent job, compared to 50 percent who say this nationwide. Floridians gave higher grades to their community colleges than to their four-year universities.

Maintaining a strong community college system in Florida is more critical now than ever. A recent report card on higher education by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education rated Florida poorly as compared to other states. Florida earned Cs and Ds in categories of student preparation, participation, affordability and benefits to the state. If Florida expects to be a major player in the 21st century global high-tech marketplace, building an educated work force is crucial. Community colleges can play a key role in this effort by providing dual enrollment, workplace development, remedial education programs and greater access to education. Among the stated goals of the Florida Community College System: increase access by high school students to community college and supply Florida business and industry with well-educated, well-trained employees. An investment in community colleges and their students, through increased funding and need-based financial aid, is an investment in the state's future competitiveness.

This year, America's community colleges will celebrate their 100th anniversary. According to U.S. Department of Education statistics, the nation's 1,200 community colleges are now serving more than 5.3-million credit-earning students. Community colleges train the bulk of nursing and credentialed health service workers in the United States. One in each six bachelor's degree recipients in engineering, engineering technology and architecture started at a community college. So did one in 10 graduating Ph.D.s in math and electrical engineering.

While they may not appeal to prestige, elitism and exclusivity, community colleges form the bedrock of other cherished American ideals: equal opportunity and rewards based on merit. No other institution serves as a more reliable ladder of social mobility. Community college alumni include a veritable Who's Who of prominent Americans. The list includes actors and astronauts, writers and artists, singers and statesmen. Among them are Pulitzer Prize-winning author and poet Gwendolyn Brooks; actors Billy Crystal and Clint Eastwood; astronauts Fred Haise and Robert "Hoot" Gibson; journalists Sarah McClendon and Charles Collingwood; and CEOs David Chu and Elton Rule. Other community college alumni who need little or no introduction include Walt Disney, Tom Hanks, Jane Curtin, Dustin Hoffman, Morgan Freeman, Norma Kamali, Calvin Klein, Jim Lehrer, John Mellencamp, Kweisi Mfume, Jackie Robinson, Sam Shephard, Alvin "Pete" Rozelle, and H. Ross Perot. Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg started out at a community college. So did former U.N. Ambassador Jeanne Kirkpatrick.

Florida community colleges have nurtured their own Hall of Fame. Graduates include actors Carroll Baker and Jan Hooks; athletes Jaime Navarro, Don Sutton and Frank "Fuzzy" Zoeller; cartoonist Doug Marlett, composer Copeland Davis, Maryland Governor Parris N. Glendening; Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and writers Rita May Brown and Cherokee Paul McDonald. St. Petersburg Times columnist Lucy Morgan, who won a Pulitzer Prize, the highest award in newspaper journalism, earned her AA degree from our own Pasco-Hernando Community College.

Community colleges are democracy's colleges, guaranteeing opportunity to everybody who is responsible enough to seek it. They provide affordable, high-quality education and training to place-bound students who might otherwise be denied access. To quote the Great Expectations report findings: "Floridians value access to higher education for anyone who is sufficiently qualified and motivated. In effect, Floridians see access to higher education as equivalent to access to the American dream."

- Robert Judson Jr. is president of Pasco-Hernando Community College.

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