( 71^2078 HAMRICK, Wallace S., 1930ADMINISTRATIVE PERCEPTIONS OF THE COMMUNITY SERVICES DIMENSION OF THE SMALL, NONURBAN COMMUNITY COLLEGES OF MICHIGAN. Michigan State University, Ph.D., 1970 Education, administration University Microfilms, A XEROXC om pany. A nn Arbor. M ichigan ADMINISTRATIVE PERCEPTIONS OF THE COMMUNITY SERVICES DIMENSION OF THE SMALL, NONURBAN COMMUNITY COLLEGES O'F MICHIGAN By Wallace S. Hamrick A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Administration and Higher Education 1970 ABSTRACT ADMINISTRATIVE PERCEPTIONS OF THE COMMUNITY SERVICES DIMENSION OF THE SMALL, NONURBAN COMMUNITY COLLEGES OF MICHIGAN By Wallace S. Hamrick This descriptive study was concerned with analyzing the perceptions of administrators in the small, nonurban community colleges of Michigan with respect to: definition of community services; (1) a (2) needed community services activities in their communities; (3) the impor­ tance of functions within the community services division; and (4) the unique characteristics of small, nonurban community colleges and their settings. A questionnaire and interview guide were developed which included questions relating to each basic topic of the s;tudy. The community colleges of Michigan which en­ rolled fewer than 1,200 students and were located in counties of fewer than 50,000 population were selected; administrators were interviewed during one- or two-day visits to each of the community colleges. The interviews were relatively unstructured to allow freedom to explore more intensively particular perceptions and insights held Wallace :3. Hamrick by individual interviewees; all interviews were taped for further analysis. Major findings of the study include: 1. Community services in the nonurban community college setting refers to that dimension of the institution which serves as a catalytic force in developing coordinative collegecommunity relations in response to community needs. In providing programs and facilities both on and off campus, this dimension responds to individual and community needs not generally served by the degree-directed curriculum. Through providing creative professional leader­ ship and resources, extending communication and public information services, and encourag­ ing community involvement, the community services dimension offers a breadth and depth of experiences which serve to upgrade the edu­ cational, occupational, and cultural levels of the area, strengthen community support and acceptance of the community college, and in­ spire community self-help in solving local problems. 2. The nature and scope of community services are dictated by the environment in which the com­ munity college is located. activities may be broad. The range of these Administrators Wallace S. Hamrick express the belief that community services activities for their nonurban areas may be limited only by the philosophy of the insti­ tution, the creative leadership provided, the involvement of the community, the financial support available, and the cooperative effort of other community organizations. Short courses, workshops, seminars, conferences, occupational education, public information, college-community relations, counseling ser­ vices, cultural offerings, extension centers, use of college facilities, and others are per­ ceived as needed. Analysis of administrative perceptions regard­ ing community services functions designated most important and those less important indi­ cated the following order of functions: educational expansion, (2) public information, (3) college-community relations, ing, (5) community analysis, development, (4) counsel­ (6) cultural (7) facility utilization, educational extension, social outreach, (1) (8) (9) public forum, (10) (11) program evaluation, and (12) leisure/recreation. The nonurban community college and its setting differ significantly from the urban community college and its setting as perceived by the Wallace 3. Hamrick administrators. The community, its needs and its resources; the faculty, students, and administrative staff; financial support for programs; facilities of the college and the district; the quality of local schools; occu­ pational programs; disadvantaged groups; popu­ lation density and age distributions; trans­ portation and communication services; geo­ graphic locations, natural resources, and land use potentials, all represent unique charac­ teristics of the nonurban community college and its community. As the study progressed, and during the course of the analysis of the data, recommendations concerning issues related to the community services dimension of the small, nonurban community college became apparent. Those recom­ mendations were presented to serve as guidelines that may be used as a broad frame of reference for the community services dimension in the nonurban setting. In a final section, suggestions for future research were presented. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to express my gratitude to Dr. Eldon Nonnamaker, Chairman of the doctoral committee, for his encouragement and guidance throughout the study. To Dr. Walter Johnson, also a member of the com­ mittee, my sincere appreciation for time and effort spent in my behalf, and for his confidence in me throughout the doctoral program. I wish also to acknowledge the interest and support of the other committee members: Dr. Richard Featherstone and Dr. James McKee. I wish to express my appreciation to Dr. Max Raines and Dr. Gunder Myran for their support and counsel during this past year. I am indebted to the administrators of the com­ munity colleges I visited during the study for their hospitality and excellent cooperation. To Montcalm Com­ munity College and its fine faculty and administration, my special thanks. ii I wish to thank my wife, Elsie Lou, and our chil­ dren, Steve, Mike, and Susan, for their ever-present patience, encouragement, and understanding throughout the course of my graduate work. Wallace S. Hamrick iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter I. II. Page THE P R O B L E M ................................ 1 Statement of the P r o b l e m ................ The Need for the Study................... Background of Theory and Research . . . 1 2 4 Community Services as an Emerging ............................. Challenge An Opportunity for Commitment. . . . 4 9 Definition of Terms....................... Limitations of the S t u d y ................ Organization of the Study................ 11 13 14 SURVEY OF RELATED LITERATURE College-Community Relations: site for A c t i o n ............. 15 Prerequi­ A Responsibility Rightfully Delegated . Opportunity for Coordination . . . . A Problem of Identity and Image: First Things F i r s t ................... 16 18 19 21 The Nonurban Setting: An Abundance of N e e d s ................................ 26 ................... The Community The R e s i d e n t s .......................... Needed: An Educational Impact . . . 27 30 35 Emergence of the Compassionate Revolution................................ 38 A Community's Pride ................... The Shape of Things to Come . . . . An Investment in Humanity . . . . . The Disadvantaged....................... iv 38 40 42 43 Chapter Page The Challenge of Change: Opportunities Not P r o b l e m s ........................ Implications for Community Services. Further Implications.............. Research: An Essential Ingredient . III. METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS 47 . . 50 55 . 57 . 62 Selection of the Small, Nonurban Community Colleges ....................... Procedures for Visits .................... 62 63 Development of Instruments Used . . . Visitation and Interview Procedures. . Organization of D a t a .............. IV. PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF THE DATA A Definition of Community Services. 67 . . 68 . 69 The Community— Its Needs and Its R e s o u r c e s ............................. The Community College and Its R e s o u r c e s ........................ Needed Community Services Activities 65 66 . ~ 73 . Short C o u r s e s ..................... 100 Workshops and Seminars ................ Conferences.......................... Occupational Programs ................ Public Information .................... Coliege-Community Relations . . . . Counseling Services .................... Cultural Activities .................... Extension Centers. Use of College Land and Facilities . . Levels of Importance of Community Services Functions ....................... " i r ■■"» V 71 99 104 108 110 116 120 124 128 13 0 132 134 Page Chapter Unique Characteristics of the Nonurban Community College and Its Community . 153 The Community College in the Nonurban Setting. . Faculty, Facilities, Finances . . . The Nature of the Nonurban Community College District...................... Geographic Location and Land Use P o t e n t i a l ............................. V. SUMMARY, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH . . . . . . . . 153 158 163 168 177 Summary of the P r o b l e m ................ 177 The Need for the Study................ 178 Summary of Data Collection and Analysis. Summary of F i n d i n g s ................... 179 180 A Definition of Community Services. . Needed Community Services Activities . Levels of Importance of Community Services Functions ................... The Unique Characteristics of the Nonurban Community College and Its C o m m u n i t y ............................. 180 184 189 192 Recommendations.......................... 196 Administration ...................... Faculty................................ College-Community Relations . . . . The D i s a d v a n t a g e d ................... The Community Services Dimension . . 196 197 199 201 202 Suggestions for Future Research . . BIBLIOGRAPHY...................................... vi . 206 209 Chapter Page APPENDICES Appendix A. Letter of I n t r o d u c t i o n ........................ 220 B. Visitation Agenda.............................. 221 C. Institutional D a t a ........................... 222 D. Check List for Institutional Materials. . . 223 E. Informational Letter to Administrators. . . 224 F. Community Services Questionnaire. . . 225 G. Interview G u i d e .............................. 230 H. Interview Guide forCommunity Services Administrator .............................. 234 vii . . LIST OP TABLES Table 1. 2. 3. Page Student and Staff Numbers, Campus Area, and Initial Class Year for Michigan's Small, Nonurban Community Colleges ............ 70 Administrative Perceptions: Levels of Importance of Community Services Func­ tions in the Small, Nonurban Community Colleges of Michigan ................... 154 Population Density and Vastness of College Districts for the Small, Nonurban Com­ munity Colleges of Michigan ............ 172 viii CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM Statement of the Problem The purpose of this study is to analyze the per­ ceptions of administrators in the small,nonurban community colleges of Michigan with respect to: a definition of com­ munity services; needed community services activities in their communities; the importance of functions within the community services division; and the unique characteristics of small, nonurban community colleges and their settings. In this study, answers to the following questions are sought: 1. How do administrators of small, nonurban com­ munity colleges in Michigan define community services? 2. What do the administrators perceive as needed community services activities in their com­ munities? 3. Which community services functions are per­ ceived as most important? sidered less important? 1 Which are con­ 2 4. How do administrators of small, nonurban community colleges perceive their institutions as differing from the urban community college with respect to: the college; the community services programs; and the community? The data obtained in this study should aid in pro­ viding resources for the development of model community services programs in the small, nonurban community college. The collection of data at the selected community colleges should encourage expanded self-study within their adminis­ trative structure and community services divisions. In those communities where needs are identified and perceived as important by administrators/ the likelihood that pro­ grams will be developed to meet those needs is increased. Further/ the study should provide pertinent resources for the Department of Administration and Higher Education and the Kellogg Community Services Leadership Program at Michigan State University. The Need for the Study The nonurban setting, and particularly the small, nonurban community college setting, has been ignored or overlooked in favor of a concentrated effort to explore the urban community college and its problems. The nation's interests and resources are being directed toward the problems of the inner city. 3 The American Association of Junior Colleges recognized this fact in its recent publication, 100,000 and U n der; Occupational Education in the Rural Community Junior College: AAJC itself has directed programs and funds to the urban colleges to help solve the problems of the metroplex, yet 600 of the nation's 1,000 community colleges are nonurban. The median enrollment for all public community colleges in the United States is about 1,500 students. Only 21 per cent of the community junior colleges enroll over 3,000 students.1 This realization that small, nonurban community colleges constitute 60 per cent of our nation's community colleges indicates that a concerted effort should be directed toward thorough studies of those colleges. Studies of the needs for developing specific programs anc the level of importance given those programs within a division of the college are essential. President Richard M. Nixon has recognized the need for expanded concern for our nation's small, nonurban areas as evidenced by his establishment of the Rural Affairs Council. This council will provide services to the non­ urban communities much the same as the Urban Affairs Coun­ cil has done for the inner city populations. Recent studies of community services programs in the community college have primarily presented a ^American Association of Junior Colleges, 100,000 and Under: Occupational Education in the Rural Community Junior College (Washington, D . C . : American Association of Junior Colleges, 1968), Introduction. 4 comprehensive approach to programs in larger institutions, and have not represented the nonurban setting. In refer­ ring to the rural setting, Dr. George L. Hall, Chairman of the AAJC National Advisory Committee on Rural Junior Col­ leges, has emphasized that State and Federal agencies and organizations today appear strongly attracted to the problems of the inner city. As an example, numerous pro­ grams of assistance are available to the city poor, yet, estimates reveal that one-third of all rural Americans live in poverty— nearly one-half of ail impoverished Americans.^ Background of Theory and Research Community Services as an Emerging Challenge As an illustration of a typical nonurban community need, the effect of poverty (as mentioned previously) upon residents may be more debilitating in a nonurban area than in an urban area. According to Walter G. Daniels some of the differences in the backgrounds of rural and urban youths are: 1. 2. 3. Education of parents is lower in rural areas. Family income is lower in the rural areas. The isolation of rural areas leads to lack of cultural stimulation. 2AAJC, 100,000 and Under, p. 6. 5 4. 5. The decline of population in rural areas affects w elfare, services, social, economic, and edu­ cational opportunities. Marriage usually occurs at an earlier age in the rural area.3 The community college may be a vital influence in directly or indirectly providing for such basic community needs, and specifically, the community services division with its commitment to developing personal and community improvement programs, should welcome this challenge. Offerings and programs of the small, nonurban com­ munity college: should be planned to meet the needs of their communities, and to elicit the active participation of local citizens in program planning, development, and operation of such activities. Blocker, Plummer, and Richardson lend support to the idea of the emerging challenge concept in the community college as the development of community services programs becomes more and more widespread. The development of the community services program requires constant and effective communication between the community and the college. College-community communication requires a firm commitment by the ad­ ministration and the faculty to the concept of com­ munity services. Second, the program must blend college and com­ munity resources and personnel, both formally and informally, to insure their maximum utilization.4 3 Walter G. Daniel, "Problems of Disadvantaged Youth, Urban and Rural," The Journal of Negro Education (Summer, 1964), 218-224. 4 Clyde E. Blocker, et a l . , The Two Year College; A Social Synthesis (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: PrenticeHal l , Inc., 1965), p. 226. 6 The community services division relates closely to all areas of college life: Academic Division; Vocational/ Technical Division; Service Division; Student Affairs Divi­ sion; and Business Affairs Division. In many small colleges the responsibility may well be administered by one of these other divisions. When a full-time community services ad­ ministrator is appointed, he likely assumes many responsi­ bilities which have been accountable to other adminis­ trators, department chairmen, and faculty members in the past. This makes a firm commitment to community services by the administration and faculty even more essential, as the community services division becomes an entity and attempts to provide leadership and programming which will not only prove effective in meeting community needs but will justify the existence of a community services oper­ ation at all, and particularly as an integral part of the overall community college philosophy. Blocker describes the community services division as an entity in order to emphasize the responsibility of the college in answering the need for avocational and cultural activities in an increasingly leisure-oriented society.^ grams In addition, one may add the need for such pro­ (particularly in the nonurban area) as, workshops, conferences, short courses, institutes, and various other training experiences which are invaluable to the adult and 5Ibid., pp. 211-12 7 out-of-school youth in this changing society as he strives to maintain his position, or seeks new, more rewarding opportunities. In the nonurban setting the community college becomes the educational and cultural center of the com­ munity. As Thomas E. O'Connell has suggested in his Community Colleges— A President's V i e w : Our colleges are assumed to be the opposite of the "ivory tower" institutions. One of our missions is to serve the community, to be the educational and cultural focal points in our regions: hence the name "community c o l l e g e . " 6 The nonurban family is often penalized with respect to higher education as geography becomes a major factor in determining whether a person can go to college. An exami­ nation of the location of the homes of students who attend college indicated that in most cases the student body is localized. K. Patricia Cross, Educational Testing Service, has indicated that the presence of a junior college in a local community makes it possible and/or attractive for young people from low socio-economic levels to take the 7 first step toward higher education. Bashow (1965) re­ ported that the percentage of high school graduates who continue their education is much greater in areas where ^Thomas E. O'Connell, Community Colleges— A President's View (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1968), p. 10. 7 K. Patricia Cross, The Jr. College Student: A Research Description (Washington, D . C . : American Associ­ ation of Junior Colleges, 1968), p. 49. 8 community colleges are located than in areas which lack such institutions. At this point, since accessibility is vital if the community college is to serve its publics, and particularly as one views the less-populated, nonurban areas, many insti­ tutions are following a plan of taking the college to where the people are. The idea is to take the campus out into the community rather than constantly having the community come to the campus. The emerging challenge of community services mani­ fests itself in a variety of programs that focus on com­ munity involvement of the college with other agencies. In-plant programs for industry, in-service training for civic employees, cooperative programs with hospitals, and service projects with poverty agencies fall in this category. 8 As the American Association of Junior Colleges has stated, The popularity of the junior college, rural or urban, arises from its multiplicity of services. It has something for almost everyone. The junior colleges serve the various community interests.9 O Community College Charrette: Critique of the Future for Community and Continuing Education, Final Con­ ference Report, Phoenix College Half CenturyConference, Scottsdale, Arizona, November 4-5, 1969, p. 15. 9AAJC, 100,000 and U n der, p. 5. 9 James W. Thornton, Jr. emphasizes the relative newness, yet vital nature, of the development of community services in our nation's junior colleges as he suggests, The function of community services is the most recently developed of the tasks of the Community Junior College. Nevertheless, the scope and adequacy of these services determine whether or not the college merits the title of "Community" College; to an im­ portant degree, they determine also the extent of community understanding and support of the several functions of the college. Because of the recency of the concept of community services, the experiences of junior colleges in performing them has been limited.10 'An Opportunity for Commitment Increasingly, community colleges have developed community services programs with a professional staff pre­ pared to carry forward programs which are significant and which have their own identity. This is less true in small, nonurban institutions where community services activities are many times limited to evening classes for adults. In 1960, Dr. Leland Medsker concluded, on the basis of his study of 243 community colleges, that community services activities were not performed by most community colleges on a regular b a s i s . ^ However., the 197 0 Directory of Com­ munity Services Leadership in Community and Junior Col­ leges reports programs in over 600 of the public 10James W. Thornton, Jr., The Community Junior College (New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1967), p. 67. Leland L. Medsker, The Junior College: Progress and Prospect (New York: McGraw-Hill Co., Inc., 1960), p. 78. 10 institutions (more than 80 per cent) and in over 115 pri­ vate schools (more than 45 per cent). Also, a full-time staff member can be found in 30 per cent of our institutions with programs. 12 In spite of past shortcomings, the community college has begun to understand social action; it has begun to assume greater social responsibility in its com­ munity. As Gunder Myran, Michigan State University, has written, The decade of the 1960's has been characterized by sweeping social change, and it is in this period that community services have emerged as an identifiable component of the community college. Just as the development of transfer programs, vocational/technical programs, and student personnel programs have in turn been major efforts of community colleges throughout the nation, it now appears that community services are becoming the next major thrust in program develop­ ment. 13 The small, nonurban community college is truly a community-centered institution with its primary purpose to provide service to the people of its community. Each of its offerings and programs is planned to meet the needs of the community and is developed with the active partici­ pation of residents. 12 1970 Directory of Community Services Leadership in Community and Junior Colleges (Washington, D.C.: American Association of Junior Colleges, 1969), Intro­ duction. 13 Gunder A. Myran, "The Structure and Development of Community Services Programs in Selected Community Colleges in the United States" (unpublished Ph.D. disser­ tation, Michigan State University, 1969), p. 3. 11 These community colleges, their administration and faculty, have an ideal opportunity for commitment to the community services philosophy as they recognize and accept that by definition the college has an obligation to: expressed by Harlacher) (as (1) become a center of community life by encouraging the use of college facilities and ser­ vices by community groups when such use does not interfere with the college's regularly scheduled day and evening programs; (2) provide educational services for all age groups which utilize the special skills and knowledge of the college staff and other experts and are designed to meet the needs of community groups and the college district at large; (3) provide the community with the leadership and coordination capabilities of the college, assist the com­ munity in long-range planning, and join with individuals and groups in attacking unsolved problems; (4) contribute to and promote the cultural, intellectual, and social life of the college district community and the development of skills for the profitable use of leisure time. 14 Definition of Terms For the purpose of this study, the following definitions are used: 14 Ervin L. Harlacher, ''What's Past is Prologue," The Community Dimension of the Community College, Report to the American Association of Junior Colleges,November, 1967, Chapter IV. 12 Small.— (referring to the community college itself) Total student body enrollment at the community college does not exceed 1/200, including full-time and part-time stu­ dents. This total is based upon the latest available en­ rollment figures published in the 1969 Junior College Directory. Nonurban.— (referring to the community and service area) The county in which the community college is located has a population not exceeding 50,000 residents. Population totals are reported in the 1969 Rand McNally Road A t las, which utilizes, "populations from the 1960 Census and the latest available estimates." Community Services.— As an initial criteria for the selection of programs to be identified as community services offerings, the definition of community services as presented by Gunder Myran, Michigan State University, will be used: Those efforts of the community college, often undertaken in cooperation with other community groups or agencies, which are directed toward providing edu­ cational solutions to localized social, economic, cultural, and civic problems which are not met by formal collegiate degree or certificate programs.15 However, an ongoing concern of this study is to identify a definition of community services which is most often employed and accepted by the administrators of small, nonurban community colleges. 15Myran, "Community Services Programs," p. 12. 13 Limitations of the Study The small, nonurban community colleges in the state of Michigan were selected on the basis of public control, size of coeducational student enrollment, and population of the county in which the college is located. It should be said that information on the small, nonurban community college throughout the nation is not available, and cri­ teria for the evaluation of the quality of their community services programs do not exist at this time. Dr. J. Kenneth Cummiskey, Director, Community Services Project, American Association of Junior Colleges, has written in correspondence, " . . . material for community services for rural areas is rather sparse. We are no better equipped than you to define or enumerate rural communities. This is an area about which we definitely need co know more."16 Dr. George L. Hall, President, Arizona Western College, and Chairman of the AAJC National Advisory Committee on Rural Junior Colleges, in his correspondence said, "Our identifi­ cation of the rural community college was based entirely upon the fact they were located in a population area of less than 100,000."17 16 J. Kenneth Cummiskey, Letter of Correspondence, January 7, 1970. (Typewritten.) 17 George L. Hall, Letter of Correspondence, November 21, 1969. (Typewritten.) 14 The generalizability of the conclusions of this study is limited by the fact that the sample is not repre­ sentative of the entire population of small, nonurban com­ munity colleges in the nation. One finds many bases for uncommon services and offerings as each community college reflects the unique characteristics and needs found in its own environmental setting. The services offered may in­ deed be limited only by the imagination of the people the college serves.18 Organization of the Study The remaining chapters of this study are as follows: Chapter II (Survey of Related Literature) is de­ voted to a review of publications and research studies which are relevant to the present study. Chapter III (Method of Data Collection) describes the procedures preparatory to conducting the data col­ lection and the methodology used for collecting the data. Chapter IV (Presentation and Analysis of the Data) provides an analysis of the data collected as it relates to the basic questions of the study. Chapter V (Summary, Recommendations, and Suggestions for Future Research) provides a summary of the study, reccommendations, and suggestions for future research. 18AAJC, 100,000 and Under, p. 21. CHAPTER XI SURVEY OF RELATED LITERATURE This chapter summarizes the related literature which pertains to the areas presented: College-Community Relations; The Nonurban Setting; The Challenge of the Compassionate Revolution; and The Challenge of Change and its Implications for Community Services Programs. Since this study is descriptive in nature, no attempt is made in this chapter to establish or support hypotheses, propositions, or assumptions regarding the small, nonurban community college and its community ser­ vices programs. Rather, the focus is on examining the conclusions and assertions of other writers as presented in the available literature. The format presented in this chapter has been selected for its utility in developing the interview guide that will be reviewed in Chapter III, Method of Data Collection. 15 16 College-Community Relations; for Action Prerequisite The term "community" connotes a close relationship between the college and the life of the community; the college looks to the community for suggestions in program planning, then designs programs to serve its constituency. Such a response to the requirements of the particular region served is a significant characteristic of the small, nonurban community college. As Marshall Hamilton has said, The community relations program of the junior college is a result of the attention and effort on the part of both the faculty and the administration. Public understanding determines, in large measure, the amount of support, cooperation, and assistance that will be given the college and, ultimately, the amount of benefit derived by its students.19 If one thinks of a community as a group of indi­ viduals who have organized themselves for survival, we are concerned only with such matters as policing, fire pro­ tection and control, water supply, sewage disposal, medical care, disease prevention, food and commodity distribution, communication and transportation. But common community interests are not limited to survival. A community is concerned also with opportunity and facilities for work, 19 Marshall W. Hamilton, Developing Community Re­ lations at North Florida Junior College^ Report of a National Conference by UCLA, A A J C , a n d t h e Commission for Accrediting Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges {Los Angeles: University of Cali­ fornia, Los Angeles, 1964). 17 recreation, amusement, for religious activities, cultural advantages, and educational development. Hoiberg suggests that a serious obstacle to selfimprovement of the small community has been the widespread belief that "we know our community." 20 In reality, most rural people do not know their own communities. Educational institutions, being both of and for the community, have responsibilities which are as broad and as complicated as the community itself, and duties and privileges which extend into or touch upon almost every aspect of community life. Research indicates the need for keeping the public informed. Murdoff exphasized the need for increased com- munity information. 21 Meyerson concluded that an associ­ ation exists between informed individuals and a positive opinion of the community college. 22 In expressing the importance of recognizing "com­ munity educational services" as an emerging function of higher education, Cyril Houle has said, 20 (Lincoln: Otto G. Hoiberg, Exploring the Small Community University of Nebraska Press, 1955), p. 11. 21 Virginia F. Murdoff, A Study of Community Opinion Concerning Junior College Functions (N a p a , Calif.: Napa Junior College, 1967). 22 Miles Meyerson, Report of Research Project to Determine Effect of Mass Circulation of Macomb County Community College Student Newspaper on Public Image of the College (Warren, M i c h . : Macomb Community College, August 14, 1967). 18 It is clear that community service is not only large but also highly diversified in its form. And yet each year the numbers of persons reached grow larger, and new programs grow more numerous. The speakers at college commencements have always assured the new graduates that their true education lay before them in adulthood; this message is now reaching even the university presidents. The state universities and land-grant colleges are leading the way, closely followed by the urban universities. The junior colleges are realizing that one of their best hopes lies in becoming true community c o l l e g e s . 23 A Responsibility Rightfully Delegated Anyone who expresses the ongoing role of the com­ munity college in community services activities becomes vulnerable to the charge of being naive and repetitious. But the fact remains, that in recent y e a r s , perhaps no institution has had more responsibility for providing com­ munity services programs placed upon it or has had more attention focused upon it than has the community college. This point is brought emphatically home when one views .the recommendations of the President's Commission on Higher Education in 1947: The commission recommends that the number of com­ munity colleges be increased and that their activities be multiplied. . . . Whatever form the community college takes, its purpose is educational service to the entire community. 23 Cyril O. Houle, Community Educational Services as an Emerging Function of Higher Education, Vol. XX of The Community Responsibilities of Institutions of Hicher Learning, e d . b y Norman Burns and Cyril O. House, proceed­ ings o f t h e Institute for Administrative Officers of Higher Education (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1948), p. 9. 19 and this purpose requires of it a variety of functions and programs. . . . It will serve as an active center for adult edu­ cation. It will attempt to meet the total post-highschool needs of its community.24 And further, when one recognizes the commonalities of that statement with what has become perhaps the most widely accepted point of view in expressing the "special position" of the community college in our country today: (1) the community college is committed to the development of people rather than to "pure research" or the develop­ ment of new knowledge, and (2) it is also committed to the community, a commitment so extensive that the needs and interests of the community largely determine the nature of the educational program. 25 Opportunity for Coordination Just as the community college is being vitally affected by the development of community services programs, so are the public schools, the museums, the libraries, the community centers, and other basically noneducational agencies, such as industrial and commercial organizations, labor unions, and cooperatives. Voluntary associations of 24 Establishing the Goals, Higher Education for American Democracy, Vol. I of Report~of the President's Commission on Higher Education (Washington, D . C . : Govern­ ment Printing Office, 1947), pp. 67-68. 25 Donald A. Deppe, "Community Service, Continuing Education and the Community College: A Point of View," Community Services Forum (December, 1969), 1. 20 all kinds— -service clubs, fraternal orders, trade associ­ ations, cultural groups— are beginning to realize that education is an important function which they can provide for their membership. In some communities, the insti­ tutions of higher education are already in conflict with other organizations which wish to provide programs directed to the out-of-school youths and adults of the community. The possibilities for such conflict will increase as the number of institutions dedicated to the development of community services programs increases. Community colleges must do all they can through the development of coordinated, cooperative programs to prevent such conflicts and to in­ sure that the community will be served effectively without outstanding deficiencies or duplications. In reference to preventing this form of conflict, Houle 26 suggests that the institutions of higher education devote themselves to the kind of instruction which they can do best. The college should deal with the more ad­ vanced and complex forms of subject matter, in teaching adults as well as young people. It should train the in­ structional leadership for the other forms of adult edu­ cation. It should take the initiative in helping its own alumni and those of other institutions to maintain and broaden their skills. It should use its superior resources in order to pioneer in new forms of adult education. It 26 Houle, Community Educational Services, p. 13. 21 should take advantage of its relative prestige to initiate coordinative programs with other agencies. Finally, it should attempt to create and strengthen leadership and help those persons who, by native endowment, training, or the force of circumstances, are in positions of importance, to discharge their responsibilities as effectively as possible and with the greatest benefit to the common good. "Taking care to let people talk out their objectives and talk themselves into participation requires more time in 27 the beginning but less time in the end." And finally, as Gromacki speaks of the advisory committee as an important and prominent facet of junior college administration: "The need for two-way communi­ cations between the college and the community cannot be overemphasized." 28 A Problem of Identity and Image: First Things First One sometimes gets the feeling that the community college with its open door policy, projects an image of little prestige. Much has been written of the "image 27 Burton Kreitlow, E. W. Aiton, and Andrew Torrence, Leadership for Action in Rural Communities (Danville, 111.: Tne Interstate Printers and Publishers, Inc., 1965), p. 338. 28 Chester Gromacki, A Study of Current Practices and Development of an Advisory Committee Handbook (Los Angeles, Calif.: University of California, Los Angeles, Ju n e , 1966). 22 problem" of the community college, and although almost nothing has been written of the small, nonurban community college, it certainly shares in the problems of identity and image. Part of this image problem is the result of the college's lack of identity— lack of agreement regarding philosophy, purposes, and programs— and the defensiveness that accompanies such a void. With a clearly defined philosophy, precise objectives, and programs that meet the stated objectives come self-confidence and a sense of assurance and strength. A positive image is bound to follow a conscious effort at communicating such excellence when it is attained. The successful operation of any community college, urban or rural, depends on eliminating negative inter­ pretations and establishing prestige. Such prestige, how­ ever, can be established only when excellence is a fact, and when the fact is communicated effectively. To achieve those goals the community services division should: (1) assemble facts on the objectives and resources of the college and on areas of public lack of information and possible criticism, lations, and (2) pinpoint its various target popu­ (3) make full use of its sources of infor­ mation, including faculty and staff, students, instructional programs, college events, and its own community services activities. 23 In this regard, Epperson stresses that counselors of prospective students convey a realistic image of the community college. In the development of community col­ leges, and particularly the small, nonurban colleges, there are at least five major problems that carry significant consequences for students: ment, (1) limited space and equip­ (2) the nonexistence of a viable educational com­ munity compounded by serious program deficiencies, (3) general unavailability of trained faculty and adminis­ tration, (4) difficulties encountered by students trans­ ferring to four-year institutions, and (5) the image of the junior college as a second-class institution, creating 29 prestige problems for its students. If students are permitted to choose after giving full consideration to the strengths and weaknesses of all facets of our diverse system of higher education, those electing the community college are more likely to maintain realistic expectations for their education. says, "The image As Wiegman projected by the college will be based the things it does or does not do, not on what it says. What the college on says through the community relations pro­ grams must be in line with what it does."'*® 29 David C. Epperson, "Counseling Junior College Bound Students," Journal of the Association of College Admissions Counselors, XII, No. 3 (Summer^ 1967), 4. ^ R o b e r t R. Wiegman, "The Care and Feeding of the Junior College," A Symposium of Public Relations and Pri­ vate Support for the Community Junior College, Proceedings 24 Trent is explicit in relating that we can no longer speak of an open-door college when it is evident that too often it is a revolving-door college. We cannot speak of it as a community college when there is non-communication with important segments of the community. The value of its functions and objectives must be demonstrated and, if they are found wanting, a way must be sought for their implementation.31 The term "public relations" tends to connote a negative image, usually associated with supermarket give­ aways, used car lot gimics, and the straw hats of sideshow barkers. By definition, however, college public relations are the continuing process by which management or adminis­ tration endeavors to obtain the good will, understanding, and support of its students, faculty, and the public at large— inwardly through self-analysis and correction and outwardly through all means of expression. It may be summarized as doing and telling, 90 per cent and 10 per 32 cent, respectively. of the Seventh Annual Jr. College Administrative Teams Institute, Daytona Beach, Florida, August, 1967 (Gaines­ ville , Fla.: University of Florida, 1967), p. 14. 31 James W. Trent, "The Circle of Evaluation in the Community College," Junior College Research Review, IV (October, 1969), 13. ^^Wiegman, "Care and Feeding of Junior College," p. 15. 25 It was Abraham Lincoln who said, Public sentiment is everything. With public senti­ ment, nothing can fail; without it, nothing can succeed. Consequently, he who molds public senti­ ment goes deeper than he who enacts statutes or pronounces decisions. In light of such statements, and the increasing public pressures upon educational institutions in our nation today, college personnel charged with promoting public sentiment and goodwill indeed have a responsibility of a magnitude rarely recognized. The public relations term "image," so often mis­ used, deserves clarification. what we are. An image is a reflection of The creation of an image requires the skill­ ful use of any number of things, but the image is as good and as lasting as its original. 33 One might elaborate at great length on the extent to which the community college has developed as a "com­ munity" institution and is thereby charged with related responsibilities. However, Harlacher and Herrscher and Hatfield have presented what may be considered an overview of College-Community Relations: Prerequisite for Action? The Community College is the most rapidly growing element of higher education in America. The com­ munity services function, while still emerging as a major aspect of the program of these colleges, is the element that may best fit them for a unique and highly significant role in future patterns of American edu­ cation. Devoted to serving its locale, the community ser­ vices program offers the logical vehicle for joining 33Ibid., p. 16 26 the college to the life of its district or service area. It is through the community services program that the college may not only offer educational pro­ grams and services needed in the community, utilize the total community as a laboratory environment for learning, but may most readily draw the community it­ self into the process of shaping educational programs and policies.34 And in conclusion: College-community relations are promoted in various w a y s , only a few of which are encompassed in the public relations program. Community services has a vital role to play in developing college-community relations in our nonurban communities. The results of the total endeavor are reflected in the image and community opinion of the college. Cer­ tainly, closer college-community relations, achieved by whatever means the college directly or indirectly employs, are vital to the goal of making every com­ munity college a true "community" college.35 The Nonurban Setting: An Abundance of Needs Within recent years, reports, such as the Report by the President's National Advisory Commission on Rural Poverty, have brought to public attention the great prob­ lems facing rural America. There is a growing awareness of "the people left behind" or the rural poor. However, the problems of rural America are acute for every social class and income level. To understand the' problems of any individual segment of rural America, one must first get a 34 Ervin L. Harlacher, The Conununity Dimension of the Community College (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: PrenticeHall, Inc., 1969), p. 107. 3 5Barton R. Herrscher and Thomas M. Hattfield, "College-Community Relations," Junior College Research Review, IV, (November, 1969), 4. 27 feeling for some of the total problems facing rural America. It is increasingly important that rural people understand the factors that are influencing their lives so that they can seek desirable alternatives for improving their situ­ ation. Rural America of the future may be quite different from rural America today; thus it is imperative that rural America understand the present situation so that they can intelligently choose a desirable future for their com36 munities. From the survey of the literature it appears interest in the problems of the rural setting has declined after the 1940's until recent years. Vast technological changes and the demands of an everchanging complex society now offer challenges to the rural community which can no longer be ignored. The Community Many nonurban towns that once fluorished with small businesses/ or as railroad centers/ or trade centers, are now becoming merely aggregations of low-margin oper­ ations— grocery stores, filling stations, taverns, eating places, feed stores, and garages. place in our modern economy. They have lost their In addition, many communities 36 Frank Bobbitt, People and Income in Rural America — What Are the Choices? Special Paper Number 11 (East Lansing, M i c h . : Michigan State University, Rural Manpower Center, November, 1969), Introduction. 28 have become so small and so poor they can no longer attract young doctors, dentists, lawyers, and teachers. When the old professional man retires or passes away, no one replaces him. It becomes increasingly more difficult to build and maintain homes, churches, schools, and police and fire protection, as well as, hospitals, clinics, libraries, theaters, swimming pools, playgrounds, and golf courses. Rural areas of the United States have only about half as many doctors per 100,000 people as our metro­ politan areas; and only about one third as many den­ tists. Half of the homes in the rural United States badly need repairs or plumbing facilities; 30,000 rural communities lack modern water systems and twice that many need better sewer systems. The educational achievement rate in rural areas lags two years behind that of urban parts of our country, and the school drop-out rate is higher than in the cities.37 B. M. Davis, in 1911, discussing the findings of The Country Life Commission which investigated almost every­ thing concerning rural life, and regarded the redirection i of the rural schools as the most pressing need for the betterment of rural conditions, said, The practical question is how the community and the school may again be brought into closer union, and how the conservatism that has so hedged about rural education may be broken down.38 37 Art Mauch, "Low Income Farmers, Rural Youth, Farm Labor— Problems and Opportunities, Leaflet 7, People and Income in Rural America--What Are the Choices? (Raleigh, N.C.: Agricultural Policy Institute, North Carolina State University, 1969). 38 B. M. Davis, "The General Problem of the Relation of the Rural School to Community Needs— A Summary," Chapter VI, The Tenth Yearbook, Part II, The Rural School as a Community Center (Bloomington, 111.: Public School Pub­ lishing Company, 1911) , p. 61. 29 Brunner, as he views the major social problems affecting education in rural areas, suggests that edu­ cational status is a school-community responsibility. A school cannot rise above the level of its com­ munity. If it is to progress, it must sometimes help lift the community to broader, more purposeful concepts, especially about education, in order to improve the quality of its own work. Comparably, in the long run a community cannot rise above the level of its school. It is no accident that those states in which the edu­ cational status of the rural population is lowest, are also those which have the smallest proportions of their school-age population actually in attendance, which have shorter school terms and smaller proportions of those enrolled in daily attendance.39 Floyd Reeves speaks of the "emerging problems of rural areas": One of the most important differences between rural and urban America is the difference in ability to support education and other social services. The average per capita income of rural communities is low compared with that of cities. As a result, living conditions are lower for rural families. In general, housing is less satisfactory, school and library services are less adequate, health facili­ ties and medical services are poorer and less easily available, and welfare services and provisions for social security are maintained at a much lower level. In proportion to the number of adults of working age, rural communities have more dependent children and more old people than have cities. Many persons born and reared in rural areaB migrate to jobs in cities upon reaching maturity. When the most pro­ ductive period of their life is over, such persons frequently return to rural communities to spend their declining years. The adult working populaticn of rural communities is therefore placed under greater 39 Edmund de S. Brunner, "Major Social Problems Affecting Education in Rural Areas," Chapter 2, Rural Schools for Tomorrow (Washington, D.C.: Department of Rural Education, NEA, 1945), p. 22. 30 economic strain to support and care for dependents than is the adult working population of cities.40 Although the nonurban setting may or may not be agriculturally based, chances are that agriculture has a significant impact on the community and its economy. The following statement will be part of the Rural Manpower Center Report which was prepared by a special Manpower Taskforce for presentation to the United States Department of Agriculture this year: In 1900 one agricultural worker produced enough food and fiber for seven persons. Latest estimates by the U.S.D.A. indicate that today one worker produces food and fiber for 42.5 persons. During the period 1950-65 farm imput in the United States increased by 45 percent while farm employment decreased by 45 percent. Between 1965-80 the Presi­ dent's National Advisory Commission on Rural Poverty indicates the need for farm labor will decline by another 45 percent.41 The Residents Having viewed the community in general— what, then, are some of the characteristics of the residents of our nation's nonurban communities? Rural youth have a higher incidence of poverty than do urban youth. They have fewer job opportunities. They 40 Floyd W. Reeves, "Emerging Problems of Rural Education," Education for Rural America (Chicago: Uni­ versity of Chicago Press^ 1945), pi 12. 41 Fruit and Vegetable Mechanization: Policy Impli­ cations, Rural Manpower Center, Report Number 18, prepared by the Manpower Taskforce (East Lansing, Mich.: Michigan State University, Cooperative Extension Service, 1969), Recommendations, p. 1. 31 drop out of school earlier and have a lower educational attainment than city youth. They have less adequate health care, education, and vocational training. K. Patricia Cross describes the students attending America's rural junior colleges as tending to have less information concerning employment opportunities because occupational guidance is available to a much smaller degree. 42 Communication lines, too, are stretched? consequently, the rural college student is less well-informed than his counterpart in the metro­ politan college. The National Advisory Committee on Rural Junior Colleges relates that in most other respects there are few differences between the urban and nonurban junior college 43 student. Age and the bimodal characteristic of the age distribution in the nonurban community becomes a signifi­ cant factor. Herrick expresses this concern: Education in rural America has really two aspects— the education of children and youth and the education of adults. The distribution of ages in the population of rural communities tends to be bimodal. This bi­ modality is caused by the surplus of children and youth, at the one end of the age scale, and a pilingup, at the other, of older people who have retired from the land or who have returned from the city to the farm. Thus education in rural areas has three large groups to consider: the children and youth who attend 42Cross, The Junior College Student, p. 44. 43AAJC, 100,000 and Under, p. 11. 32 elementary and secondary schools and who will work on the land and in the city; the adults who support the children and the aged through their labors on the land and in the city; and the aged who have retired or returned to the land to live out their y e a r s . 44 Education has always been a major consideration for upward mobility in this country. Without proper edu­ cation and training, community residents are unable to avail themselves of new job opportunities, to develop a career, and to find their rightful place as productive citizens. Although the gap is narrowing, nonurban residents still have lower educational attainment than urban dwell­ ers. In 1960, the median years of schooling completed by persons 25 years of age and over was 11.1 for urban, 9.5 for rural non-farm, and 8.8 for farm. The 1960 census also revealed that more than 19 million rural residents failed to complete high school, more than 3 million had less than five years of schooling and were classified as functionally illiterate, and more 45 than 700,000 of these had never enrolled in any school. The quality of many nonurban schools is low. This is evidenced by higher drop-out rates, lower college 44 Virgil E. Herrick, "The School and the Improve­ ment of Education in Rural Communities," Education for Rural America, ed. by Floyd W. Reeves (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1945), p. 86. 45 U .S., Bureau of the Census, U.S. Census of Popu­ lation: 1960. General Social and Economic Character!stics, U.S. Summary, Final Report, PC (1)-1C (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1962), pp. 205-09. 33 enrollment, lower teacher salaries, smaller expenditures per pupil, and a more limited curriculum than in urban areas. As pointed out in the recent Report of the Presi­ dent 1s National Poverty Commission, "The ingredients of any educational system include teachers, buildings, facili­ ties, curriculum, and programs. Their quality in rural 46 schools, compared to urban schools, is low." The Report further reveals that because of lower salaries, nonurban schools are not able to attract and hold the better teach­ ers. The percentage of nonurban teachers not properly certified is about twice as high as for urban teachers. Bogue, in his study of the residents of rural com­ munities presents these characteristics: As age advanced, more of the population chose less local and less rural occupations. In the higher grades (high school) most of the youth chose nonrural, non­ local occupations. Females more than males tended to choose nonrural, nonlocal occupations, perhaps because of the realistic lack of rural opportunities for females. . . . an indication that factors which cause indi­ viduals to participate in community activities might also be factors motivating persons to extra-community awareness. A relationship existed between community and occu­ pational choices which suggests that community ties are less easily dissociated than occupational ties among rural residents. This suggests that a rural resident may wish to work in the city but live in the country.47 46 President's National Advisory Commission on Rural Poverty, The People Left Behind, Report By the President's National Advisory Commission on Rural Poverty (Washington, D . C . : Government Printing Office, 1967), p. 41. 47 Grant Bogue, "Development of Occupational and Com­ munity Preferences Among Youth of a Rural Community" 34 Migrants and Minorities Migrants as a group are probably more deprived than any other. The migrant farm worker knows no other skill but farming. They have no permanent homes, no roots in any community, and get little benefit from community servxces. 48 The Office of Education has estimated that each year 600,000 migrant children are denied an education because their families are on the move. Another area of realistic concern in the nonurban community is the problem of minority group unemployment and discrimination. The awakened push of our nation's Blacks for civil rights has prompted other minority groups — Indians, Mexican-Americans, Puerto Ricans, OrientalAmericans— to strive against discrimination in employment and education. The average impoverished minority family is faced with these problems: the father usually has less than a high school education; he generally is an unskilled laborer, and when he does not work, he draws unemployment compensation; he may have to seek a job away from the (unpublished Master's thesis, Michigan State University, 1954), pp. 86-88. 48 Esther Peterson, "Rural Youth and Economic Pro­ gress," Rural Youth in a Changing Environment (Washington, D.C.: National Committee for Children and Youth, 1965), p. 110. 35 family at times; he is a poor model for his children be­ cause he has not achieved much; the amount of guidance given to the children by the father and mother is negli­ gible; they are not greatly concerned about the future because they are oriented to the present; many are not con­ cerned whether their children graduate from high school or not; and the apathy that has overcome the family is very much evident everywhere in the community. 49 Needed: An Educational Impact Until the adults, youth in high school, and even elementary school youngsters, are given a realistic picture of what is involved in the pure mechanics of making a liv­ ing in the next ten or twenty years, it may well be a losing battle in education, in law enforcement, in mental health, in social services, and in many other areas. Rural residents often are quite isolated from the kinds of experi­ ences which will give them this knowledge. Dice concludes that, "They (educational agencies) have an obligation and challenge to assist the orderly selection and training of rural youth for non-farm pursuits, as well as maintaining stimulating programs for those who make the choice to stay in agriculture." Further, he 49 Horacio Ulibarri, "The Spanish-Speaking Youth: From the Farm to the City," Rural Youth in a Changing Environment (Washington, D.cTl National Committee for Children and Youth, 1965), p. 118. 36 recommends the maximization of counseling and opportunity 50 to explore occupational opportunities. Work-study and apprenticeship opportunities and community services programs offered by the local community college should have increasing impact on today's nonurban community. For as mechanization and new farm technology have replaced man, horse, and the plow, so also have they reduced the number of workers needed in farming. Peterson tells us that rural residents without training or skills to enable them to obtain and hold available jobs face con­ fusion, disappointment, rejection, and frustration. And too many disappointed people have moved into city slums. The condition of slum-dwelling people is becoming pro­ gressively worse--the sparking fuse of social dynamite.^1 The movement of people to areas of better job opportunities can be worthwhile if they have the skills to match growing demands in urban centers for better edu­ cated and well-trained employees. Taylor, however, en­ visions the movement of industry to the country as a means of providing financial and economic base: The occupations of people in rural areas are changing. Fanning is declining; it is now a minority 50Eugene F. Dice, "An Exploratory Study of Factors Associated with Adult Residence and Occupation of Rural Youth Graduating from Two Michigan High Schools" (Unpub­ lished Master's thesis, Michigan State University, 1956), p. 110. 5^Peterson, "Rural Youth and Economic Progress," p. 109. 37 occupation. Blue-collar workers now outnumber farmers in rural areas. Industrialization is a means for alleviating the low-income rural problems. Many plants can be located in small towns and open-country areas. Large numbers of rural people can obtain part-time or full-time employment in such industries. The composite result is the bringing of urbanized social organization to historic rural areas; the urbanization of the whole of American life.52 If so, will the nonurban community and its resi­ dents be prepared for such change— or be willing to pre­ pare? Dr. Paul Miller, in his closing remarks in the 1963 National Conference on Rural Youth in a Changing Environment, commented: The paradox is, in spite of more than a century of large scale public and private investment in agri­ culture and rural life, in spite of several armies of technical personnel organized about a host of special rural interests, in spite of one of the most highly organized parts of American life, we continue to experience persistently chronic symptoms of disorder in rural life— relatively lower incomes per family, institutional services commonly below the standard which our society has come to expect, a not infre­ quent pattern of retreat from the rapidly changing times, and a certain brittleness about mobility. It is important, then, for the college to address itself to the characteristics of the nonurban resident and his community. People in the nonurban setting are acquiring skills and work habits to go with them which, to a considerable degree, may not relate to aptitude and aspiration; may not be realistic in terms of employment in or out of the rural community, and in fact, may be oriented to jobs or occupations that are obsolescent and d i s a p p e a r i n g . 5 3 52 Lee Taylor, Urban-Rural Problems (Belmont, Calif.: Dickenson Publishing Company, I n c . , 1968), p. 24. 53 Paul A. Miller, "Guidelines and New Meanings," Rural Youth in a Changing Environment, Report of the National Conference (Washington, D . C . : National Committee for Children and Youth, 1965), p. 97. 38 This characteristic is rooted in the complex nature of values in the rural community, in the lagging aspirations of the family, in the quantity and quality of educational and other community services programs, and in the presence of peculiar features of the community expressed through social levels, employment, and other factors. If this characterization is correct, one must conclude that rurality exacts the price from its residents of their becoming less aware of the nonfarm world. Certain forces constrain the rural community from making rapid adjustments to a larger scaled geographi­ cal and social life, reduce the gulf between techno­ logical maturity and institutional immaturity, and make for an ambiguity in what it means to be a rural American. The price of this ambiguity is being paid by individuals in under employment, unemployment, and the risk they run of a life experience of lower quality than it might be possible for them to a c h i e v e . 54 Emergence of the Compassionate Revolution It has been said that any area of the nation will rise no higher than the aspirations of the people who live there, and the problems must be solved in such a way they will meet the needs as they exist on the spot. that A Community's Pride A major concern may well be whether the nonurban resident in today's society is able to secure the "good kind of life," and still remain in his community. 54Ibid. , p. 98. 39 Kolb and Wileden, iri 1926, wrote of the complexity of life. It has not been so very long ago that a person's life was lived within the home and the local neighbor­ hood. Everyone knew his neighbors. Life was rather simple. The neighborhood was fairly self-sufficient with its school and church and store. Various social gatherings were frequent and informal. But those times are g o n e . 55 The quality of life in a small community is largely dependent upon the degree to which its people are alert to developments on the challenging frontiers of today's world — and to the extent that they are actively involved in facing those challenges. As Hoiberg has said, the trouble in many places is that people do not recognize the possibilities of growth which exist. Some mistakenly look back upon a "golden age" which, in reality, lies in the future as a goal toward which progress is possible. 5 6 Further, the progressive small community possesses a community pride which is fully integrated with a constant 57 alertness to things that need to be done. For some time now large urban centers have been attempting to break down masses of population into 55J. H. Kolb and A. F. Wileden, Rural Community Organizations Handbook, Bulletin 384 (Madxson, W x s . : University of Wisconsin, Agricultural Experiment Station, June, 1926), p. 1. 56Hoiberg, Exploring the Small Community, p. 185. 57Ibid., p. 186. 40 "neighborhoods" so that they might recapture some of the qualities of the small town which have long since been lost. The Shape of Things to Come Certainly today's rural American society is be­ coming urbanized; it is undergoing transition from a rela­ tively simple group life characterized by informality and intimacy to one which is more formally organized, more im­ personal, and vastly more complex. This seems to be the dominant trend today, and Nelson sees the change reflected in: mechanization of agriculture, (1) the rapid (2) the emphasis on farming as a business rather than as a way of life, (3) the "democratization" of family relations, i.e., the transi­ tion from the patriarchal form of organization, and (4) the increased number, variety, and scope of interest groups which are supplementing and, to some extent, supplanting the neighborhood as the units of community organization. 58 The community has become more fragmented and splintered. Organizations are now based upon interests rather than upon the locality or neighborhood group, and the variety of interests is increasing. In parts of CQ Lowry Nelson, "Education in a Changing Rural Life," Chapter II, Education in Rural Communities, Fiftyfirst Yearbook, Part II (Chicago: University o f C h i c a g o Press, National Society for the Study of Education, 1952), p. 7. 41 nonurban America, the complexity of organized groups has become a burden upon the people who maintain them. Effec­ tive planning to bring about coordination of these groups is today's challenge. Effective community effort requires a coordi­ nation among various agencies, in the securing of which the school may well take the initiative. To this end, it is very important that the school's educational programs be related to the activities of the numerous other groups and insti­ tutions which compose the community.59 The White House Conference on Rural Education emphasized the coordinative capabilities of educational institutions: In each community there are specialized agencies like the school, the agricultural extension service, the public health service, and the library whose pri­ mary function is education. There are also many other agencies, both formal and informal, which take an active part in some aspect of community education. The coordination of the efforts of these various agencies toward broad common ends which will provide a wellrounded educational program and avoid duplication of effort is of major importance. The school has a responsibility for helping the people to understand and participate in the work of the various agencies. It also has the further responsi­ bility of participating in, and if necessary taking the lead in, bringing about the needed coordination. In addition, educational activities must be coordi­ nated with all other community improvement efforts. In rural communities the school is in a strategic position to initiate such overall local p l a n n i n g . 60 59 Ibid. , p. 8. ^ Education for Community Living in Rural A r e a s , Report of Group II, The White House Conference on Rural Education, Frank W. Cyr, Chairman (Washington, D.C.: National Education Association of the United States, 194 4), p. 137. 42 An Investment in Humanity The value of a good education cannot be measured in dollars alone, just as an effective community services program cannot be evaluated solely in terms of numbers of participants. Mauch and Phifer suggest that perhaps the best measure is the self-satisfaction and self-development — the opportunity and fulfillment— it offers. They admit, however, that on a strictly dollars and cents basis, edu­ cation is perhaps the best investment we can make person­ ally or as a nation. At least it has the highest return on capital, with a yield of approximately 17 per cent for each additional dollar invested in education. 61 As Dr. John E. Ivey, Dean of the College of Edu­ cation, Michigan State University, explained recently in referring to the changes in United States education en­ visioned for the 1970's: Universities, and Colleges of Education in particu­ lar, are going to have to view the population as human resources rather than just as people. In the future, we will look at human resources as capital investment.62 Art Mauch and Bryan M. Phifer, Our Rural Youth— Their Vocational Problems and Potential, Leaflet 9 (Raleigh, N.C.: North Carolina State University, Agricultural Policy Institute, 1969). 62 State Journal 1969, p. A — 3. (Lansing, Michigan), December 31, 43 The Disadvantaged The disadvantaged, the very people who need organi­ zation the most, are least able to organize themselves. Nor is traditional adult and continuing education equipped to help them help themselves, for it has developed in an upper-class mileau of Great Books, study-discussion groups and world affairs councils. Members of other social classes feel uncomfortable in such activities. When social workers of a few years back spoke of "community organization" they meant raising money for the United Fund. But when the new generation talks of "com­ munity organization" they mean organizing centers of power for the poor, helping them gain confidence, strength, and self-respect.^ This change of the expression "community organi­ zation" as referred to by Abbott above, indicates an en­ tirely different concept of viewing all the residents of the community college district, not only the disadvantaged. The old idea of giving to the United Fund is still a paternalistic poor-basket-on-Christmas affair where the haves give of their possessions to the have-nots. If you are on the receiving end you remain an inferior individual ^ W i l l i a m L. Abbott, "Labor Education is the Key to Training Community Educators," Adult Leadership (Septem­ ber, 1969), 102. 44 being given something by a superior-positioned individual or group. This relationship is invariably degrading for the recipient. The new concept of community improvement and indi­ vidual self-development functioning in our nation's small, nonurban community colleges' community services divisions speaks this new language. Butterworth, speaking of the goals for rural living in America, said, In brief, to be effective, education must grow out of the life of the people it serves: their vocational experiences; their economic problems and policies; the nature and effectiveness of their community organi­ zations; their problems of health, welfare, and recre­ ation; their relationships among themselves and with persons in other environments; their hopes and aspir­ ations in every phase of human activity.64 The needs of society actually dictate the breadth and scope of educational programs. In the absence of ade­ quate institutional responses, society will create new organizations to carry out the required services. As reported by the President's National Advisory Commission on Rural Poverty, of the 34 million Americans who were classified by the Office of Economic Opportunity as poor in 1965, slightly over 4 0 per cent or 14 million Julian E. Butterworth, "Goals for Rural Living in America," Chapter I, Rural Schools For Tomorrow, Year­ book (Washington, D.C.: N a t i o n a l Education Association, Department of Rural Education, 1945), p. 19. ®^Blocker, e t a l ., The Two Year Colleges, pp. 46-75. 45 were rural residents. not live on farms. Of that 14 million, 10 million did They, in fact, are located in the smaller cities of nonmetropolitan size (2,500 to 50,000 people). Thus, what can be said about the poor, despite popular misconceptions, i s : 1. The poor are not just Negro. They are, in fact mostly, Caucasians— and are ethnically as diverse as America itself. 2. The poor are to be found not only in central city ghettos. There exists a rural poverty of greater intensity and of greater numbers. 3. Rural poverty is not a farm problem. The local community has ceased to be the master in its own house with respect to those decisions that deter­ mine its future. The locus of decision has, in good part, moved from the local community to higher aggregates of society. 66 In this respect, Fox has concluded that the minimum efficient size of community has increased by a factor of 100 since the early 1900's.67 66James T. Bonnen, Progress and Poverty: The People Left Behind, Paper prepared for presentation at the Minneapolis Farm Foundation in Minneapolis, Minnesota on March 6, 1968 (East Lansing, Mich.: Michigan State Uni­ versity, 1968), p. 3. 67Karl A. Fox, "Change and Interest Adjustments: A Metamorphosis of Rural America," Implications of Structural and Market Changes on Farm Management and Marketing Research (Ames, Iowa: Iowa State University Press, 1967). 46 And what of the residents who are not considered disadvantaged? Bonnen suggests that there has been a great increase in expectations among rural people who have the material well-being necessary for urban life styles. They expect a more varied and higher quality performance of the 68 public and private institutions of rural life. Certainly this is an implication for the development of educational and cultural programs by the community services staff in cooperation with the residents of the community. Still by any reasonable standard, the institutions of nonurban life are inferior to those of urban life. Little exists for the advantaged residents, and almost nothing for the less fortunate. And yet, as Leland Hazzard had said/ there is a lingering puritanism in Amer­ ica which still whispers that poverty, even disease, dis­ tress, disorientation, and maladjustment to the social norms--that all these are the fault of those who suffer 69 the malady. The pragmatic American political system of greas­ ing only the squeaking wheel has unfortunate consequences today. It is putting out a message that in effect says, "organize, protest, resort to violence if need be to change the public policy." 68 69 Bonnen, Progress and Poverty, p. 9. Leland Hazzard, "Business Must Put Up," Harvard Business Review (January-February, 1968), 2-6. 47 Even so, the overall situation of the nonurban community is by no means as ominous as it may sometimes appear. What is actually occurring is a synthesis, or blending, of the various phases of urban and rural living; and it is entirely possible for the small community to acquire many desirable characteristics in common with urban centers and still retain its distinctive country nature. The Challenge of Change; Opportunities Not Problems "More and more, the community college is inserting into the life stream of its people forces that can change, revise, unify, and stimulate the individual, the organi­ zation, and ultimately, the tone of mind of the entire community."70 Community college purposes and educational programs result from a complex pattern of influences. Blocker and others provide a rather extensive listing of these in­ fluences. The various levels of influences are local, state, national, and regional. Among the publics are com­ munity residents, alumni, civic groups, religious organizations, labor, business, political factions, philanthropic agencies, advisory committees, farm organizations, taxpayers' associations, and other special-interest groups. Among the professionals are teachers and adminis­ trators associations, public and private school teachers and administrators, educational advisory committees, four-year colleges and universities, twoyear college associations, athletic associations, 70Harlacher, "What's Past Is Prologue," p. 17. 48 accrediting agencies, professional and academic associations, philanthropic foundations, regional two-year college associations, and the American Association of Junior Colleges.71 Blocker and his colleagues also emphasize the in­ fluences of: (1) basic societal trends such as rapid growth, technological changes, and the changes in the work force; and (2) educational changes in increased enrol1m e n t s , finance, curricula. 72 Knoell states that some predict that the community colleges will become a predominantly community services institution in the near future, as a result of a growing demand for new patterns of continuing education for the under-educated of all ages. 73 The purposes of the community college have been defined frequently and in various terms through the years. In the late 1960's six major purposes appeared consistently even though the lists varied in length and categorizations. A model based on current community college patterns would include: (1) transfer function, education, (3) general education, (2) vocational/technical (4) remedial education, (5) guidance and counseling, and (6) community services. Although there are many community colleges which nave not 71 Blocker, et a l ., Two Year Colleges, p. 54. 72Ibid., pp. 46-53. 73 Dorothy M. Knoell, "Studying Potential Student Clienteles," E R I C , Junior College Research Review (October, 1969), 5. 49 adopted all of these purposes, nevertheless, the trend seems to be toward their inclusion. Activities in the community services category, as viewed by Kelley and Wilbur, range from the virtually non­ existent to the extremely elaborate. In addition, the successful programs seem almost without exception to have the leadership of a lively, forceful personality and the support of an interested, enthusiastic community. 74 The community college in the nonurban setting is likely to be "the hub of activities."75 In order to meet the challenge of change, the small college "has leadership responsibilities in creative community development." 7 6 And further, its accessibility must become even more evident. Its relevant curriculum must remain relevant, and respond to the educational and technological revolution. The community services administrator who seeks to facilitate the development of a comprehensive program will, as Griffith says, have to overcome the normal tendency to 74Win Kelley and Leslie Wilbur, "Junior College Development in the United States," School and Society (December, 1969), 490; from the forthcoming book, Teaching in the Community-Junior College (New York: AppletonCentury-Crofts, 1970). 75 Larry N. Lorenzoni, "The Use of Special Faculty Competencies for Community and Students at Cabrillo Col­ lege" (seminar paper, University of California at Los Angeles, 1967). 76 Edmund J. Gleazer, Jr., This is the Community College (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1968), p. 93 50 regard community needs from the standpoint of what would be in the immediate best interests of his institution. He will have to demonstrate a high standard of professionalism by showing that his program is built on a conception of community needs rather than on institutional preferences. 77 Implications for Community Services The high number of part-time students in community colleges indicates that individuals do not perceive formal education as a process which is concluded when one gradu­ ates from high school or college. Uhl indicates that "extension" classes (offered as avocational courses on weekday evenings by educational institutions) have the greatest appeal for: (1) persons who like a more precise knowledge of things, (2) those who seek creative, especially aesthetic expression, (3) those who are more individual in their concerns, and (4) seek relaxation or a hobby, (5) the sense of accomplishment, and (6) the practical economics and skills the study . . 78 brings. 77 William S. Griffith, "Training and Development of Community Service Personnel," Community Services Forum (Washington, D . C . : American Association of Junior Colleges, June, 1969), p. 2. 78 Harold John Uhl, "Selected Personal Character­ istics and Values of Participants in Secular and Religious Adult Education Programs in Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania" (unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, University of Pittsburgh, 1967) , p. 92. 51 One of the potentially serious problems in society today is the rapid increase in the amount of leisure time available to individuals of all ages. relate, As Blocker, et a l ., "Far too many individuals have never developed adequate interests or skills which would enable them to 79 use their leisure time constructively." There is no question that the college should meet this need by making its courses available to all and by offering additional courses, noncredit perhaps, to meet special situations. Kimball concluded from his study of leisure as an emerging priority of education that the availability of free time will continue to increase during the foreseeable future. Americans will have the opportunity to use this time in positive ways which will benefit themselves and society, or in ways which will not be beneficial to either. 80 leisure. Traditionally the home has prepared people for However, today many homes are not effectively meeting this challenge. The schools along with other edu­ cative agencies must intensify their efforts toward develop­ ing positive and personal leisure attitudes and skills. The knowledge explosion, the inevitable changing of positions, and the mobility of our society, means that 79 Blocker, et al. , Two Year Colleges, p. 225. QQ Kenneth R. Kimball, "Leisure and Education: A Study of an Emerging Priority" (unpublished Ph.D. disser­ tation, State University of New York at Albany, 1967) , p. 97. 52 upgrading our society, keeping abreast of new developments, and literally continuing one's education, are a must today. To give easily available educational opportunities to all persons throughout their lifetime is merely the logical extension of the Jeffersonian concept that: an enlightened electorate is necessary for wise selfgovernment. We must help adults become informed about the new contours of knowledge which are in constant creation.81 The National Society for the Study of Education devoted its Fifty-first Yearbook to Education in Rural Communities. The Society provided considerable coverage of the qualities of nonurban life which hold appropriate implications for community services programs in the rural community college. In the simple associations of rural people in neighborhood and community life, there has been an earthiness, a quality of individual worth and dignity, and a spirit of freedom and independent action that has been difficult to preserve in the complex pattern of urban life.82 Does this somewhat nostalgic quality still exist in the small communities of nonurban America? Peter Schrag has written, "Main Street's uniquely provincial vice lies in its excessive, unquestioning belief in the Protestant ethic, hard work, honesty, and conventional politics." And he continues, "There is a gesture of 81 Educational Administration in a Changing Com­ munity, 37th Yearbook (Washington, D .C.: American- Associ­ ation of School Administrators, 1959), p. 195. 82 Nelson B. Henry, e d . , "Education in Rural Com­ munities," 51st Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education, Part II (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1952), p. 294. 53 disbelief that Main Street's ethic and tactics— if they were really applied— would be ineffective in the Big City."83 The space, the land, the weather, the incessant reminder of physical normalcy make it possible to defer almost anything. Church on Sunday, football on Friday, and the cycle of parties, dinners, and cookouts remain more visible than the subtleties of cultural change or social injustice.84 Adults, who by their very nature have better per­ spective and a broader range of experience than young people, should not be expected to participate eagerly in educational activities which are carried over from curriculums designed originally for adolescents. Neither will they be encouraged to become active in programs which have not been clearly thought out and planned with their needs, interests, and abilities in mind. As Bogue has stated, the community college is in a strategic position. It would seem that every college, regardless of its size or method of control, should seek out and encourage adults in the community to improve them85 selves and their occupational status. An often ignored opportunity for educational impact is found in the involve­ ment of the aged. A challenge to our society is to develop 83Peter Schrag, "Is Main Street Still There?," Saturday Review, January 17, 1970, pp. 20-25. 84Ibid., p. 25. 8 5Jesse Parker Bogue, e d . , The Community College (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company^ 1950), p. 229. 54 for the aged activities which will provide them with satisfaction, self-respect, and a sense of participation. 86 Opportunities for initiating change become in­ creasingly apparent in the community services operation. Gunder Myran, in his highly regarded study, concludes that the development of community services programs in a com­ munity college may influence changes in traditional organi­ zational and instructural patterns. Those changes or departures include: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. Commitment to concept of education as a life-long process. Movement away from semester-credit base for instruction. Movement away from campus as a single base for instruction. Experimentation with instructional approaches. Differentiated administration. Creation of non-traditional positions within the college structure. Movement away from the exclusive use of certified personnel. Movement away from formal admission requirements. Consideration of community services in campus architectural design. Modification and reduction in administration control. Expansion of the role of the college beyond offering organized classes. Development of community feedback system for curricular change. Increased participation of citizens on college campus. Programs for community groups which have not articulated their needs in the past. Creation of a new image of the community college in the community.87 Qg Blocker, et al., The Two Year Colleges, p. 277. 87Myran, "Community Services Programs," pp. 119-20. 55 Change for change sake is not sufficient. As Cummiskey has said, "The community services effort of an institution must be judged in terms of its impact on the community, in terms of how the community, or its citizens are better off or have changed behavior as a result of the service program." 8 8 Further Implications Recent scientific and technological endeavors in agriculture have made it impossible for most rural residents to enter farming, in many cases even agribusiness. 89 And as the organization of commercial farming tends toward increasing modern management methods, traditional values are supplanted by those held widely in non-agricultural sectors of society. Due to basic changes in the nation's social structure, nonurban people are thrust from their indigenous environment and forced to make their way in the mainstream of urbanized society. One might observe that this situ­ ation would be less a social problem if the rural resi­ dents were able to remain in their native nonurban areas. 88 J. Kenneth Cummiskey, "Community College Out­ reach Programs: Who Is Being Reached?," Community Services Forum (April, 1969), 2. 8 9Agribusiness occupations include operating a farm, supplying (e.g., equipment and fertilizers), pro­ cessing-distributing (e.g., canning and freezing foods and transporting them to retail markets). 56 Unfortunately, however, as Taylor suggests, rural youth are being forced from the would-be agrarian subculture into the urban culture. Hence their ability to function and achieve in urban culture is a matter of national concern. 90 Other authors, including Kuvleskey and Ohlendorf, have recognized the impact of this problem in stating that from the body of work completed there is no question that the task of shifting the rural residents from their en­ vironment and preparing them for an urban labor force is far from accomplished. 91 Pervin discusses: (1) communi­ cation and compatibility of values among the students, the faculty, and the administration, (2) the synthesis of academic and informal learning, and (3) the relevance of college programs to the real world, as crucial to improvement of college experiences. 92 In addition, the community college, while widely accepted, faces serious problems in carrying out its function as the equalizer of opportunities in education beyond high school. Does college attendance, for example, 90 Taylor, Urban-Rural Problems, p. 25. 91William P. Kuvleskey and George W. Ohlendorf, A Bibliography of Literature on Occupational Aspirations and Expectations (College Station, Texas: Texas A & M, Department of Agricultural Economics and Sociology, 1965). 92 Lawrence A. Pervin, "The College as a Social System: A Fresh Look at Three Critical Problems in Higher Education," Journal of Higher Education, XXXVIII, No. 6 (1967), 317-2T; 57 involve joining a middle-class voluntary association? In turn, does this indicate the likelihood of differential recruitment favoring the middle class? Katz, University of California at Los Angeles, has concluded that the junior college does not effectively equalize opportunities for lower socio-economic groups, Mexican-Americans, and Negroes. It does not serve as a channel of mobility for disadvantaged groups, but rather helps maintain the stability of the class structure by safeguarding the middle class from downward mobility. 93 Implications exist, here and now, for community services to become the next "major thrust" in providing educational and cultural activities to promote equality of educational opportunity. Research: An Essential Ingredient "The implicit disavowal of the research function in the community junior college has not inhibited its growth in the last decade, but has surely contributed to the sometimes chaotic nature of its development." 94 Knoell further states that the research to be proposed as neces­ sary and feasible for each college has two major thrusts. ^ J e r r y M. Katz, "The Educational Shibboleth: Equality of Opportunity in a Democratic Institution, The Public Junior College" (unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, University of California at Los Angeles, 1967), p. 86. Q4 Knoell, "Studying Potential Students," p. 2. 58 The first is a kind of in-depth educational census of the college-age youth and adults in the community or region served by the college. The second involves the analysis of the multiple educational needs of the several clienteles 95 the college might serve. Obviously, research loses much of its value when it is not related to social action. tower are gone. The days of the ivory Instead these are critical days for edu­ cation, certainly in the case of the small, nonurban com­ munity college. Research has value beyond the quest for knowledge? it is essential to the continual understanding of society— the community— and its subsequent progress. It is no longer enough to be accessible, open-door, free, and comprehensive. The community colleges must go out into their service areas to survey their clientele, while continuing to assess their impact on their enrolled students.96 Community services divisions cannot realize their own potential or sufficiently assist their diverse student clientele to realize their potential until they have a clear understanding of the dynamics of their various insti­ tutional characteristics and programs and the effects of these elements on their students and the larger community. As Trent has suggested, "This entails consistent and com97 prehensive research and evaluation." 95Ibid. 96Ibid., p. 3. 97Trent, "The Circle of Evaluation," p. 14. 59 Dorothy Knoell has presented a number of operating assumptions which are essential to the design of studies in constructing the future educational opportunities to be offered by community colleges. These assumptions are especially applicable to the community services dimension in the nonurban setting. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Certain geographic service areas can be defined for the community colleges/ for which they may design studies of the needs of their potential clienteles. Community colleges have the responsibility for meeting the educational needs of adults, some of whom will have received their public school edu­ cation outside the college service area. The colleges can no longer afford to be inactive in research about and service to their community/ nor should they be naively colorblind and nonclass-conscious in assessing how well they are serving the community. The multiple educational needs of potential stu­ dentiTlmlstTJecome- tKe” focuir”of research for the colleges/ to a degree at least equal to the atten­ tion given to research on the manpower needs of employers and society at large. The colleges will continue to meet the needs of their students and the community for occupational education/ but will also be concerned with improv­ ing the functioning of the students in their multiple adult roles as parent, householder, con­ sumer, and citizen. Research can help the college planners and decision­ makers by providing data about the probable appropriateness of extending opportunity to certain groups of new students, the expected effectiveness under conditions of improved services and/or instruction, and the size and nature of groups , that would benefit by entirely new programs and services.9® Viewing the challenges of change and the impli­ cations for the small, nonurban community college; keeping in mind that "problems" are in reality only "opportunities" go Knoell, "Studying Potential Clientele," p. 4. 60 for progress and achievement— B. Lamar Johnson’s comments in terms of the "dynamic" junior college become a meaning­ ful charge: The junior college is the most rapidly growing and dynamic unit in American education. It is in itself an innovation— a different and relatively young insti­ tution indigenous to our nation and as yet unhampered by the heavy hand of tradition. Indeed there are those who suggest that the junior college offers the best opportunity for change and innovation in American education. If the junior col­ lege is to meet the heavy responsibilities which society is assigning it, it dare not be slothful. It must innovate and improve. It must increase its productivity and its achievement.99 In conclusion, as the college commits itself to progress and change, those goals must remain in a proper perspective. In referring to the difference which the community college should make in a community. Professor Russell Kleis, Michigan State University, has said, A community that has a community college should be a better community. Furthermore, community services should grow out of and contribute to the excellence of the insti­ tution. ----------The literature revealed almost nothing of signifi­ cance regarding the small, nonurban community college— its prospective community services programs and the corres­ ponding levels of importance that may be established. The 99 B. Lamar Johnson, Islands of Innovation Expand­ ing: Changes in the Community College (Beverly Kills, Calif.: Glencoe Press, 1969), p. 327. 100Russell Kleis, "The Community and Community Services" (presentation at Consortium Meeting of Rural Community Colleges, Michigan State University, December 3, 1969). emphasis in recent: years has been upon special interest areas, such as those presented by the Rural Manpower Center, the Cooperative Extension Services, and others that deal with poverty, unemployment, housing, urbanization, com­ munity development, and related problems in rural areas. Challenges for the elementary and secondary schools in the rural setting, rather than the potential impact of the com­ munity college, have frequented the literature. CHAPTER III METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS The purpose of this chapter is to present the methods and procedures utilized in the collection of data. The descriptive nature of the study provides an analysis of the perceptions of administrators in the small, non­ urban community colleges of Michigan regarding: a defini­ tion of community services; needed community services activities in their communities; the importance cf activi­ ties within the community services division; and the unique characteristics of small, nonurban community col­ leges and their settings. Interviews with presidents, community services directors, academic and vocational/ technical deans, business affairs administrators, deans of student personnel, and other administrative personnel provided data for this analysis. Selection of the S m all, Nonurban Community Colleges The ten community colleges which comprise the sample for this study are in reality all of the small, nonurban community colleges in Michigan. 62 The criteria for 63 identifying these colleges is based upon their total stu­ dent enrollment being less than 1,200, and the population of the county in which the college is located not exceeding 50,000. Those community colleges in Michigan which partici­ pated are as follows: Alpena Community College, Alpena Bay de Noc Community College, Escanaba Glen Oaks Community College, Centreville Gogebic Community College, Ironwood Kirtland Community College, Roscommon Mid-Michigan Community College, Harrison Montcalm Community College, Sidney North Central Michigan College, Petoskey Southwestern Michigan College, Dowagiac West Shore Community College, Scottville Procedures for Visits Each of the presidents of the colleges was con­ tacted. The support and cooperation of the college was solicited and received. This initial contact was made via letter from Dr. Max Raines, Director, Kellogg Community Services Leadership Program at Michigan State University, requesting each college to participate in the study and requesting permission to contact the administrator desig­ nated as being responsible for community services, in order to arrange for visitation dates and interview schedules (see Appendix A ) . All presidents responded favorably with invitations to visit the college. Following this response, telephone calls were made to the administrators responsible for community ser­ vices. At this time, introductory information was 64 transmitted concerning the study and requests made which involved the following materials being sent to the com­ munity services administrator for proper dispersal: 1. Visitation Agenda. The administrator was requested to arrange for interviews of approxi­ mately forty-five minutes each with himself, the president, academic dean, vocational/ technical dean, business affairs administrator, and other administrative personnel (see Appen­ dix B) . 2. Institutional Data and Check List for Insti­ tutional Materials* The community services administrator was requested to provide, at the time of the visit, supplementary data which would include basic information about the col­ lege and its community services activities (see Appendices C and D ) . 3. Community Services Questionnaire and Interview Guide. The administrator was further requested to distribute the questionnaire and interview guide to each of the administrators. The questionnaire was to be completed prior to the interview, with the interview guide to provide supplemental discussion topics as may be appropriate in securing data F and G ) . (see Appendices 65 The above materials were then mailed to the com­ munity services administrator who made proper distribution. An informational letter was attached to each administrator's set of Questionnaire and Interview Guide (see Appendix E ) . Each community services administrator was contacted by telephone prior to the visit to make final arrangements and to determine the exact time and location of the first interview. Development of Instruments Used After reviewing the related literature, attending a conference on the nonurban community, and consulting individually with several professors at Michigan State Uni­ versity: Continuing Education; Higher Education; Community Development; Rural Manpower Center; and Rural Sociology, both a questionnaire and interview guide were developed to facilitate obtaining the data necessary for the study. Following the initial preparation of these instruments, a visit was made to Monroe Community College, Monroe, Michi­ gan, to field test the instruments. During and following the interviews at Monroe, criticisms were solicited re­ garding the instruments and the interview procedures. Recommendations from interviewees, as well as, from Dr. Gunder Myran, Department of Administration and Higher Edu­ cation, Michigan State University, were considered in the development of the final questionnaire and interview guide. 66 The questionnaire was to be completed by the inter­ viewee prior to the time of the interview, and contained questions categorized according to the four basic areas of inquiry of the study (see Appendix F ) . The interview guide included relatively open-ended questions related to the four areas of inquiry, and was intended to serve as an outline for possible discussion topics for the interviews (see Appendix G ) . It was also intended that the interviews be relatively unstructured in order to permit an in-depth exploration of the perceptions and insights held by individual interviewees. Therefore, no attempt was made to include all possible questions in the interview guide, nor to explore every question with each interviewee. Visitation and Interview Procedures Each college was visited for a period of from one to two days. During the visits, interviews were held with college administrators; campus tours of the college facili­ ties were made; tours of the local community and college service area were made; off-campus facilities utilized by the community services divisions were visited; and class observations were made when possible. Interviews followed the format established in the questionnaire and interview guide, although the exact nature of the exchange was determined by the 67 responsibilities and the particular expertise and per­ ceptions of the administrators. An informal interview atmosphere was attempted in each case, and all interviews were taped for later analysis. Organization of Data The presentation and analysis of the data is ordered by the areas of inquiry to which this study is addressed: (1) a definition of community services in the nonurban community college setting; (2) administrative perceptions of needed community services activities in their communities; (3) administrative perceptions of the more important and the less important community services functions; (4) administrative perceptions of how their institution differs from the urban community college with respect to: the college; its community services programs; and the community. CHAPTER IV PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF THE DATA The purpose of this chapter is to present and analyze the perceptions of administrators in the small, nonurban community colleges of Michigan with reference to the four questions of the study: 1. How do administrators of small, nonurban com­ munity colleges in Michigan define community services? 2. What do the administrators perceive as needed community services activities in their com­ munities? 3. Which community services functions are per­ ceived as most important? Which are considered less important? 4. How do administrators of small, nonurban com­ munity colleges perceive their institutions as differing from the urban community college with respect to: the college; the community services programs; and the community? 68 69 The perceptions of the administrators interviewed at each community college have been incorporated to form the response for that particular college. Since it is not the intent of this study to evaluate existing community services programs, reference to specific community colleges will be limited. Identification of programs with colleges will occur as necessary to present specific illustrations. As indicated in the preceding chapter, data were collected from personal interviews, the community services questionnaire, the interview guide, and institutional in­ formation from college catalogs, annual reports, community surveys, and other college and community publications. Each of the basic questions of the study have been analyzed in sections to permit a more in-depth presentation. Table 1 presents institutional data with respect to student enrollments, faculty and administrative personnel, campus area, and the initial year of classes. In addition to total student enrollments, the percentage of students pursuing academic and vocational/technical programs are indicated. A Definition of Community Services The analysis of the data for this section of the study is concerned with responses to the question: How do administrators of small, nonurban community colleges in Michigan define community services? TABLE 1 STUDENT AND STAFF NUMBERS, CAMPUS AREA, AND INITIAL CLASS YEAR FOR MICHIGAN'S SMALL, NONURBAN COMMUNITY COLLEGES Student Enrollment Faculty rnsurcucruii Total Percentage Acad. V/T FullTime PartTime Adminis­ tration Campus area (acres) Initial crass Year Alpena 935 75 25 50 16 8 800 1952 (K Bay de Noc 730 65 35 36 15 7 500 1962 Glen Oaks 894 80 20 36 23 7 300 1967 Gogebic 643 80 20 29 10 7 200 1932 Kirtland 335 35 65 11 19 5 160 1968 Mid Michigan 603 55 45 16 15 6 560 1968 Montcalm 756 53 47 26 5 7 240 1966 North Central 725 80 20 24 7 5 207 1958 Southwestern 875 60 40 33 10 7 160 1966 West Shore 323 60 40 16 6 5 375 1968 71 Responses to the question have been analyzed and are presented in terms of the linkages between the com­ munity, its needs and its resources, and the community college and its resources. Administrators' definitions of community services are based upon this relationship, as are their perceptions of the community services dimension. Community services, the programs it provides and encourages, and the people it serves, take on a dimension which exceeds a mere listing of offerings. Since the determination of the ideal and the limitation of what is possible for a given institution can best be decided by the community, that element will be the initial presen­ tation in this section. The Community— Its Needs and Its Resources Administrators consistently perceived the community college as being an "extension" of the community. exemplified by a respondent's remarks: This is "The college is the community— and it is the community's." The community college in the nonurban setting is there "because the people voted that it should be there." The potential for developing community pride in the col­ lege, and with it community support, is limited only by the creativity and initiative of college and community re­ sources. 72 Based on the analysis o£ the data, the most common perceptions of administrators regarding the influence of the community are as follows: The public should benefit from any services offered by the community college. In a broad sense, anything that is provided for the community may be considered a community service. More specifically, community services are activi­ ties and programs which answer specific needs that arise in the community which are not being met by other insti­ tutions. This includes the use of college resources, facilities, and staff in response to the community needs outside the academic realm. Administrators view community services as doing what is needed; meeting the demands as they are presented; and offering programs to contribute to the total welfare of the community. This creates an aware­ ness that the college is available to the public. As expressed in the Gogebic Annual Bulletin, "A discernible trend, locally and nationally, is the growing emphasis on 'community' in community college." Community services are that part of the college's program devoted to responding to the needs of the community — talcing the initiative to go out and attempting to portray the proper concept of the community college to all the population. 73 If the residents request a program, the college attempts to provide it if it is at all economically possi­ ble. The community becomes aware that it may call upon the college for assistance and resource people. Involving the community organizations in order to save on costs will also assist in building stronger relationships. The community college curriculum reflects its community's needs. The community services programs must be comprehensive enough to provide for both avocational and vocational needs. Programs are geared to the needs of the community. Therefore, communication must be established with all facets of the community in order to discover those needs. One final statement is presented as a summary of the administrative perceptions on the influence of the com­ munity, its needs and its resources, upon a definition of community services. Community services programs are a reflection of community needs. They raise the horizons of the public by serving as a functioning response to community needs as expressed to the community college by any segment of the community. The Community College and Its Resources The community college and its resources also play a major role by presenting various segments of structure and operation which influence administrators' definitions 74 of community services. The community college occupies a strategic position in its relationship with the community. It provides a meaningful identification with the place of one's residence and serves as a base for intellectual, cultural, physical, and civic growth. A Community Services Philosophy Administrators felt that the community college itself was a community service, and that if the institution does not serve the community's needs it should not expect to be designated as a "community" college. Even as the community college becomes a part of the community, and permeates throughout the area, the com­ munity services philosophy should become a part of the philosophy of the institution. The following diagram illustrates two orientations of the community college. The inward orientation primarily directs the college's efforts toward its own campus, courses, and programs. The outward orientation does not consider the campus setting as the sacred place of learn­ ing; does not limit learning to credit programs and indi­ vidual credit courses; but is willing to approach edu­ cational problems wherever they may exist throughout the college district. 75 COMMUNITY' Community College COMMUNITY £7 COMMUNITY COMMUNITY INWARD ORIENTATION COMMUNITY COLLEGE OUTWARD ORIENTATION Administrators further expressed a definite in­ crease in the acceptance of the community college by the community as a result of offering community services activities. Kirtland Community College in its catalog indi­ cates that "the student is the college's primary concern since to the degree he is successful, the college is 76 successful." As a community college incorporates a com­ munity services philosophy it may well be that the com­ munity becomes the college's primary concern since to the degree it is successful/ the college is successful. Gogebic Community College in its Annual Bulletin relates that the community services phase in the life of the college is expected to become a major function of the institution. And further/ for the community as a whole, the college aspires to serve its needs with appropriate courses, conferences, and extension services. The 1969-1970 Alpena Community College catalog states that the purposes of that institution have grown out of the needs of the students and the nature of the community. It also states that education has its begin­ nings in the schools and the environment in which it is nurtured, but education does not terminate there; it is a lifelong process. Bay de Noc Community College has developed its new campus to "encourage interaction among commuting and resident students, the faculty, and the community. The plan has also been developed to establish a visual campus identity and exposure to the community." Its Division of Continuing Education strives to identify education needs of individuals and segments of the community not presently being met, and to provide for those needs. 77 The main aims and objectives of West Shore Com­ munity College include the following: providing for the educational needs of mature and receptive adults; making available community services for the enrichment of the lives of citizens of the county through educational and cultural activities; cooperating with other schools and colleges, with civic groups, with educational foundations, and with private individuals and corporations in any proper endeavor likely to result in an educational advantage to the citizens of the college and the community. West Shore's commitment to the community services philosophy is further manifested in the college seal which includes the words, "Community Service." below. This seal is presented This commitment to community services is also EST 1907 ^ITY illustrated in the catalog by such statements a s , " . . . recognizes community services as one of the purposes of a public community college. If the community college is to contribute to the educational and cultural needs of the 78 students and community, it must provide a comprehensive educational program beyond the formalized classroom in­ struction. " North Central Michigan College feels that "the growth and success of the college is limited only by how efficiently it meets the needs of the people it serves." Mid-Michigan Community College justifies its claim as a multi-purpose educational institution through its recognition of the individual man with his individual differences. Inherent in the administrative philosophy of the college is the basic premise that college education need not necessarily be measured in terms of years of study or credit hours. "It is often more appropriate to measure availability of education in terms of programs and courses that suit the needs and interests of the individual man." Therefore, program offerings are designed to meet the needs of a wide range of human capacities, interests, aptitudes, and types of intelligence. The multiplicity of these pro­ gram offerings with related community services makes this community college not only community-centered but also community-serving. The purposes of Southwestern Michigan College also have grown out of the needs of the students and the nature of the community. Among the college's objectives are the inclusion of credit and non-credit courses and combinations of courses for adults and other students 79 when sufficient interest warrants their organization; providing institutional leadership for community cultural activities; providing an institution that will produce the kind of trained and educated people that will attract industry not only to the college district, but also to Michigan. The Glen Oaks Community College, Bulletin for 1969-1970, indicates that the college is a "community center for cultural, athletic, and intellectual activi­ ties." The college's philosophy centers upon serving the higher education needs of all people within its com­ munity. Included in the purposes which would implement the college philosophy is one provision for courses for those students seeking avocational skills for the improved use of leisure time. Explicit in the Glen Oaks philosophy is the concept that each person is equally entitled to an education and that it must provide higher education in quality. At Montcalm Community College, community services is viewed as a "response of the community college to the needs of the community." Community services is serving as the cutting edge whereby the community college attempts to meet the challenge of the changing community. The college intends to expand services to the community and will offer a variety of programs beyond its well-established degree and certificate programs. Elements of a community services 80 philosophy appear throughout such objectives as: upgrading the skills of employed persons; providing assistance through vocational and educational counseling; providing for those who wish to become more knowledgeable about their cultural, social, and scientific environment; providing adult and continuing education through the regular curriculum and through study designed to meet specific objectives; pro­ viding a center for community services through exhibits, lectures, concerts, and similar activities; providing facilities for community groups; and developing responsible community citizenship. Administrative perceptions of the need for under­ standing and supporting the community services philosophy within the college community are exemplified by these com­ ments : Community services should be a staff-wide responsi­ bility. The college and its staff should serve as educational resources to the public. All aspects of the productive portion of the college's activities should serve the community. This includes the availability of faculty and staff as resources. Since the faculty has a major contribution tc make to the broad dimension of community services, the faculty should take an active part in its development. College facilities may be used more during the "off hours" than during the regular school day. A financial perspective must be maintained. The college may provide any programs which it can (or the partici­ pants can) afford and which will benefit them. 81 In sum, the contribution of the community services philosophy to a definition of community services appears to be: The community services philosophy should be incor­ porated in the philosophy, purposes, and objectives of the community college. This philosophy should be understood and accepted as a staff-wide commitment. As the college becomes a part of the community, community services pro­ vides the dimension which encourages community acceptance. The college becomes not only community-centered but also community-serving. The Community College Role in Community Action As presented in the previous section, adminis­ trative perceptions indicate that the nonurban community college is considered an extension of the community; its programs exist to answer specific community needs; and it contributes to the total welfare of the community. In order to determine a definition of community services for the nonurban community college, an analysis was made of the administrator's perceptions of the college's role as a change agent in community action. That is, should the college actively involve itself in: identifying community problems; determining goals and methods of solving those problems; coordinating agencies to deal with the problems; taking action toward achieving goals; keeping agencies mov­ ing; and evaluating progress toward goals. 82 The rationale for this procedure is based upon determining in what manner and to what extent the adminis­ trators perceive the college as being involved in community action. Subsequently, avenues and approaches will be pre­ sented which may be considered appropriate community ser­ vices functions to be included in a definition of the com­ munity services dimension. Administrators responded overwhelmingly in favor of the college having a positive contribution to make in matters of community action and change. Based upon an analysis of the data, the following statements are representative of the administrative per­ ceptions favoring the college's role as a change agent in the community. The Community College's Responsibility.— Adminis­ trators prefer to visualize the educational institution as a "catalytic agent"— active in inspiring consideration of new ideas and change. The community college should provide leadership and resources in developing a greater awareness of and movement toward solving local problems. In the small, nonurban community college it is early, but the college is beginning to be looked upon as a source of leadership and knowledge. In the rural setting, no one else is doing much about change or planning for inevitable change. The com­ munity college should "set the pace" in the rural area. 83 It is the responsibility of the college to educate the public. The community is becoming anti-tax, and may be voting on an emotional rather than an educated level. The influence of the "power structure" in the nonurban setting is a major consideration. This element must be educated to the potentials of change and the potentials of the rural area. The community college has a responsibility in changing public and parental attitudes about educational and occupational opportunities and aspirations. In the nonurban setting, family traditions, relevant job skills, and the general educational climate are matters of major concern to the college. Realizing that rural school systems have been more traditional and resist change more than urban schools places additional responsibility upon the community college. Society will be repaid in reduced welfare payments, in­ creased production of needed goods and services, and added income taxes, as a result of the upgrading efforts of the community college. Levels of Involvement.— It is not the responsi­ bility of the college to suggest what changes ought to be made, but only to assist the people in understanding what is happening and to assist them in implementing the de­ cisions they have made. 84 The community college should serve as the vehicle which provides the means to bring together the people who believe the change is required. It should only reflect what the residents of the community wish to change. In its role of responsiveness to the public's needs, the college helps the people reach those goals which the people want to reach. The college serves in a coordinating role to bring agencies and the people of the community together. Acting as a consultant, using the library as a research center, the college mobilizes its resources and secures outside expertise to study community problems. After conducting a definitive community needs analysis the community college is better able to function as a catalyst in the rural setting. The public should know they may go to the college for informed, professional re­ sources. As one administrator remarked, "The college must give inspiration to obtain perspiration." The college should be represented on active com­ munity and economic development committees. Explicit in the community college's role in com­ munity action is the importance of the college's position and influence in the community. 85 The College's Position and Influence in the Community.— Community pride in the institution is exempli­ fied in remarks such as: "The college is good for the community," "The college helps the community prosper," "The college insures a better life for the residents and their families." Generally speaking, there is a greater interest in education per se as a result of the community college being established in the area. This is evidenced by the influx of adults in the evening college programs in nonurban com­ munity colleges. This interest is not limited to avoca- tional offerings, but extends to academic areas as well. The community college is a "new industry" in the area. Its influence should be utilized for creative leader­ ship. The problems of the area become college problems. In turn, the college helps the community develop a selfhelp philosophy, largely through the community realizing its own potentials. Advisory committees established by the nonurban community colleges have been instrumental in changing resentful community attitudes toward the college. Atti­ tudes are changing from an original feeling of, "What can the college do for me if it is located in another part of the county," to a more positive reaction of, "How can we cooperate in working with the college to upgrade our area." 86 As the college continues to develop high quality programs, more is demanded of the local secondary school \ system. This is influencing the attitude of the entire college district toward education for youths and adults. An awareness of educational opportunities is developing, as well as a widening of horizons for occupational and cultural prospects in the nonurban setting. The nonurban community college's leadership in making academic, occupational, community services, and counseling services available to every resident of the district strengthens and broadens the community's overall potential for growth and progress. Non-rural, as well as rural, prospectives are researched and evaluated. The parochial nature of the rural community is exposed to the likelihood of a regional, a state, and even a national con­ cept of educational and occupational opportunities. Rural communities must recognize that in preparing youth for work, they are preparing many for jobs away from home. The past reliance upon educational institutions to educate solely for local needs is rapidly changing. The rural community college has a greater responsi­ bility than the urban college because the rural school must prepare its residents for the potential of either rural or urban living. Rural youth that migrate often find they have been poorly prepared to compete with urban reared youth. Sound educational programming must recognize the 87 high rate of mobility and change in employment opportunities and outlooks. The most common responses of those administrators who did not perceive the community college as an active agent of change in community action are presented at this time. The data indicate that the differences were basically a matter of degree and method of participation by the col­ lege and its personnel. Respondents who indicated that the college should not take an active role in change expressed the belief that the nonurban community college must be a part of the com­ munity, and should provide academic and professional leader­ ship. Further, the college should be involved in change, but not as a vanguard for change in an established com­ munity . Referring to when the college should become in­ volved, the administrators in this group said "after the college has established its reputation the public will request college involvement in ‘outside' affairs." The extent to which a community college should become involved is typified by this statement: Stepping way-out, taking too much initiative is the wrong approach. If a college adopts the philosophy of serving as a change agent it must move very slowly. It should be extremely subtle in this regard. "With caution" should be the byword. The coordinative function is identified as a permissable approach even by those who would limit the 88 community college's role in community change. As one administrator commented, "Coordination— Yes; Identification of problems--Nol" Another respondent briefly illustrated the concern of administrators for involving the public, and yet, not placing institutional goals above the needs of the com­ munity. He stated that the college should be cooperatively, but not aggressively involved. As a summary of the community college's role in community action as it relates to a definition of com­ munity services, the following statements are presented: The community college, through the cutting edge of the community services dimension, serves as a catalytic force. It is active in inspiring consideration of new ideas and changes by providing professional leadership and resources to every segment of the community. The college reflects what changes the community desires, and serves in a coordinating role to bring agencies and individuals of the community together. The college helps the community to reach those goals which the com­ munity wants to reach. As a new industry in the rural setting, the com­ munity college is a major influence on upgrading edu­ cational, occupational, and cultural levels. Widening the horizons of residents through community services efforts significantly influences the acceptance cf the community college by the public. 89 Still another element to be analyzed in developing a definition of community services in the s m a l l , nonurban community college is the encouragement of community in­ volvement. The Encouragement of Community Involvement Essential in the community services philosophy is the idea of becoming community-oriented. Previous per­ ceptions of administrators dealt with this idea in refer­ ring to the community-centered, community-serving concept of the community college. In order to encourage community involvement and active participation in the planning, programming, attend­ ing , and evaluating of community services programs there may be a variety of approaches necessary. Those approaches are valuable in defining community services and are ana­ lyzed and presented here as perceived by the small, non­ urban community college administrators. Utilizing the College Resources.— The community college faculty, administration, and personnel are the community. Many facets of the community are represented in the college staff. In the rural setting, many of the staff are not new to the area. They have lived there for some time and are known by the residents of the area. Community participation by the college staff, then, becomes a means of encouraging community involvement. 90 College staffs in the nonurban community colleges are members of Service Clubs, Public School Boards of Edu­ cation, many churches, social groups, and neighborhood organizations. This personal contact not only encourages a closeness with the community, but permits direct lines of communication for public information to flow. Personal, individual contact with local business and industrial owners, managers, and supervisors is im­ portant. Although a letter or telephone call may be neces­ sary, local community leaders should be contacted on a personal basis as well. Mailing lists are essential, and should be avail­ able for all interest groups. Capitalize on outstanding resource personnel avail­ able at the college. Biographical information may reveal not only academic proficiencies, but any number of avocational competencies and interests. Experiences in art, travel, gun collections, stone and gem cutting, doll making and repair, are but a few interests found among the staffs of the nonurban community college. Community Advisory Groups.— Two-way communications between the college and community interests in the form of advisory groups are necessary in efficient, realistic pro­ gram planning. The college should endeavor to involve every seg­ ment of the population in its advisory groups. In order to 91 obtain the proper representation, the college must identify and reach the leaders within each segment of the community. These individuals may best serve as resource people and consultants in regards to their interest groups. Most administrators favor the "rifle approach" rather than the "shotgun approach." That is, developing specific target groups— interest groups— with well-defined boundaries which may be contacted through master mailing lists and other means. The community college, much like the government, business, and industry, must look to laymen and specialists for resources in developing courses of action. Public Information.— Encouraging community involve­ ment in community services activities receives initial impetus from a swift, accurate system of public information and communication. Publicizing programs in the daily and weekly newspapers, over the local radio station, and where applicable on the nearby television station, is an essential factor in developing effective community services programs. Speakers bureaus, utilizing faculty, administration, students, and local community leaders, have become widely used in the nonurban community college. This service seeks not only to inform the public of the availability and accessibility of the college, but provides the public with professional resources. 92 Community use of the college facilities has a significant influence upon the community's understanding and acceptance of community college programs. As one administrator commented, "We want to make the campus a bee-hive of activity." Evening programs are four.d in each of the nonurban community colleges. Expanded offerings are limited only by the availability of space. Many of the small, nonurban community colleges are in the midst of building programs, which when completed will greatly en­ hance the community services dimension. The city of Petoskey's pride is expressed on the front page of the local newspaper each day as it tells its readers, "Home of North Central Michigan College." As stated earlier, West Shore Community College has incorporated community services into its college crest. Another method of encouraging community involve­ ment, in addition to providing visiting speakers, has been the simplification of registration procedures for community services activities. In those instances when registration is required, it becomes a matter of completing a simple routine form. Administrators express the feeling that the purchase of books, the taking of examinations, ar.d the intricacy of registration procedures must not dissuade anyone from participating in community services programs. Therefore, those elements have received much attention and much revision in the nonurban community college. 93 One community college president responded that prospective community services offerings are limited only by the creativity of the people involved and the finances to support them. In reviewing the approaches to encouraging com­ munity involvement which may influence the administrators' definitions of community services the following perceptions become apparent: 1. The college's resources, including community participation by the faculty and staff; personal contact which develops a closeness with the community; and capitalizing on out­ standing college resource personnel/ are im­ portant facets of the community services dimension. 2. Advisory groups, mailing lists, and identifi­ cation of community leaders from every segment of the population, each developed with welldefined interest groups in mind, are basic to effective program planning. 3. Providing adequate public information, utiliz­ ing all available media; increasing availa­ bility and accessibility of college facilities; and simplifying registration and course pro­ cedures , will encourage community involvement and active participation in community services activities. 94 Finally/ in developing a definition of community services/ an analysis is made of the perceptions of adminis­ trators with respect to the responsibilities of the com­ munity services dimension. Responsibilities of the Community Services Dimension One administrator perceives the community services dimension as a "broad umbrella under which the community college's true purpose is carried to the public." The three C's: communication; coordination; and cooperation are consensus selections in terms of broad functions of the community services dimension. The data reveals that educational/ occupational/ and cultural activi­ ties are perceived as the major areas of responsibility. Further, community services functions relate the college to the community; inform the public about the college; invite them to participate; and assist in identify­ ing community needs. This, in turn, produces the proper perception of what the. community college is all about— its purposes/ and potential service to every citizen. As expressed by an administrator/ . . . that cluster of activities which expands and brings to bear the community aspects of the community college. That arm through which we are really able to reach our community. Generally speaking, the college does not reach its community solely through its credit programs. This constellation of community services activities really puts the "community" into the college. 95 Referring to "welding" the college district to­ gether, community services has the responsibility of developing community support for every segment of the col­ lege's programs. Involvement becomes a key function, as the college creates an awareness in the public of services available to them through the efforts of their community college. Community services are given the responsibility of upgrading the community's educational, occupational, and cultural horizons. Explicit in the perceptions of upgrading responsi­ bilities are: 1. Reorienting the philosophy and values, of the public concerning education and the educational needs of people in the community. a. Removing the Vocational/Technical stigma. b. Recognizing needs of "haves" and "havenots ." c. Realistic view of the world of work. d. Awareness of potentials of the rural setting. 2. Taking an institutional leadership role in planning for the ongoing process of enriching the lives of students and adults by providing the direct and indirect experiences with which these people may cope with their dynamically changing economic and cultural environments. 96 3. In a dynamic, humanistic manner, concentrating on problems which hinder personal development by utilizing available resources to the full­ est. One respondent expands this by stating, "Community services is a systematic development of human resources through individual selffulfillment of social, economic, and cultural needs common to all." 4. Responding to changes in the service area. Serving as a catalytic agent for innovation. 5. Developing new and better job opportunities. Serving in a retraining and upgrading capacity. 6. Operating as a focus for social problems. Availability of professional resource people and facilities for community use. Additional perceptions regarding community services responsibilities include: Providing those experiences which are in addition to regularly offered college courses. Expressed in some­ what different terms, one administrator's definition of community services s a y s , "A response to those community needs not considered a part of the degree-directed program." As far as credit and non-credit courses within the community services dimension are concerned, most adminis­ trators perceive the non-credit offerings as primarily a community services responsibility. However, administrators place few restrictions on course offerings where community 97 involvement is encouraged and community needs are being satisfied. The data indicates that administrators perceive the likelihood that non-credit courses may be so wellreceived they may become credit courses by popular demand. This is particularly true in those areas where tourism is increasing the demand for service-related courses. Still another respondent perceives the responsi­ bility of community services as "supporting those non­ credit activities of the community which contribute to avocational, retraining, and cultural development. To make the facilities of the college available to the com­ munity in whatever way will make the above contribution and permit the college to become a center for such develop­ ment ." In summary, the most common responsibilities of the community services dimension which influence the ad­ ministrator 1s definition of community services are: 1. Develop community support, involve the com­ munity, and upgrade the educational, occu­ pational, and cultural levels of the population through a leadership role in communicative, coordinative, and cooperative efforts. 2. Respond as a catalytic agent to the changing needs of the service area. Develop new and better enrichment experiences in a retraining and upgrading capacity, while serving as a focus for social problems. 98 3. Provide facilities both on-campus and offcampus for those programs and courses which respond to community needs not generally considered a part of the degree-directed curriculum. A final summary of the analysis of the data reveals the following definition of community services as perceived by administrators in the small, nonurban community colleges of Michigan: Community services in the nonurban community college setting refers to that dimension of the institution which serves as a catalytic force in developing coordinative college-community relations in response to community needs. In providing programs and facilities both on and off cam­ pus, this dimension responds to individual and community needs not generally served by the degree-directed curricu­ lum. Through providing creative professional leadership and resources, extending communication and public infor­ mation services, and encouraging community involvement, the community services dimension offers a breadth and depth of experiences which serve to upgrade the educational, occupational, and cultural levels of the area, strengthen community support and acceptance of the community college, and inspire community self-help in solving local problems. 99 Needed Community Services Activities The presentation and analysis of the data for this topic of the study is concerned with responses to the ques­ tion: What do administrators perceive as needed community services activities in their communities? Administrators' responses to this question were based upon their perceptions of individual and community needs, changing community needs, potentials for future pro­ grams, community requests, and positive feed-back from surveys and college-community relations. The nature and scope of community services is dictated by the environment in which the community college is located; those services appropriate in an agricultural setting will be substantially different than those appropriate in a more industrial setting. The range of these activities may be broad. Administrators express the belief that community services activities for their nonurban areas may be limited only by the philosophy of their institution, the creative leadership provided, the involvement of the community, the financial support available, and the cooperative effort of other community organizations. As one college indicates in their president's Annual Report, "Factors of community request, teacher availability, space, and cost are to be the primary means 100 of selection for continuing education courses. The courses may not be 'counted1 toward a degree or diploma." The needed community services activities for the nonurban setting begin with short courses. Short Courses Short courses generally are scheduled for a period of six to twelve w e e k s , and may represent any number of subject and interest areas. Course fees are minimal, and are generally based upon the number of participants and the number of hours of instruction required. Regularly scheduled degree-directed courses may range from sixteen to eighteen weeks on the semester plan, and ten to twelve weeks on a trimester basis. Short courses are generally held one night per week. In some instances, occupational short courses are held two times per week to utilize available equipment. The scheduling of short courses and the class organization depends largely upon available facilities and composition of the class. Short courses are most often considered non-credit college courses, but may serve to satisfy certificate and upgrading requirements for business and industry, and paraprofessional needs for nursing aids, teacher aids, camp counselors, etc. 101 The More Unique Offerings One community college is developing a series of non-credit short courses based exclusively upon the demands of increased tourist trade. The philosophy of the college views this introduction to college level course work as a possible entry for many students into continued college attendance. Another college is utilizing its geographical location in a summer camping and recreational area, to build a series of short courses around the outdoor theme. Among the courses being offered are: Outdoor Camping, including traveling, hunting, fishing information; Camp Counseling and Leadership; Youth Leadership, for 4-H leaders, churches, etc.; Natural Resources; and Recreation for You and the Family. Being located in a widespread limestone and shale producing area, one community college offers Fossil Edu­ cation Programs which include field trips and visiting lecturers. The population pyramid in nonurban areas indicates relatively high proportions of the young and the old. Farm people sixty to sixty-nine years old outnumber those who are twenty to twenty-nine years old. Nursing courses, offered as short courses by the community college and local medical complexes, are being provided in the areas of Medications and Geriatric Care. These courses have 102 become post-graduate refresher and upgrading opportunities, as well as para-professional level for nursing home aids, etc. Expanded efforts in the realm of Public Health Education are perceived as prospective short course oppor­ tunities. One college plans short courses in both Pollution Problems and Pesticides. Short courses for women are a major priority in no less than five of the nonurban community colleges. In addition to such courses as Powder Puff Mechanics, pro­ visions are being made for developing child care centers on campus. Not only will this permit attendance by mothers, but the centers will be coordinated with nursing, ele­ mentary education, and teacher aid programs at the com­ munity college. Further plans call for Child Development courses for the local intermediate school faculties. one administrator commented, As "this is one of those un­ limited areas of potential which can provide a real ser­ vice to the community." In those communities which do not have community school programs or adult education administered by the public school system, the nonurban community college has accepted this responsibility. Specific examples are found in two colleges which have offered Adult Reading and Adult Driver Education; both well attended and heavily requested. 103 Administrators are explicit in stating that ordinarily courses of this nature should be provided by the public schools, but in the nonurban setting the community college must be prepared to assume many roles. The More General Offerings The data indicate that administrators perceive an overall expansion of the short course offerings as a neces­ sity. Some common perceptions of needed short courses not previously mentioned include: Property Evaluation and Tax Assessment Trusts, Securities, Stocks, Investments Hotel/Motel Management and Services Retail Business (from clerk to management) Real Estate, Insurance, Taxes Environmental Control (air, water, population) Fire Safety, Law Enforcement Tourism, Tourist services Recreation and Leisure time activity Avocational interests (from snowmobiling to wig styling) Land use (potentials and management) In addition to the above short course offerings, the analysis of the data presents administrative per­ ceptions of short courses needed in the business and industrial areas. Non-Credit Short Courses for Business and Industry Generally offered as six- to eight-week courses, these presentations fulfill a basic need for retraining, upgrading, and supervisory training. Those offerings designated as needed in the non­ urban communities include the following: 104 Skilled trades short courses (relevant to the area) Upgrading to meet license requirements (such areas as plumbing code, electrical code, cosmetology) Generalist level short courses (includes small engine repair; snowmobile maintenance; construc­ tion— "do it yourself"— handyman course; welding; gas station operation— bookkeeping, management) Other occupational needs courses (including machine shop; auto mechanics; law enforcement; business management; lumber grading; services— food, hotel/motel, air conditioning; fruit processing; diesel tractors and equipment) In the area of community services, there are many indications of uncommon services and offerings as each nonurban community college reflects the unique character­ istics and needs found in its own environmental setting. As related earlier, the services offered may indeed be limited only by the imagination and creative leadership of the community college and the people it serves. This imagination and creative leadership is con­ tinued in the presentation of workshops, seminars, and conferences. Workshops and Seminars Workshops and seminars generally consist of a oneto two-day series of sessions; Local resource people, as well as visiting "experts," are utilized in presenting programs of community concern. These programs are directed toward specific interest groups in most instances; such as, public school faculty and administration, law enforcement personnel, health services and medical staffs, community development groups, etc. 105 Some small, nonurban community college adminis­ trators indicate that when the college was originally established the public most likely viewed it as a means to upgrade employment or to transfer to a four-year insti­ tution; community services was not included in the higher priorities. Now, as time has passed and the college curriculum is well-established, the college realizes the need to offer a greater breadth of services. Workshops, seminars, and conferences are becoming more widely utilized as a means to serve the community in the rural setting. The data reveal a particular concern for developing community services linkages both within the community col­ lege and throughout the college district. No less than five of the colleges studied plan to include a Community Services Orientation for faculty, stu­ dents, and administration in the fall planning schedule of their institution. This seminar-type presentation would include such topics a s : overview of the community ser­ vices philosophy; faculty/student roles in community ser­ vices; community services as the basic philosophy of the community college; programs presently in operation; pro­ grams for the future; opportunities for faculty/student participation; and others. Faculty support of the com­ munity services dimension is essential in the small, non­ urban community college. At the present time, of those institutions participating in this study: time community services administrator two have a full­ (one of these also 106 has a full-time assistant); four have administrators assigned on a half-time basis; one college designated a one-fourth assignment; the remaining three have no one person designated the community services responsibility. An In-Service Training Workshop for the faculty of community services programs is planned by one community college for next fall. Orientation Workshops for Counselors are being planned at a number of community colleges. Secondary school counselors, community school directors, Michigan Employment Securities Commission counselors, representatives from business and industry, and any other organizations re­ lated to counseling and guidance, are invited to attend. Three colleges are arranging Counselor In-Service Workshops for much the same purpose; that is: the stigma of the occupational curriculum; (1) to remove (2) to develop realistic occupational pictures for the area so that stu­ dents may make realistic choices; (3) to develop an Area Counselor1s Association; (4) to orientate all local counse­ lors to educational and occupational opportunities for the area; (5) to develop a Handbook of Referral Agencies so that a minimum of duplication and gaps in counseling ser­ vices may be provided; and (6) to research and evaluate present services and plan for future needs. Alpena Community College exemplifies the insti­ tution which has built an excellent program by utilizing local industry. The Besser Corporation, one of the world's 107 leading concrete industries, has its Research and Training Center— and Commercial Testing Laboratory for Concrete— on the college campus. In connection with these programs, the college attracts international participation in its Con­ crete Technology Workshop. This year participants from South America, Australia, New Zealand, Formosa, Europe, and throughout the United States, will attend the workshop on campus; dormitory facilities and food services are available on campus. Other seminars which are perceived as needed in the nonurban community colleges of Michigan include: Middle Management Seminars World Affairs Seminars Federal Aeronautical Association Safety Seminars FAA Aviation Ground School Seminars Recreation Seminars— Angling, Camping, Bow Hunting, etc. Human Relation Seminars Some Unique Seminars Several nonurban community colleges are making increased efforts to create an image of willingness and commitment on the part of the college to work toward the solution of community problems, and to assist citizens in achieving their potentials. Two colleges are planning Community ActicnCommunity Development Seminars. Their rural setting needs new industry, more doctors, better housing, etc. The power structure must be "educated" as to the potentials of the area. 108 Another college has begun work on an Industrial Growth Research Seminar. Large industry is not sought by the public, and small industry is not attracted to the area. This seminar, as well as a Community Development Workshop, is being planned. Rural communities are constantly faced with the lack of accessibility with respect to transportation and communication services. Three community colleges plan to approach these major problems with Transportation and Com­ munication Seminars. Representatives from throughout the area are participating; the public is invited. Conferences The term conference generally connotes a more elaborate series of meetings than is presented in a work­ shop program. However, in the nonurban community college at the present time the lack of housing and food services facilities restricts the use of "conference" to programs of one- or two-day longevity; much like workshops. Uppermost in the analysis of the data regarding conferences, appears a variety of Environmental Control Conferences. The geographic locations of the nonurban community colleges studied provide an abundance of natural beauty and in most cases clean air and clear water. Alpena boasts of its Thunder Bay— the last pure water on Lake Huron. Gogebic Community College plans conferences, work­ shops, and short courses directly related to environmental 109 control. Faculty and student commitment to this project has been very high. The "Save Lake Superior Project," with a community college student as chairman, is involving the community college, area public schools, and local com­ munities in a series of publications and panel discussions regarding environmental problems. The National Teach-In on the Environment, sche­ duled for April 22, 197 0 is receiving major attention in many of the nonurban colleges. At one college an Ecology Conference is planned as an in-service program for teachers in the area. The community is also invited. The data indicate a number of additional conferences are needed in the nonurban setting. Soil Conservation Conference In-Service Training for Education State Librarians Conference Library Training— summer conference Small Business Conferences Information and Training Sessions Coordinate occupational emphasis to create new image for area Numerical Control Conference (National response at o n e c o l l e g e ) Export Conference (Eighty responses from all over the United States) Air Safety Conference Air Conditioning Conference (Upgrade local dealers and maintenance businesses. Local wholesale distributor sponsors this con­ ference for dealers in the region. Held on college campus. College students attend; have placement opportunities.) 110 The potential for offering needed workshops, semi­ nars, and conferences at the nonurban community college is greatly enhanced in many cases by the geographical location of the college. Increased participation may result from offering quality workshops in small towns with open country­ side, where the air is clean, costs are lower, and the traffic is light. Several of the colleges expressed the need for prospective community services programs which lend a "siutuner camp" atmosphere to the college by capitalizing on the natural beauty, facilities, and weather in the area to attract participants to their educational, occupational, and cultural activities. Administrators indicated that occupational and related programs are a major need in the small, nonurban community college. Primary responsibility for incorporating these pro­ grams in the college curriculum rests with the vocational/ technical division. The community services dimension is perceived as contributing a coordinative effort in working with the college and the community to satisfy occupation­ ally-centered needs which are not a part of the regularly scheduled college program. Occupational Programs Community services activities, such as the Counselor In-Service and Counselor Orientation Workshops Ill previously presented, are perceived by the administration as vital in removing the stigma of vocational/technical education. Vocational programs in many areas have become "second level" in terms of academic status, level of sup­ port, and priority for capital outlay expenditures. In the world of work, the number of jobs which the unskilled can fill is declining rapidly. The number re­ quiring a liberal arts college education, while crowing, is increasing far less rapidly than the number demanding a technical skill. In the 1980's, it will still be true that fewer than 20 per cent of our job opportunities will require a four-year college degree. Nonurban community colleges must give their students opportunities to train for urban occupations, since many of them are bound for the city. The rapidity with which residents will change occupations in their lifetimes must be matched by the variety and accessibility of training programs through which new skills and subject matter may be learned at any age in every locality. Meeting Community Needs with Unique and Innovative Programs Analysis of the data reveals a number of unique and innovative programs which are presently in various stages of operation in the small, nonurban community colleges. 112 Operation SCRAP.— Presently in the planning stage at Alpena Community College, this program has federal financial support and the additional cooperation of the State Department of Commerce. This Systematic Cleanup and Removal of Automobiles Program is aimed at eliminating abandoned junk cars and other vehicles from the area's highways and fields. Public information and coordinative services will be a community services responsibility. Portable Classroom.— Presently being utilized by one community college for a number of in-plant courses and public information services. This van-type vehicle will provide for any number of upgrading opportunities through­ out the service area. Another college is completing a Title I proposal with the portable classroom as its ob­ jective. Returning Servicemen.— An optimistic perception at one college indicates there is enough speculation of the end of the Viet Nam conflict that planning should be done to prepare for the return of these young men. Particular emphasis would be placed upon counseling and occupational opportunities. Medical Complex.— North Central Michigan College is located near a major medical center for northern Michi­ gan. This complex of medical services is the major em­ ployer in the area. The college has capitalized on this 113 proximity in developing an outstanding program of Nursing, Medical Technologies, etc. Airport Expansion.— The proposed expansion of air­ port facilities near one college has expanded opportunities for aircraft related courses, aviation conferences, etc. Manpower Development and Training Act Programs.— Alpena Community College is presently serving thirty-three counties with its Manpower Development and Training Act (MDTA) programs. Harbor attend. Students from as far away as Benton In the small, nonurban community college, the community services dimension may have responsibilities in such programs, including their development and evalu­ ation. The upgrading of skills of many workers already in minimum demand has been a major achievement of the non­ urban MDTA programs. Water and Waste Water Technology.— Bay de Noc lays claim to the first program of this type in the state. Tourism and Tourist Services.— Perceptions of needed programs in this area include: food services (from booking and serving to management); hotel/motel management; retail sales (clerks, bookkeepers, secretaries, managers); nursing home management. The data present administrative perceptions with respect to more general needs in the occupational areas. 114 As the administrators recommend, "Keeping the occupational curriculum relevant in the future will involve using com­ munity facilities as laboratories for learning." Building huge facilities on campus will not suffice in meeting the needs of our changing society. 1. Expanded in-plant training and upgrading. "This program must remain flexible rather than structured and static." 2. Cluster Training refers to training for clusters of occupations. For example, the rural construction worker must not only be a carpenter, but must also dig cesspools, put on roofs, do electrical wiring and plumbing, and probably paint the completed product. 3. Training competent technicians for any in­ dustrial expansion in the area. ministrator commented, As one ad­ "This must be directly related to a community effort to attract in­ dustry, so that these technicians will remain in the area." 4. Upgrading employment skills— perceived as important to meet demands of code changes, new equipment changes, and material changes. 5. Career retraining for displaced, unskilled workers— particularly important in areas where lumber, mining, or agricultural industries have 115 disappeared. Many older workers are facing this dilemma. 6. Better Coordination of Secondary-Post Secondary Programs— Mid Michigan presently instructs 100 high school students in occupational skills. A major program is in construction skills. The students spend two-fifths of their school day at the college, for which the college receives seven-eighths of the state appropriated funds from the intermediate school district. 7. Expanded One-year Certificate Programs— Per­ ceived as serving a real community need for producing qualified workers with a saleable skill after one year of study. 8. Improved Apprenticeship Programs— Specifically matching college programs with realistic local employment potentials. Researching employment trends. 9. Nursing Home (Care and Operation)— With the number of elderly residents found in the nonurban community, this occupational area is re­ ceiving increased support. Alpena, with twenty or more nursing homes in the area, has a Nurs­ ing Home Association and offers a ten-week short course in nursing home operation; care of the elderly; nutrition; philosophy of aging; 116 strokes and after stroke care; death; and others. This is a non-credit program, with a certificate issued upon completion. 10. Para-professional Programs— Including teacher aides, nurse aides, and social worker aides. As administrators said, "There is a real need for people who can go into a home ana care for the infirmed or elderly. Not a medical person, but one who does everything except administer medicine." All workers need some kind of special training for a successful working life. Rural secondary school voca­ tional curriculums are limited and have received little attention primarily because of financial costs. The com­ munity college in the nonurban setting is looking to cluster training to effect a saving in costs while pro­ viding a more qualified graduate. Students who receive narrower, more specific training, may lack job mobility and more often must leave the area to find employment. Public Information As one administrator responded, "The acceptance of the community college has been unbelievable when the public knows what is going on." With respect to the needed com­ munity services activities related to public information, administrators offer the following as priority items: 117 1. Develop a community services philosophy through­ out -the college and the community. "Too often the faculty considers the expense as a direct drain on their salaries. They really are not aware of the long term benefit to the college and themselves." It is essential to establish effective lines of communication internally within the college community and externally with the community the college serves. This tends to humanize the relationships involved. 2. General educational upgrading of the a rea. "The public must be educated to the importance of education and the potential that the com­ munity college offers." In one college district studied, 60 per cent of the adult residents do not have high school diplomas. Parental attitudes must be changed. Community attitudes may be very narrow. At one new community college a major problem is educating the public to the fact that a nearby four-year college is no longer the only college in the area. A community college philosophy must be developed. 3. Adult offerings for all segments of the popu­ lation. At one community college 20 per cent of the full-time enrollment are twenty-five years old or older. Another claims 100 118 full-time adult students. "The important idea is to reach all areas— all the people." 4. Developmental Courses for Non-High School Graduates. Administrators expressed a need for more educational and career opportunities information to be available to the area's young people. and career." "Better matching of education Perceptions constantly return to efforts of the college to "discourage out­ migration of young residents." 5. Business and Industry Communication. The community college needs the support of local business and industry. "The college can pro­ vide a real service to local industry, if we can educate— inform— them of what services the college has to offer." Administrators perceive the small plants in the area as prospective clients, perhaps on a consolidated basis or regional plan. 6. Alumni Associations. Two community colleges have active alumni groups which serve a liaison function with the community. This appears to be a rather unique approach in the nonurban college at the present time, but should have much potential as graduates increase. Newspaper “Quarterly." West Shore Community College has a sixteen-twenty-page quarterly edition of the local newspaper published before each college term. the newspaper; The edition is paid for by is a supplement to the newspaper; is written by a part-time instructor and other staff members; and serves a vital public in­ formation function. Radio Broadcasting and Radio Stations. College news releases are given to local radio stations in each of the nonurban community colleges. However, five of the colleges have presently in operation, or in the planning stage, a weekly radio program (averaging fifteen-thirty minutes) devoted to community college activities and public information. Two institutions have plans for locating a radio station on campus in the near future. Speakers Bureau. Each of the nonurban com­ munity colleges have provided speakers for various community groups. At the present time, however, only three of the colleges have pre­ pared brochures or formal listings of available speakers and selected topics. Administrators generally have provided this service in the developing community college. Students are 120 taking more active roles in this activity in the nonurban setting. One interviewee sums up the need for improved public information in stating, "School administrators on all levels confront frustration and outright failure be­ cause they are unable to tell their story effectively." Closely linked to the need for improved and ex­ panded public information efforts are the college-community relations activities of the community services dimension. College-Community Relations The definition of community services is soundly based in the communicative, coordinative, and cooperative functions of the nonurban community college. Public in­ formation as presented in the preceding section pertains to the communicative aspect; the needed coordinative and cooperative activities as perceived by the administrative respondents are presented as follows: 1. Developing a new image for the area. A specific example— the Gogebic area— where the mining industry phased out between 1959-1962. Unemployment rolls reached to 25 per cent of the population in 1962. efforts were made. Massive retraining The lack of mobility in the middle-aged and older residents became a major challenge. MDTA programs were adminis­ tered by the college in such areas a s : machine 121 tool operation; welding; food services; trailer manufacturing. The area became saturated with a limited range of occupations. Unemployment is approximately 6 per cent at the present time. The new image for the area may be found in tourism and new industry. One administrator indicated a means of attracting new industry may be to "provide a recognized quality edu­ cational climate and vocational training climate." The proximity to resort areas and the possibility of providing year-round tourist and recreational attractions is offering opportunities for change in several of the state's nonurban community college areas. Further insight is illustrated by this remark. "High schools will not be able to handle expanded adult education needs caused by the population growth. The col­ lege may have to accept this additional challenge." 2. Localization of program offerings. Adminis­ trators perceive community services activities which will "suit" the peculiar needs of the local area. A. For example: Tourism areas— Gogebic is "located in the heart of the great midwest ski hills." B. Industrial areas— "Major cluster of in­ dustry around concrete manufacturing"— Alpena. C. Natural Resources. 122 (1) Recreational courses— boating, fishing, hunting. (2) Conservation and land use. (3) Law enforcement, park and resort management. (4) Scientific aspects— Bureau of Fisher­ ies, Wild Life, Forestry. D. Retraining center for adults— local and "new" industry. Respondents viewed the success of these programs as being dependent upon the involvement of people; main­ taining high standards in all programs; and identifying community leadership in developing programs. 3. Faculty Involvement. Essential to every com­ munity services activity is establishing a reputation for quality. "Develop a reservoir of resources on campus and in the community." Faculty members should be involved in the planning and evaluating of programs. They should serve as consultants and resource people to business and industry. 4. Develop a Regional Approach. The "isolated" location of the nonurban community college, in addition to its limited enrollment and corres­ pondingly limited budget, has created within administrative councils the regional concept. This concept is illustrated in the agricultural 123 offerings at one community college. Agri­ business is becoming more popular than agri­ culture. ing. Fewer young people are entering farm­ Agricultural Extension Services (MSU) does a thorough job of providing farm courses. People do not want to go to college to become farmers. Therefore, several institutions in the area have cooperated and coordinated their efforts so that agricultural courses are offered at one location (more if necessary) rather than at each institution. Short courses are presented when necessary to supplement other offerings. 5. Coordination Opportunities. This function "may be unlimited" because efforts by other agencies in the rural community "have been very limited." Administrators perceive many opportunities: A. Handbook of Referral Services— developed in cooperation with Vocational Rehabili­ tation, Mental Health, School Counselors, Ministers, Medical Personnel, Law Enforce­ ment, Legal Services, Social Agencies, and others. B. Labor Unions— one college has developed several short courses and in-plant 124 training courses in cooperation with union leaders. C. Advisory Groups. D. Local Government Agencies. E. Community Development-Community Action Committees. F. Intermediate School Districts. G. Office of Economic Opportunity— nonurban institutions have "not begun to reach the disadvantaged groups in the college district." Following the college-community relations needs the administrators perceived a number of counseling ser­ vices as needed community services activities. Counseling Services Nonurban residents are disadvantaged in their con­ tact with the scope of the business and industrial world. This places an increased demand upon the counseling and guidance divisions of educational institutions, yet such services are more limited in rural settings than in urban areas. Rural young people generally indicate that parents are the chief source of guidance in occupational and edu­ cational planning. Valid educational and vocational decisions are strongly linked with the self-concept of the individual. Since the self-concept is learned as a consequence of 125 experiences, the nonurban resident has limited opportunities to develop accurate concepts of his ability and realistic aspirations. Counseling services, as perceived by the small, nonurban community college administrator, must pro­ vide maximum individual involvement and personal develop­ ment. As revealed in the data, administrators feel that "human resources are the community's most valuable re­ sources." Further, "since job opportunities are con­ stantly changing, the population's expectations must be kept in line with opportunities." Definitive community needs analyses are seen as "a first step" in providing effective counseling services. This is particularly true in the rural areas where "spreadout ghettos" may camouflage the actual extent of rural poverty. The use of "native counselors"— members of the target group— is perceived as an essential factor. Community surveys in the nonurban setting have shown that residents in general do not want to migrate from the rural areas, but they are forced to do so to improve their employment opportunities. With regard to participating in community college programs, these surveys show that a large majority of youth who go to college do so at the closest school to their home. These studies in the nonurban areas are providing valuable information for the college administrators in planning programs and encouraging community involvement. 126 Administrators perceive a need for "adult counsel­ ing." This counseling service is being provided at one college one night per week and on Saturday morning. The service is directed toward educational and vocational gui­ dance with in-depth personal, family, and social counseling problems to be referred to appropriate agencies. Other respondents refer to this counseling service as "comprehensive community counseling," with the intent directed toward the outreach function of the community services dimension. Outreach— M i grants, Minorities, Pi sadvantaged Migrant farm workers who follow the crops may cause a major problem in the nonurban setting. In one community college plans are made for summer Spanish courses for both the migrant worker and the employers. Coordinative efforts with local churches, volunteer organizations, and OEO pro­ gram directors have increased lines of communication to the migrant community for another college. One community college area has a somewhat unique problem in its "lack of a middle class." The area has shifted from a lumber-producing region to a year-round tourist area, with a representation of somewhat more upper class residing in the city, and the lower socio-economic group on the fringe areas. Implications for providing counseling services to the disadvantaged are indicated in approaches needed to reach the people. "We must go to them 127 to change their attitude about the college, and education in general. They are unemployed and underemployed; they lack decision-making abilities at this time." Leadership training programs are one of many oppor­ tunities being pursued by the nonurban colleges. Montcalm is cooperating in a "consortium" effort which would utilize Title I funds for developing leadership and decision­ making skills in the migrant and other disadvantaged groups in the area. Counseling services are perceived as major foundations for programs of this nature. At North Central there are approximately 200 Indians in the area. Proposals for securing federal monies to pro­ vide skills for these people are being planned. Minority groups in the nonurban setting may range from the one Black family in town at North Central; to the Danish far­ mers of Montcalm; to the 45 per cent Polish population at Alpena; to the "Finn Power" of Gogebic; to the 15 per cent Black population at Southwestern. Senior Citizens Programs for the elderly residents of the rural areas are increasing. These activities are not limited to counseling services by any means, but may originate as one respondent comments, "from our counselor's contact with the senior citizens group we were able to plan a number of activities of value to that group." Such activities as campus tours, film series, short courses, 128 and special lecture programs are presently in operation in the nonurban colleges, with special emphasis on senior citizens. As one administrator indicated, "16 per cent of our population is over 65— one of the highest in the nation." Another respondent replied, "Our senior citizens population is above the national average at the present time, and is increasing." At Bay de Noc, federal appropri­ ations have made possible the construction of a towntown retired people's hotel. Counseling services, as well as other community services programs, will serve future needs there. Cultural Activities At one nonurban community college the anticipation of changing needs caused by seasonal population growth breeds mixed emotions—-"Up to the past few years we were culturally isolated. Now we are faced with providing more diverse cultural experiences than ever before." The fact that many rural areas may double or even triple in popu­ lation during active tourist seasons creates "almost un­ limited opportunities" to provide cultural enrichment. Analysis of the data from interviews, college catalogs, community services brochures, and other public information materials reveals that the needed cultural activities would include: 129 Lecture Series. As described in one catalog: "The purpose of this program is to provide for critical examination, in depth, of modern critical social, economic, and scientific issues." for public participation. May be a college credit course and Referred to as "Critical Issues" or "Distinguished Lecturer Series" in some colleges. Film Series. May be presented as a purely enter­ tainment medium, but generally is planned by faculty, stu­ dents, and others with a theme and educational experience in mind. Introductions may precede the films, with dis­ cussion and summaries following. Generally six to twelve weeks in length. Art Exhibits and Cultural Displays. Facilities are available either on campus or in local business store­ fronts for the display of various art mediums. At one college the area council for the arts arranged for a vacant store downtown to be available for art displays secured by the community college. Musical Presentations. Availability of facilities is a major problem in the nonurban setting. Also, as one interviewee said, "Scheduling is a problem during the sports season, because the local high school has the only facility for accommodating as many as 500 people." Expanded cultural programs for the small, nonurban community college may require the exploration of "con­ sortium" opportunities. That is, developing a regional 130 approach to presenting cultural programs by cooperating with other educational and social organizations. Expenses may be shared, and schedules of events prepared which will permit speakers, theater groups, musical organizations, e t c . , to visit a number of institutions on a given number of dates. Historical societies have been organized in two of the colleges. Library facilities accommodate the materials at the present time. "The potential for displays, tours, conferences, and workshops are increasing each day as more interest develops." Capitalizing on outstanding college and community talent is helping to "provide more than has ever been avail­ able in the area." Administrators perceive the prospects of Summer Workshops as meeting a need in the rural com­ munity. These experiences would attract professional re­ source people and produce quality works. The need for providing cultural activities in the nonurban areas is not designated as a top priority by the majority of administrators in the community colleges at the present time. Extension Centers Administrators perceive two types of "extension centers" for the rural community college. The On-Campus Center is actually a matter of providing a suitable 131 facility to be used by four-year college and university programs in which to offer their courses. West Shore has developed a cooperative program whereby Central Michigan University, Eastern Michigan University, Western Michigan University, and Michigan State University offer the same course, under one instructor. Credit for the course would then apply for any of the institutions. The Off-Campus Center is becoming a necessity as the service area becomes more aware of college programs and educational opportunities available to them. Nonurban community college districts may extend as far as thirtysixty miles from the college campus. the distance between towns. Another factor is At Mid Michigan, 52 per cent of the fall 1969 enrollment came from outside the district. At Southwestern, 50 per cent of the students come from out of the district; 12-15 per cent from out of Michigan; and 15-20 per cent seek room and board in the area. Alpena offers business and technical programs at the Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Oscoda, Michigan. Dow Chemi­ cal Corporation donated an entire physics and chemistry lab for their use. The Air Force supplies the technical equipment and facilities. Montcalm offers six community college credit courses throughout its district; the most unique being two courses taught in the Ionia Reformatory. 132 Use of College Land and Facilities An analysis of the data, regarding needed community services activities, indicates that community college ad­ ministrators designate the future use of college land and facilities as a high priority. The priority will increase as facilities are completed and college land is developed. At the present time, the nonurban community colleges of Michigan are undergoing varied phases of construction. Some of the common perceptions of the use of col­ lege land and facilities are as follows: Wildlife and Outdoor Laboratory. One college plans to utilize its 560 acres as a "model" laboratory— including an instructional center. developed. Conferences and Workshops will be Another community college envisions similar programs on their 37 5 acres of wooded land; 235 acres are specifically being planned for outdoor laboratory use; Mature Trails, Park and Recreation Management. Conferences on Environmental Control, Land Use and Development, Natural Resources, Wildlife Management and others will be offered. Natural Resources Laboratory. With 800 acres as a campus site, one community college has already developed a Forestry laboratory, and has developed a Fishery program centered around "Coho Hall"— where salmon are grown and studied on campus. Recreational Laboratory. Over 500 acres is being used by one college to provide the local Rock Hounds Club, 133 the Rod and Gun Club, and other groups a recreational laboratory. Future plans at one college designate a ski slope, snowmobile trails, and lake. Promotion of the tourist industry is becoming a major enterprise in several of the rural community college districts. increasing. The pressure for land use for recreation is The community college's responsibility as an educational institution and its philosophy of commitment to serving the needs of its people, will create a continued demand upon the creative leadership of its administration and faculty. "The implications for expanded community services activities are immense." The educational impli­ cations are explicit in the remarks of this interviewee: "The problem in rural areas is to find economic uses for our land that will discourage depopulation." Further references to community use of facilities and to unique characteristics of the nonurban community college regarding land use will be presented in later sections. One respondent's comment serves as a concluding statement to this section on needed community services activities in the nonurban setting: "Regardless of all the pressure of growth and change, the community college must stress the fact that the impetus for development must originate locally and from the people we serve." 134 Levels of Importance of Community Services Functions Most community services programs have several different kinds of activities as a part of their total program. Administrators were asked to respond to the ques­ tion: Which community services functions do you perceive as most important and which functions are considered less important? Interviewees ranked the functions according to their perceptions of the function's importance within the community services dimension. The community services functions utilized in this section were adapted from A Community Services Inventory for Community Colleges, prepared by Dr. Max Raines, Michi­ gan State University. To summarize the data regarding this section of the study, the functions are described and presented in the order of importance as designated by the community college administrators. 1. Educational Expansion Function: Programming a variety of educational upgrading and new career opportunities which reach beyond the traditional limitations of college credit restrictions; e.g., institutes, seminars, tours, short courses, contractual in-plant training, etc. 135 The importance of this function is supported in the previous section— needed programs— as illustrated by the breadth and depth of programs reflecting the socio-economic structure of the community and its needs. New and inno­ vative offerings, which are provided by this function, are reguired in order to reach every segment of the com­ munity. As one administrator indicated, "The potential in this area is unlimited for the rural community college. These are programs which have never been available, but are vitally needed." 2. Public Information Function: Interpreting programs and activities of community services to the college staff as well as to the communityat-large and coordinating releases with the central informations services of the college. Based on the data this function appears as one of the least structured in terms of coordination and desig­ nated responsibility in the small, nonurban community col­ lege. Any number of administrators in the college may presently be involved in preparing public information materials, not only for their respective divisions, but for the college at large. In two of the ten colleges, faculty members have been designated as "clearing houses" for news releases and have the responsibility for final arrangements for their release. supplements for their efforts. They receive monetary 136 With few exceptions, administrators expressed the need for establishing a system for coordinating the public information efforts of the institution. trator commented: As one adminis­ "Until the opportunity arises for establishing a community services position to absorb this function, the administrator in the small community college should expect to maintain this function as well as time permits. Unfortunately, other administrative responsi­ bilities have left little, if any, time to let the public know what the college is attempting to accomplish." Examples of the diverse approaches providing for this public information function presently found in the small nonurban community college include: One community college has designated the Dean of Instructional Resources as the person responsible for dis­ tributing public information, in addition to his duties as library and audio-visual director, bookstore manager, publications manager, and part-time community services administrator. North Central Michigan College is fortunate in having the local newspaper include under its title, the inscription, "Home of North Central Michigan College." One college has appointed the chairman of the Language Arts Division as the public information contact. He receives news releases from all sections of the college and prepares them for final release to the media. 137 Another college channels all news releases through the president's office. He submits the final releases. One college has no central point of release, but simply receives news coverage on items which are submitted to the media by administrators and faculty at varying intervals. 3. College-Community Relations Function: area includes: This (a) establishing adequate linkage with related programs of the college and community to supplement and coordinate rather than duplicate existing programs; e.g., calendar coordination, information exchange, joint committee work, community schools, etc.; (b) identifying and involving (in an advisory capacity) key members of the various sub­ groups with whom cooperative programs are being planned; e . g . , community services ad­ visory council, etc.; (c) participating in cooperative efforts with local government, business, industry, professions, religious and social groups to increase the resources of the community to deal with major problems confronting the community; e . g . , community self-studies, air polution, environmental control, industrial change, etc. 138 The administrators perceive the college's role in this function as one of coordination, rather than one of making an unilateral attempt to solve social problems. Although the college-community relations function incor­ porates features of the public information function, its major direction is in working directly with people rather than merely contacting and informing them through various news media. 4. Counseling Services Function: Providing com­ munity members with opportunities for selfdiscovery and development through individual and group counseling processes; e.g., aptitudeinterest testing, individual interviews, career information, job placement, etc. Analysis of the data within this function reveals that the areas of particular concern for the administrators in the nonurban community college include: Adult Counseling Needs Educational/Occupational information ar.d planning Upgrading educational, as well as occupational, levels throughout the college district Retraining and job placement services Out-of-School Youth High school completion (most often a secondary school function) G.E.D. testing (most often a community college service) Educational/Occupational counseling services. Realistic knowledge of the world of work: rural and urban Apprenticeship programs: utilizing local business and industry Work/Study programs 139 Job placement Financial aids, tuition grants, scholarships Community Counseling Migrants, ex-migrants, minorities (ex-migrants are identified as migrant families who have chosen to reside in the district on a yearround basis) Disadvantaged, low income residents Senior citizens Available to all segments of population A major point prevails throughout the data regarding community counseling services and is typified by this ad­ ministrator's statement: "Any counseling services sponsored by the community college must regard the abilities, inter­ ests and needs of the individual above all else. As much as we need additional students, our community counseling must not be directed toward recruiting students for our regular programs." Based on the data this function is designated a high level of importance, yet, its full implementation may not be forthcoming in the small, nonurban community college of Michigan until greater financial support is available. Counseling personnel are at a premium in the colleges studied. The dean of student personnel in each of the institutions has a counseling commitment in addition to his other administrative responsibilities. Counseling staffs, exclusive of the dean, range from a one-half time assignment to two full-time counselors. The average is one counselor, although several colleges have designated personnel, such as the registrar, financial aids director, 140 vocational/technical dean, and others as having a percentage of counseling responsibility. Montcalm Community College, with the financial support of a W. K. Kellogg grant, has implemented an adult counseling program one evening during the week and on Saturday morning. Future plans call for counseling centers in areas throughout the college district. Response has been "very encouraging." The data reveal a concerted effort in the rural community college to provide orientation workshops and seminars for secondary school counselors, principals, parents, college counselors, and faculty. These efforts have proven successful in two of the institutions, and are in the planning stage at four others. "The stigma which is attached to the occupational student is unfair and un­ called for." Another administrator emphasizes, "What people do not seem to realize is that it requires a great deal of intelligence plus mechanical ability to master today's technical programs." are not for the less able. 5. Finally, "Career programs That myth has long passed." Community Analysis Function; Collecting and analyzing significant data which reflect existing and emerging needs of the community and which can serve as a basis for developing the community services program of the college; e.g., analyzing census tracts, analyzing 141 manpower data, conducting problem oriented studies, identifying roles and goals of organi­ zations, etc. Based on the analysis of institutional d a t a , in­ cluding annual reports, vocational/technical surveys and feasibility surveys, the availability of definitive com­ munity needs analysis for the non-urban community college districts are extremely limited. Where surveys have been made, the majority have been secondary school and occu­ pationally oriented. Many are outdated and of minimal value in the development of effective community services programs. One administrator exemplifies the perceptions of his counterparts, in stating, "A thorough community survey must come early in the development of a community services division. But let's be as specific as possible. us can guess at needs. Most of But are those the real community needs?” Lack of time and financial assistance are expressed as major deterrents to extensive, up-to-date surveys. 6. Cultural Development Function: Expanding opportunities for community members to participate in a variety of cultural activi­ ties; e.g., fine art series, art festivals, community theatre, displays, etc. 142 Administrative perceptions of the importance of this function follow a continuum. At the one end, an administrator responds, "We should not attempt to provide any cultural activities until we have provided for the economic well-being of every citizen." The mid-point is best expressed by this dean's comment: "Our first responsibility is to attract the people to our campus. We want our facilities to become a bee-hive of activity." Approaching the true community services philosophy is this perception of a prospective cultural program: "We want to make our rural setting's provincialism work for us. We know that to schedule the U. of M. Faculty String Quartet for a concert in certain areas would be ridiculous. But we also know that everyone doesn't want to hear Tex Ritter. We're going to offer cultural enrichment on many levels, in many ways, and at facilities throughout the district." As the data indicate, the nonurban community col­ lege is often in a unique position regarding the cultural development function. The college may offer cultural experiences which have never before been available to the area. The resources of the college, its faculty and its facilities, are accessible and available to the community, and, "serve to widen the cultural horizons of the rural area." 143 7. Facility Utilization Function: Encouraging community use of college facilities by making them readily accessible, by facilitating the scheduling process, and by designing them for multi-purpose activities when appropriate; e.g., conference rooms, auditorium design, etc. The availability of facilities is a particularly crucial problem in the nonurban setting. Local community facilities suitable for major cultural presentations; e.g., theatrical offerings, musical concerts, distinguished speakers, etc., range from nonexistent to the high school gymnasium. The present state of facilities in the community colleges studied are presented below: The Alpena Community College campus at the present time consists of seven buildings on an 800 acre site. Lecture rooms, language, chemical, biological, and business machines laboratories, and a library are located in Central Hall on the shore of Besser Lake. Lecture rooms, drafting, physics, electronics, metal and concrete technology labo­ ratories, a lounge, and technical reading room are located in Besser Technical School. The Besser Art and Science Museum contains a planetarium for studies in astronomy, a Fousault Pendulum and facilities for studies in the fine arts. The Wilson Residence Hall provides learning and living accommodations for 240 students. 144 Three buildings are being leased: one, the stu­ dent center, provides food services, graphic processes laboratories, lounges, faculty offices, and a bookstore. Chinook are being raised in Coho H a l l , while the forestry technical program centers around the Natural Resources Building. Also located on campus are the civic center, Alpena hospital, mental health services, and city jail, as well as two secondary schools. Bay de Noc Community College is presently located in a former public school building. A new campus site is under construction with limited use of one classroom build­ ing at the present time. The first two buildings being built are an instructional facility and a classroom-library complex. Paramedical and other related programs will con­ tinue in the existing building for an indefinite period of time because of the proximity of the hospital and its facilities. Glen Oaks Community College has as its facility a structure containing over ninety-one rooms, fully airconditioned, approximately 116,400 square feet in size, and designed to accommodate 1,500 students. The entire community college is housed in one building located on a 300 acre campus. Gogebic Community College is entering its thirtyeighth year of operations. During the second semester 1969-1970 the college operation was moved from a local 145 high school building to a new 200 acre campus site. The completed facility is a five-story academic complex and will accommodate approximately 800 students. This project represents the first phase in a campus development of eleven buildings. The central core will be connected to four additional academic buildings, in addition to a multi­ purpose auditorium, a health education center, and four dormitories. Adjacent to the college campus is the National Guard Armory which is available for college use. Kirtland Community College is located on a 160 acre site. One central building has been completed which con­ tains administration offices, learning resources center, labs and classrooms. Portable classroom buildings are being utilized for classes and faculty offices. Additional facilities are under construction, including the Occu­ pational Studies building which will have attached an auditorium with seating capacity of 900. Kirtland is unique in providing eleven residences on campus for faculty and student rental. Mid Michigan Community. College has a campus of 560 acres. The total plan for the site as an educational park includes a 10 acre site leased to the Clare and Gladwin Intermediate School Boards on which to build facilities to be used as a day-care center for trainable children and adult day care. One building provides accommodations for all the college offerings at the present time. One 146 auditorium/lecture hall, seating 150, is located inside the building. A home for the college president has also been provided on campus. Montcalm Community College, located on a 240 acre site bordered by State Game Lands and two large lakes, presently utilizes six buildings on its campus. They in­ clude the administrative and learning resources center, two academic classroom buildings, a temporary adminis­ trative structure, a vocational/technical center, and power plant/maintenance structure. Future plans indicate an addition to the Vocational/technical center and con­ struction of a multi-purpose student activities-cultural enrichment Center. North Central Michigan College is located on a campus site of 207 acres. in use in 1963. Its first buildings were put Presently the facilities include: a general classroom-administration building, a chemistry building, a science building, a men and women's residence hall (168 capacity), a student center, a library building, and a central heating plant. The next construction will be a learning resources center, to include a planetarium, observatory, and cultural events center. Southwestern Michigan College has a 160 acre site. Soon to be completed is the physical education facility which may serve as a multi-purpose structure. Buildings completed include the arts building, the science building, 147 the library and instructional resources center, and the applied science facility. West Shore Community College is presently utilizing temporary classroom structures on its 375 acre college site. The all-purpose student activities and adminis­ tration building will be completed this spring, and will house additional classrooms and laboratories. Phase two construction will commence on the vocational/technical building and an instructional media center in 1970. Phase three will add academic classroom facilities, to be followed by the construction of a physical education building. In summary, the data indicate that of the ten non­ urban community colleges— four are functioning with new facilities: Glen Oaks, Montcalm, Mid Michigan, and North Central; of those, Montcalm and North Central plan further construction in the very near future. Alpena, Glen Oaks, and Mid Michigan appear less likely to construct additional facilities at the present time. Of the remaining five colleges— Bay de Noc, Gogebic, Kirtland, Southwestern, and West Shore— all are presently moving to a new campus or in the midst of continued campus construction. The data further reveal that the facility utili­ zation function may be designated a higher level of im­ portance as facilities are completed on the new campuses. 148 As indicated in Table 2, six colleges responded in the average or low level for this function. Those insti­ tutions did not presently have facilities available for community use. As one administrator commented, "Our first concern must be to communicate with the public, the stu­ dent, parents, businessmen. They must understand and accept the community college and its purposes. Then, as facilities become available, our community services pro­ grams on campus will flourish." It requires little imagi­ nation to realize that the limited availability of space has restricted the scope of operations in the nonurban college. 8. Educational Extension Function: Increasing the accessibility of the regular courses and curricula of college by extending their availa­ bility to the community-at-large; e.g., evening classes, television courses, neighbor­ hood extension centers, etc. The vastness of the nonurban community college ser­ vice area— the fact that it is possible to drive fortysixty miles and still remain in the college domain— makes this function a vital one. Analysis of the data reveals that there are a number of reasons why this function did not receive a higher ranking: (a) Newness of the community college. As an administrator expressed it, "First things first. We have to build a quality 149 program here on campus. Let's produce some results here first, then, move to the out­ lying areas." Another comment: "Our first responsibility must be in attracting students to our campus. W e 1ve gone to great lengths to secure an excellent faculty, with diverse backgrounds. It is just too soon to spread those talents o u t ." (b) Availability of faculty. (1) Faculty time is likely to be spread over a number of preparations in the small com­ munity college. Teaching overloads are likely to occur. (2) Part-time staff resources are limited in the rural setting. (c) Distances to travel. Weather and rural highway conditions. (d) Financial support. . On campus programs must receive priority. (e) Administration. Scheduling, registration, securing faculty, public relations, evaluation. 150 9. Public Forum Function; Developing activities designed to stimulate interest and understand­ ing of local, national, and world problems; e.g., public affairs pamphlets, "town meetings," etc. Distinguished speakers, congressmen, and resource people from universities, business, and industry, are participating regularly in this function on several campuses of the nonurban community college. Series of this nature are presented as "Critical Issues" and "Distinguished Lecturer" series, both on a credit basis for regularly enrolled students and on a patron basis for all interested citizens. 10. Social Outreach Function; Organizing programs to increase the earning power, educational level, and political influence of disadvantaged; e.g., ADC mothers, unemployed males, education­ ally deprived youth, migrants, etc. Research data reveal that this function is limited in the nonurban community college at the present time. The "spread-out ghetto" characteristic of the rural dis­ advantaged requires unique approaches in establishing effective lines of communication and developing meaningful programs. This function is linked to the community analy­ sis and community counseling functions reported earlier. Identifying leaders in the migrant community through the 151 assistance of "native counselors" has proven very success­ ful at one community college. "Seeking representation from every segment of the district" on advisory committees has been instrumental in developing close working relation­ ships for another college. 11. Program Evaluation Function; Developing with the staff the specific objectives of the pro­ gram, identifying sources of data, and establishing procedures for gathering data to appraise effectiveness of various facets of the program; e . g . , participant ratings, attendance patterns, behavioral changes, pro­ gram requests, etc. This function is "limited in our institution by the sheer lack of manpower and hours in the day to get the job done." Another comment, "When our continuing education position becomes a full-time appointment next year (halftime now), we will be better able to evaluate our pro­ grams ." 12. Leisure-time Activity Function; Expanding opportunities for community members to participate in a variety of recreational activities; e . g . , sports instruction, out­ door education, summer youth programs, senior citizens activities, etc. 152 The trend to increased tourist trade in many of the rural areas, in conjunction with the acreage available on campus, places the small, nonurban community college in a strategic position to fulfill this community services function as the need occurs. As an example, West Shore Community College has planned its initial campus development to involve a 160 acre tract of the total 37 5 acre college site. The remain­ ing acreage will be utilized as an outdoor laboratory for such programs as Wildlife and Park Management, Nature Trails, Environmental Control. mobile trails, a ski Future plans include snow­ slope, and a lake. Geographic location and land use opportunities appear throughout the data as unique characteristics which the administrators perceive as differing from urban com­ munity colleges. Another example of potential for serving the leisure-time activity function is found at Gogebic Com­ munity College. In the upper peninsula, the 200 acre campus is located near the base of Mount Zion. Presently, tow facilities are being installed which will give this college its own full-scale ski slope. Mid Michigan Community College, located at "The Gateway to the North," has a 560 acre campus in the midst of winter snowmobile and summer camping territory. As their administrators relate, "The potential for community services and its functions are unlimited in this setting." 153 Table 2 is presented as a final summary of the data related to this topic of the study (see page 154). Unique Characteristics of the Nonurban Community College and Its Community Data for this section of the study are analyzed and presented in reference to responses to the study question: How do administrators of small, nonurban community colleges perceive their institutions as differing from the urban community college with respect to: the college; the community services programs; and the community? These perceived differences are presented as the unique characteristics of the nonurban community college and its community. The Community College in the Nonurban Setting Administrators responded that in the nonurban setting, the residents view the college as encouraging community growth and prosperity; the college has a more personal consideration. While in the urban setting, the college may be viewed "not so much as upgrading the com­ munity, but as a place to go to school." "After all," as one comment said, "the community college is the biggest thing that has happened to the rural community for some time." It represents a new industry— a new outlook in the district. 154 TABLE 2 ADMINISTRATIVE PERCEPTIONS: LEVELS OP IMPORTANCE OP COMMUNITY SERVICES FUNCTIONS IN THE SMALL, NONURBAN COMMUNITY COLLEGES OF MICHIGAN Function Number of Colleges Responding Level of Importance High Avg. Low Final Ranking Educational Expansion 10 8 2 0 1 Public Information 10 7 3 0 2 CollegeCommunity Relations 10 7 3 0 2 Counseling Services 10 6 4 0 4 Community Analysis 10 5 5 0 5 Cultural Development 10 5 5 0 5 Facility Utilization 10 4 5 1 7 Educational Extension 10 3 4 3 8 Public Forum 10 0 9 1 9 Social Outreach 10 0 7 3 10 Program Evaluation 10 0 6 4 11 Leisure/ Recreation 10 1 3 6 12 155 The public is becoming more receptive and more likely to recommend--"if we can have only one (e.g., swimming pool or civic center), let's have it at the community college." The college is a focal point in the nonurban community. As another administrator relates, "Everything happening at the community college is so visible. There is very little to distract from the college efforts." One response reflects the potential for the rural college to become closely interwoven into the community. "The college is a part of the community. The urban com­ munity college has a great deal more third person com­ munication. " The ability of the rural community college to establish and maintain this focal point— or community center concept— is often handicapped by the lack of financial support available from sparsely populated ser­ vice areas. However, perceptions indicate that "the lack of competition makes the job of attracting people to col­ lege events somewhat easier; that is, if the content is relevant and well done." For, as the administrators say, "if the college does not offer the service, it is not likely that other agencies are able, or willing, to do so." Generally, in the urban setting, residents do not have to rely upon the community college as a center for educational, cultural, 156 and other events. In the nonurban area, the college plays a greater role in providing such services. The rural com­ munity college becomes a resource for new and innovative programs and methods of instruction, as well as providing cultural and recreational offerings. This point is summed up in a response stating, "The rural college performs functions which otherwise might not be undertaken." In many rural areas the community college is a vital source of qualified employees. As an example, rural areas find it difficult to recruit medical technicians and nurses. The community college is able to fill this void by training medical personnel; by providing work/study opportunities; and in addition, upgrading present medical staffs. "All this becomes an influence in attracting new professionals to the area." "In the nonurban setting there is a greater likeli­ hood that students may come from outside the college dis­ trict." As an example, one community college reports: 50 per cent of the student body from outside the district; 12-15 per cent from outside the state; 15-20 per cent seek room and board in the area while attending college. Many students are not within walking distance or a convenient bus ride away from the college campus. "Transportation becomes a major problem, particularly during the winter months." Transportation and communication services are generally very limited in the rural setting. Not only are students required to travel greater distances 157 to attend college, but "they may be less likely to return to campus for evening programs and activities." There is a smaller "active" student body as a result of this dis­ tance factor. The fact that so many community college students are working while attending college also in­ fluences special program attendance. As administrators view the factors of safety, fatigue, time for study, expense, e t c . , involved in ex­ tended travel distances for some students, they are prone to ask themselves, "When is it advisable to send your son to a four-year college? If he has to drive forty-fifty miles each day to attend the community college, would he be better off at a residence hall of the four-year college?" In spite of such problems, the community college in the nonurban community is offering an alternative course for young people (and adults) who previously expected to migrate to the urban areas. The community college is increasing the holding power of the area by providing edu­ cational and career opportunities which will discourage out-migration of the residents. Administrators commented that "the search for suitable employment is the greatest cause of migration to the urban areas." The fact that the nonurban community college, con­ sidering the high degree of mobility of the population, must provide programs to meet the needs of its own local area as well as prepare its residents for urban living, is perceived as a major "uniqueness" by respondents. In 158 one rural area, as many as 40 per cent of the residents leave the county each day to engage in their livelihood. Administrators perceive the small, nonurban com­ munity college as having the advantage of providing an individualized approach to education that is not available in most large, impersonal urban community colleges. "Small classes, closer contact of students, faculty, administration." Occupational administrators perceive an unique characteristic of their program as the cluster training which prepares qualified workers in a number of related occupations. The urban community college is more likely to offer more technical, specialized training. Faculty, Facilities, Finances "In the rural community college, administrators and faculty 'wear so many hats' that responsibilities are seldom restricted to one area for many personnel." This statement reflects the expressed perceptions of an unique characteristic of the nonurban community college. The dilemma represented in the comment is viewed by nonurban administrators as a potential source of yet another uniqueness. That is, a positive connotation is realized as the faculty, staff, and students have greater oppor­ tunities to understand and integrate programs throughout the entire college. 159 "The Gestalt concept is more applicable to the nonurban community college." Faculty and administration are more aware of the total purpose of the institution, and are better able to maintain a proper perspective of each discipline's relation to the overall philosophy of the community college. Several respondents spoke of "The Big Picture" and the greater likelihood of achieving the community-serving concept in the rural college. Most nonurban community college employees reside in the area which they serve. They participate in local activities and organizations. Their children attend local schools and the community college. "closeness" is illustrated: "The custodian of the college is the country club golf champion. member for the championship. An example of this He played a board This very likely would not have happened in the urban setting." "Communication is swifter, and hopefully, more accurate, among administrators (and among all faculty and staff) in the small, rural college." Administrators generally perceive that urban faculties tend to be more organized than their nonurban counterparts; in regard to negotiations, militancy, con­ tract disputes, etc. As one comment expresses, "It has taken longer in the nonurban areas for faculties to be­ come organized." Respondents further believe that rural faculties have made more honest attempts at negotiations; 160 that their goals were not solely control or salary. One dean commented, "There are better, more honest relations in the nonurban community college." Some administrators perceive a difference in the adjustment of new faculty members to the nonurban way of life. (from the urban areas) "Their development of a community services philosophy may be a longer process than we would expect of a nonurban resident." In some in­ stances , new personnel are reluctant to become involved in community leadership. "They have left the urban center and its complexities— perhaps not realizing their leader­ ship potential." In the rural setting, college faculty members have a unique opportunity to provide meaningful leadership. Regarding facilities, the opportunity exists to capitalize on the accessibility and availability of the community college facilities. The data reveal that ad­ ministrators in each of the colleges indicate that "in the nonurban setting the community college may provide facili­ ties which are not available elsewhere in the area." In many areas studied, there are very limited recreational facilities, e.g., bowling alleys, swimming pools, ice rinks. Planetariums and observatories, to be added in the new community college facilities, will serve students and interested people of all ages. "The lack of any center for cultural enrichment was completely nonexistent prior to the construction of 161 our community college facility." The lack of any facility in the rural area in which to present a major cultural, educational, or entertainment event will be satisfied by construction on college campuses. The urban community college is less likely to be depended upon for facilities as is the rural institution. This relates to another perceived uniqueness re­ garding facilities in the nonurban setting. The rural community college more likely will share facilities— and share activities— with the total community than the urban college. There is a greater likelihood of scheduling con­ flicts with respect to major productions in the nonurban setting because its sparser population is more readily saturated. Ingenuity in making programs accessible to all segments of the population— and providing appropriate pro­ grams for all segments— is a major task in the nonurban community college today. "Nonurban community colleges must be more con­ cerned with costs of programs. More students in the urban institutions means more financial support." Administrators view potential student enrollment as a major difference in the urban and rural institutions, and particularly as enrollment effects financial increments. viewee revealed, "Fees play a major role. As one inter­ The urban col­ lege has greater likelihood of increased enrollments." Potential growth patterns in the rural areas studied are such that long-range construction priorities are planned 162 to accommodate 1,500 students as a maximum in the majority of the nonurban community colleges. In relation to availability of financial support, facilities and equipment are more available in the urban setting. Although faculty teaching loads may be lower in rural colleges, this makes programs more expensive. Rural faculty salaries are generally lower, and the curriculum may eventually suffer. The continued emphasis upon pro­ viding a comprehensive curriculum is more difficult to satisfy in the rural community college. Extension courses, often offered thirty-sixty miles from the college campus, become necessary in the nonurban setting. This becomes not only expensive, but presents staffing problems in acquiring qualified faculty. Class enrollments must generally be a minimum of twelve-fifteen students in order to maintain a "pay as you go" financial budget. A regional approach or consolidated effort by adjacent communities has solved some enrollment diffi­ culties for the rural community college. Cooperative efforts with community school programs and adult education programs have proven very successful for some rural col­ leges. Administrators expressed few unique characteristics of community services programs in the nonurban setting. Perceptions of differences between rural and urban com­ munity services programs were limited to "appropriateness of programs based upon community needs." That is, nonurban 163 community services programs were viewed as essentially the same as urban programs with respect to function or purpose. "Any uniqueness would come from the unique nature of the rural community and its needs." Since extensive presentation and analysis of the data regarding needed community services activities has appeared in a previous section/ no further presentation will be made. Rather, analysis of the data in reference to the nature of the nonurban community college district will be presented. The Nature of the Nonurban Community College District Administrators perceive that the transition occur­ ring in the rural areas will afford unique opportunities for the nonurban community college. "The decline in the need for agricultural manpower, and the increasing mi­ gration of business and industry to once sparsely populated areas, poses a real challenge to the rural community." The uniqueness and the flexibility of the com­ munity college must be utilized in developing innovative schedules and programs adapted to the changing needs of the community. Nonurban communities generally are stable com­ munities. ations. Some families have been in the area for gener­ Ideas and family traditions are in-grown. servatism prevails. Change is not readily accepted. Con­ The 164 general public must be educated to the potentials of change. Administrators in the rural community colleges, many of them natives of the area, perceive the power structure in their communities as involving, "A few people who influence many people." In the rural areas, the young people leave and the elderly return. Parental influence is perceived as being greater in the nonurban setting. Parental aspirations, or lack of aspirations, have permeated through generations. Many ethnic groups residing in rural areas have maintained high educational and occupational aspirations for their children and view education as a symbol of success. "Blue collar jobs have not held high prestige positions for them." Respondents at Bay de Noc speak of "Finn Power," while at Montcalm the "Danish Festival Queen" is a cheerleader and fine student. The fact that new people and industry migrate to the urban centers does not have the same effect on that setting as the influx of new people and industry has on the rural community. As viewed by one interviewee, "The staid, conservative culture of the country is being chal­ lenged by this growing metropolitan way of life." Rural communities are more likely to view new in­ dustry as a threat— as simply more competition— rather than as potential growth and economic expansion for the entire area. Nonurban administrators perceive the residents as desiring to "develop what we have here already, rather 165 than bringing outside resources in.” The community college is viewed as a source of leadership which may serve to assist the community in developing its existing potentials. The cultural level of the rural community is gener­ ally perceived as less sophisticated than the urban setting. As respondents indicated, may be more narrow." "Community cultural interests There is a strong sense of parochial­ ism, and the communities are not as attuned to cultural potentials. Some administrators would "make the provincialism of the district work for you" in cultural activities and in community development. Administrators also perceived the residents as "not as sophisticated nor informed about the world of work." The residents' world may be limited to the county limits. At the same time the residents are seen as less sophisticated about cultural affairs and the world of work, they are perceived as exhibiting a typical rural attitude of "having to support myself" while the urban outlook remains "somebody will take care of me." The urban community college is perceived as more specialized; oriented toward more specific needs. A variety of services are readily accessible and commercial­ ized for community consumption; e.g., sports arenas, theaters, museums, visiting dignitaries, etc. By contrast, 166 the rural areas must improvise to a greater extent. The tendency is for the rural area to be more generalized. Financial support is less in the nonurban setting primarily because of a limited number of available participants. Educational programs are perceived by adminis­ trators as taking precedence over sociological problems in the nonurban community college district. "The college has not been forced to solve sociological problems before it administers to educational needs," while the urban programs have tended to relate more to social than educational pres­ sures. Rural areas have remained much less militant. Further responses in this regard include: "The rural college does not have to be used to solve racial problems." Administrators contend that although an exposure to urban social issues is essential to the nonurban college student, the rural college is more likely to justify its edu­ cational objectives as first priority. Mobility problems, in addition to those presented earlier in this section, appear in two categories. Out­ migration of residents of rural areas places demand upon educational institutions to prepare them for work both in the local area and outside the area. skills must be provided." "Multiple-entry In-migration requires that residents receive training in skills needed by new in­ dustry in the area— new occupations created by the chang­ ing economy of the area; e.g., food service, hotel/motel 167 management# and others required to serve tourist needs as year-round recreation expands. Even though much progress is being made, the quality of many nonurban public schools is low. The availability of comprehensive vocational programs in rural high schools is very limited. The community college must regulate its programs in relation to secondary programs. Therefore, more pressure is placed upon the community college to provide comprehensive vocational/technical programs. Some administrators perceive the college as the location for the area vocational skill center. Others desire more technical-level courses for the college, with the intermediate school district administering the vo­ cational programs. Another perceived difference between urban and rural community colleges and their districts, is expressed as: "Disadvantaged groups in the rural community differ from those in urban centers." Migrant workers come and go on schedule— depending on the crops. do not vary considerably. dictable group." "Their numbers They are generally a pre­ As for the resident disadvantaged popu­ lation it may be best described as a "spread-out ghetto." They live out of town and off the highway; sometimes in trailers, school buses, and shacks. They are not nearly as concentrated as in the urban setting. "As you drive through the rural community you may not be aware of the extent of poverty which exists. You have to go into the 168 country, onto the back roads, to become aware of rural poverty." The population pyramid of rural areas is quite different from urban centers. The population has a heavy base of young children under eighteen and a very small young adult group who are eighteen-thirty-four years old. Rural residents sixty-sixty-nine years of age usually out­ number those who are twenty-twenty-nine years old. One additional difference in the rural and urban settings is perceived as the availability and quality of transportation and communication systems. These services have become a major influence in the growth and accessi­ bility of the rural community and the community college. Attracting new industry, as well as recruiting students and providing quality programs, depend largely upon those systems. Generally, the urban setting receives better transportation and communication service. Geographic Location and Land Use Potential The nonurban community college enjoys an unique characteristic in its geographic location and land use potential. Natural resources and scenic beauty beyond the concrete and mortar, are perceived as outstanding differences evident in the nonurban setting. "The attrac­ tiveness of the new community college facilities are enhanced by the campus site and the spaciousness." 169 The diagram below illustrates the vastness and general scenic beauty of Michigan's nonurban community colleges. Community College Campus Size (acres) General Description of ______ Campus Site_____ Alpena 800 Porestry/Pishery; edge of city; near industrial/business setting, Bay de Noc 500 Wooded; near transportation; out of city. Glen Oaks 300 Wooded; rolling hills; open country; out of city. Gogebic 200 Edge of city; near industry/ business; base of Mt. Zion; wooded. Kirtland 160 Wooded; out of city; rolling hills. Mid Michigan 560 Heavily wooded; out of city; rolling hills. Montcalm 240 Wooded; two lakes; out of city. North Central 207 Hill overlooking city; one-half mile from downtown. Southwestern 160 Out of city; slightly wooded. West Shore 375 Out of city; heavily wooded; lake; stream; pine forest; rolling hills. "Industrial grouping" has occurred because of natural resources. At Alpena the limestone and shale quarries have attracted a group of industries: cement manufacturing; concrete block industry; cement speciality products. The forests have attracted lumbering companies. 170 wood pulp mills, chemical industry, paper manufacturing, and paper products industry. Geographic locations offer potential for develop­ ing seasonal offerings. Administrators are exploring the possibilities of "Summer Colleges"; capitalizing on the scenic location and the climate to attract summer students. "The summer camp atmosphere may attract both students and their parents to attend summer programs." The impact of vastness becomes apparent in the nonurban community college. "Spatial perception," as one dean indicated, "is a major uniqueness of the rural insti­ tution." The size of the campus, ranging from 160 to 800 acres, may be most impressive. "The absence of towering buildings, honking horns, and the noise of the city is what adds to the vastness of our campus," wrote one re­ spondent. There is an ideal opportunity to create model "Outdoor Laboratories" with potential to study environ­ mental control and related areas which are considered among the vital concerns for our nation's future. Other administrators offer "The impact of popu­ lation density" as a major difference in urban and rural areas. people." "In our setting there is lots of land, but few As a result the rural population has different types of housing, health, and legal problems. Different approaches are necessary to reach sufficient numbers of people to develop effective programs. replied, As one president "Fifth Avenue standards do not apply for our 171 community. Basing the success of our programs on numbers of participants and financial inputs is unrealistic. We have to develop more humanistic approaches." Local influence and support is derived from sections of counties in the rural setting; while the urban center looks to neighborhoods for action or reaction. The con­ cept of service area in terms of miles to be served and density of population is likely to be significantly differ­ ent in the nonurban setting. Table 3 is presented to illustrate population density and vastness of college districts for the small, nonurban community colleges of Michigan (page 172)» In this same connection, administrators express the belief that it is more difficult to create a feeling of community when there is such a vast area involved. Traditional rivalries between communities must be overcome. Divisiveness among sections of the college district, often intensified by the disputed location of the college, may require "kid gloves" and innovative approaches. Extension centers have been successful in encouraging acceptance of the college. Other administrative perceptions present an ad­ vantage in smallness. The lack of complex organizations in some rural areas— such as Auto Dealers Associations, Small Business Associations, and others— places greater responsibility upon the college to maintadn communication TABLE 3 POPULATION DENSITY AND VASTNESS OF COLLEGE DISTRICTS FOR THE SMALL, NONURBAN COMMUNITY COLLEGES OF MICHIGAN Community College County Location Alpena Delta St. Joseph Gogebic Crawford Ogemau Oscoda Roscommon* Mid Michigan Clare* Gladwin Montcalm North Central Southwestern West Shore Montcalm Emmet Cass Manistee Mason* Area (sq. miles) 568 1,180 508 1,112 28,556 34,298 42,332 24,370 563 574 565 521 4,971 9,680 3,447 7,200 2,220 25,298 572 503 11,647 10,769 22,416 35,795 15,904 36,932 19,042 21,929 1,075 712 461 488 558 493 40,971 ♦Location of college in multi-county district 1,051 172 Alpena Bay de Noc Glen Oaks Gogebic Kirtland County Population 173 with local businesses. This may increase the influence of the nonurban community college in the community. Another unique opportunity is the recognition that it is possible to coordinate activities with the en­ tire representation of a businessgroup or organization because there are fewer members with whom to communicate. This insures a more complete representation and will per­ mit the development of more relevant, effective programs. In summary, the administrators of the small, non­ urban community colleges of Michigan perceive their insti­ tutions as differing from the urban community colleges in the following ways: The nonurban community college is truly a focal point in the community; it is a new industry— a new out­ look for the district; an inspiration for growth and prosperity. The visibility of the college in the rural setting is greater. It becomes the resource center for new and innovative programs and approaches which otherwise may not be available. Qualified, "employable" employees are produced by the community college for previously understaffed occupations. Transportation problems and travel distances are greater for a higher percentage of the students in the nonurban setting. Nevertheless, the college provides an alternative course for residents who previously expected to migrate to urban areas. The rural community college must provide programs to meet needs of the local industry 174 as well as prepare residents for urban living and employ­ ment opportunities. Smaller classes, closer communication of students, faculty, and administration aid in this en­ deavor. Cluster training is more feasible in the rural setting. Faculty and administration more likely will develop the Gestalt concept in viewing the rural community college, its programs, and its community-serving outlook. Faculty are less organized; less militant; and more honest in their professional negotiations. Facilities provided by the community college in the rural areas may not be available from any other source in that community. Cultural and recreational facilities generally are very limited in the nonurban areas, particu­ larly for major productions. Therefore, the college is more likely to share facilities and programs with community organizations and the total community. Financial support of programs is more acu:e in rural areas since student enrollment is less, and the potential for increased growth is limited. Extension courses must be offered in order to in­ volve the entire district. Regional approaches become a necessity. Community services programs vary only slightly in the urban and rural settings, based upon peculiar needs of those areas. 175 By nature, nonurban communities are more stable, more conservative, and generally not acceptable to rapid change. The power structure of a few, influence many. Young people leave the area and the elderly return. tal influence is greater. Paren­ New industry may be seen as a threat to the community rather than as an opportunity for growth and economic expansion. The cultural level is less sophisticated; cultural interests are narrow. Educational programs take precedence over socio­ logical problems; fewer racial conflicts; and less mili­ tancy. Mobility problems are different than in urban settings. Out-migration demands preparation for multiple- entry skills; in-migration demands new skills for new in­ dustry in addition to education of the community to the potentials of change. The quality of the local schools may be low; lack of comprehensive programs, particularly occupational offerings. Disadvantaged groups are less concentrated; have become "spread-out ghettoes." Approaches for reaching these groups demand creative leadership. Population den­ sity and age distributions differ in the urban and rural settings. Transportation and communication services are poorer in the nonurban areas. This limited service in­ fluences economic growth in the area. 176 Geographic locations, natural resources, and land use potentials differ greatly from urban community col­ leges. Capitalizing upon scenic locations/ climatic conditions, and vast campus sites offers unlimited oppor­ tunities to the nonurban community colleges. Sections of the county/ rather than neighborhoods, become the "action" groups in the rural community college. In contrast to the vastness, the advantages of smallness include such opportunities as communicating with an entire rural organization in order to develop more relevant, more effective programs. CHAPTER V SUMMARY, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH The purposes of this chapter are to present a summary of the problem, methodology, and findings of the study; to present recommendations which may serve as guide­ lines for a broad frame of reference for the small, non­ urban community college; and to offer suggestions for future research. Summary of the Problem This descriptive study has dealt with the per­ ceptions of community college administrators in the small, nonurban community colleges of Michigan with respect to the community services dimension; the study has been guided by basic questions related to the community services dimen­ sion of the community college. For the purpose of analyz­ ing the data, these basic questions were organized as follows: 1. How do administrators of small, nonurban community colleges in Michigan define com­ munity services? 177 178 2. What do administrators perceive as needed community services activities in their communities? 3. Which community services functions are per­ ceived as most important? Which are con­ sidered less important? 4. How do administrators of small, nonurban community colleges perceive their insti­ tutions as differing from the urban community college with respect to: the college; the community services programs; and the com­ munity? The Need for the Study The nonurban setting, and particularly the small, nonurban community college setting, has been ignored or overlooked in favor of a concentrated effort to explore the urban college and its challenges. The nation's inter­ ests and resources have been directed toward the problems of the inner city. Yet, 600 of the nation's 1,000 com­ munity colleges are nonurban. This realization that non­ urban and small community colleges constitute 60 per cent of our nation's community colleges should direct more concerted efforts toward studies of those institutions. 179 Summary of Data Collection and Analysis The data for this study were obtained through an in-depth analysis of the perceptions of administrators in the small, nonurban community colleges of Michigan. For the purposes of analysis, the data were organized accord­ ing to the study questions presented above. Preliminary to making actual visitations to the selected community colleges, a questionnaire (Appendix F) and interview guide (Appendix G) were developed and field tested. Although the questionnaire and interview guide were designed to give some structure, it was intended that the interviews be informally conducted so as to allow freedom to explore more intensely individual perceptions and insights offered by administrators interviewed. The following procedure was established in prepar­ ing for visits: 1. An introductory letter was sent to the college president asking the college to participate in the study and requesting the name of the person who might be contacted in regard to coordi­ nating the visit. 2. Following an indication of each college's willingness to participate in the study, a second letter was sent to the person designated by the president. This letter explained the purposes of the visit and requested that 180 questionnaires and interview guides, which were included in the letter, be distributed to the administrators of the institution. This individual was also requested to schedule the necessary interviews. 3. Preceding the visit, the person coordinating the interviews was called by telephone to finalize arrangements. 4. At each college, members of the administrative staff were interviewed for approximately fortyfive minutes. Supplementary institutional data were obtained and discussed, and tours of col­ lege and community facilities were made. Each visit was from one to two days in length, and each interview was taped for later analysis. Following the community college visits, the data were analyzed, placing emphasis on the basic questions of the study. No attempt was made to evaluate existing com­ munity services programs. Summary of Findings The findings of the study are summarized in reference to the basic questions of the study. A Definition of Community Services Community services, the programs it provides and encourages, and the people it serves, take on a dimension 181 which far exceeds a mere listing of offerings. It is this dimensional concept which places community services in a challenging and exciting perspective. The community, its needs and its resources, influ­ ences administrative perceptions as they define community services in the nonurban setting. The community college becomes an extension of the community and its programs a reflection of community needs. The educational, occu­ pational, and cultural horizons of the public are raised as the college provides a functioning response to com­ munity needs as expressed by all segments of the popu­ lation. The community services philosophy should be in­ corporated in the philosophy, purposes, and objectives of the community college. This philosophy should be under­ stood and accepted as a staff-wide commitment. As the college becomes a part of the community, community services provides the dimension which encourages community accept­ ance. The college becomes not only community-centered but also community-serving. The nonurban community college is viewed as a "catalytic agent"— active in inspiring consideration of new ideas and change. The college has the opportunity to provide leadership and resources in developing greater awareness of and movement toward solving local problems; the college is the source of leadership in the rural com­ munity. Education of the community to the opportunities 182 for change and the potentials of the rural community be­ comes a college responsibility. Attitudes concerning edu­ cational and occupational opportunities and aspirations often require major revisions. The community college serves as the vehicle which coordinates the activities of agencies and residents in reaching their goals. Its role as a new industry in the area increases the community's pride in the college and in its expanding influence upon the entire district. The college's resources, including community participation by the faculty and staff, personal contact which develops a closeness with the community, and capi­ talizing on outstanding college resource personnel, are important facets of the community services dimension. Advisory groups, mailing lists, and identification of com­ munity leaders from every segment of the population, each developed with well-defined interest groups in mind, are basic to effective program planning. Providing adequate public information, utilizing all available media; increasing availability and accessi­ bility of college facilities; and simplifying registration and course procedures, will encourage community involvement and active participation in community services activities. With regard to the responsibilities of the com­ munity services dimension, the administrative perceptions include: 183 Develop community support, involve the community, and provide a leadership role in communicative, coordinative, and cooperative efforts. Respond as a catalyst to the changing needs of the service area. Develop new and better enrichment experi­ ences in a retraining and upgrading capacity, while serving as a focus for social problems. Provide facilities for community use. In conclusion, community services in the nonurban community college setting refers to that dimension of the institution which serves as a catalytic force in developing coordinative college-community relations in response to community needs. In providing programs and facilities both on and off campus, this dimension responds to indi­ vidual and community needs not generally served by the degree-directed curriculum. Through providing creative professional leadership and resources, extending communi­ cation and public information services, and encouraging <5 community involvement, the community services dimension offers a breadth and depth of experiences which serve to upgrade the educational, occupational, and cultural levels of the area, strengthen community support and acceptance of the community college, and inspire community self-help in solving local problems. 184 Needed Community Services Activities The nature and scope of community services are dictated by the environment in which the community college is located. The range of these activities may be broad. Administrators express the belief that community services activities for their nonurban areas may be limited only by the philosophy of their institution, the creative leader­ ship provided, the involvement of the community, the financial support available, and the cooperative effort of other community organizations. Those community services activities perceived as needed by the nonurban communities include the following: The increasing tourist trade and the nonurban college's geographical location have led to the development of Outdoor Camping, Camp Counseling and Leadership, Youth Leadership, Natural Resources, Recreation for You and Your Family, and other related short courses in the rural areas. Medications, Geriatric Care, and Nursing Home Care and Management are needed short courses for medical and para-medical personnel. Public health education programs for rural populations would be very useful. Related to this area are the Pollution and Pesticide short courses. Short courses directed to the women in the rural community are needed. Powder Puff Mechanics, Child Development, Meal Planning, First Aid, Interior Decorating, are perceived as important. In addition, the development 185 of child care centers on campus or in the community may permit many mothers to attend programs. The centers may be coordinated with nursing, elementary education, and teacher aide programs. Overall expansion of general short course offerings are needed. Property Evaluation and Tax Assessment Trusts, Securities, Stocks, Investments Farm Management: etc. bookkeeping, maintenance, labor, Retail Business Avocational Interests Land Use: land potential, management, etc. Business and industry in the nonurban setting re­ quire programs to meet their retraining, upgrading, and management training needs: skilled trades short courses; upgrading to meet license requirements; generalist level short courses; and occupational needs short courses. Workshops, seminars, and conferences provide the rural community college with opportunities to offer a greater breadth of services. Community services orien­ tation workshops are needed to improve linkages both within the college community and throughout the college district; in-service training workshops for community services faculty and staff aid in establishing quality programs. Orientation workshops for counselors and counse­ lor in-service workshops are needed by nonurban areas to: 186 (1) remove the vocational/technical stigma; (2) to present realistic occupational trends for the area; (3) to develop area counselor associations; (4) to orientate all counsel­ ing and referral agencies to educational and occupational opportunities for the area's residents; Handbook of Referral Services; and (5) to develop a (6) to research and evaluate present programs and future needs. Special interests workshops/ seminars, and con­ ferences should be developed for each area's residents. Middle management seminars, world affairs seminars, FAA aviation ground school workshops, recreation workshops, and human relations seminars are suggested as possible offerings. Community action and community.development project participants in the nonurban community will benefit from a series of workshop and seminar experiences. An industrial growth research seminar is a suggested activity. Related activities would include transportation and com­ munication seminars involving community, business, state agency, and university representatives. Environmental control conferences are needed. Others, such as soil conservation, ecology and natural re­ sources have particular appeal in the rural setting. Small business, numerical control, export, air safety, and air conditioning conferences are perceived as required to meet nonurban needs. Community services activities in the realm of occupational education serve a primary need in the rural 187 college district. The demand for retraining and upgrading programs must be met by a variety of training programs through which new skills and subject matter may be learned at any age in every locality. Cluster training is essen­ tial to producing an employable individual with multipleentry skills. expanded. In-plant training should be improved and Quality technicians programs are essential for attracting new industry and for staffing that industry. The use of community facilities should be explored and expanded. Public information services are fundamental to establishing effective lines of communication within the college and throughout the community. The general edu­ cational upgrading of the nonurban area depends upon the ability of the community college to express the importance of education and the accessibility of the community college to all segments of the district. Adults, non-high school graduates, business and industry, alumni groups, all must be reached through every available media. Newspaper "quarterlies," radio programs, and speakers bureaus are suggested means of contacting the public. College-community relations become the needed cooperative and coordinative activities of the community services dimension. In developing a new image for the area the college may "localize" its program offerings. That is, capitalize upon the tourist or industrial 188 potentials and the natural resources to involve people in quality programs. Faculty involvement is a primary consideration in establishing a reputation for quality. Developing a reservoir of resources on campus and in the community is important. Regional approaches are perceived as both feasible and necessary in the nonurban setting as limited enrollments and budgets are determining factors. Nonurban residents are disadvantaged in their con­ tact with the scope of the business and industrial world. More opportunity receiving professional counseling services are needed. The rural disadvantaged include the low income white, migrant workers, minorities, and ex-migrants re­ siding in the spread-out ghettos of the nonurban areas. The elderly population of the rural community may repre­ sent a considerable percentage of the total population. Programs to utilize their productive skills and to en­ courage their active involvement are needed. Programs to develop leadership skills in the disadvantaged groups are needed. "Culturally isolated" rural communities offer al­ most unlimited opportunities to be served by community services activities. Lecture series, film series, art exhibits, musical presentations, and other cultural en­ richment experiences are necessary to meet the needs of every segment of the rural population. Historical society 189 efforts and summer art-theater workshops are needed, particularly in areas of increased tourism potential. Extension centers become essential in the rural setting as transportation problems and driving distances are extensive. The expanded use of college facilities and the future development of vast college campuses are perceived as vital concerns of the community services dimension. Wildlife and outdoor laboratory programs, model natural resources and recreation programs, and continued pro­ motion of tourism and industrial growth in the nonurban areas, provide continuing themes for needed community services activities in the rural community. Levels of Importance of Community Services Functions Analysis of administrative perceptions regarding those community services functions designated most im­ portant and those less important indicates the following order of functions: 1. Educational expansion— refers to programming a variety of educational, upgrading and new career opportunities which reach beyond the traditional limitations of college credit restrictions; e.g., short courses, seminars, contractual in-plant training, etc. 190 2. Public information— includes interpreting pro­ grams and activities of community services to the college staff as well as to the communityat-large and coordinating news releases with the central information services of the college. 3. Coliege-community relations— pertains to establishing adequate linkage with related programs of the college and community to supplement and coordinate rather than duplicate existing programs. Also involves identifying key members of community groups and involving them in advisory capacities. Further, refers to participating in cooperative efforts with local groups to increase the resources of the community in dealing with major local problems, e.g., housing, jobs, air pollution, community self-studies, etc. 4. Counseling services— refers to providing com­ munity residents with opportunities for selfdiscovery and development through individual and group counseling processes; e.g., indi­ vidual interviews, career information, job placement, etc. 5. Community analysis— includes the collection and analysis of significant data which reflect 191 existing and emerging needs of the community and which serve as a basis for developing the community services program of the college; e.g., analyzing census tracts, identifying roles and goals of organizations, etc. 6. Cultural development— pertains to expanding opportunities for community members to partici­ pate in a variety of cultural activities; e.g., fine art series, art displays, community theater, musical presentations, etc. 7. Facility utilization— relates to encouraging community use of the college facilities by making them readily accessible, by facilitating the scheduling process, and by designing them for multi-purpose activities when appropriate; e.g., conference rooms, auditorium design; etc. 8. Educational extension— a matter of increasing the accessibility of the regular courses and curricula of the college by extending their availability to the comraunity-at-large; e.g., evening classes, extension centers off-campus, etc. 9. Public forum— refers to developing activities designed to stimulate the interest and under­ standing of local, national, and world problems; 192 e . g . , critical issues series, distinguished lecturers, 10. "town" meetings, etc. Social outreach— directed to organizing pro­ grams to increase the earning p o w e r , edu­ cational level, and political influence of the disadvantaged; e.g., ADC mothers, unemployed males, migrants, rural poor, etc. 11. Program evaluation— includes developing with the staff the specific objectives of the pro­ gram, identifying sources of data, and estab­ lishing procedures for gathering data to appraise the probable effectiveness of various facets of the program; e . g . , participant rat­ ings, attendance patterns, program requests, etc. 12. Leisure/Recreation— intended to expand oppor­ tunities for community residents to participate in a variety of recreational and leisure-time activities; e . g . , outdoor education, summer programs, senior citizens activities, etc. The Unique Characteristics of the Nonurban Community College and Its Community The administrators of the small, nonurban community colleges of Michigan perceive their institutions as differ­ ing from the urban community colleges and their communities in the following ways: 193 The nonurban community college is truly a focal point in the community; it is a new industry— a new outlook for the district; an inspiration for growth and prosperity. The visibility of the college in the rural setting is greater. It becomes the resource center for new and inno­ vative programs and approaches which otherwise may not be available. Faculty and administration more likely will develop the Gestalt concept in viewing the rural community college, its programs, and its community-serving outlook. Faculty are less organized; less militant; and more honest in their professional negotiations. Financial support of programs is more acute in rural areas since student enrollment is less, and the potential for increased growth is limited. Transportation problems and travel distances are greater for a higher percentage of the students in the non­ urban setting. Facilities provided by the community college in the rural areas may not be available from any other source in that community. Cultural and recreational facilities generally are very limited in the nonurban areas, particu­ larly for major productions. Therefore, the college is more likely to share facilities and programs with community organizations and the total community. 194 Community services programs vary only slightly in the urban and rural settings, based upon peculiar needs of those areas. By nature, nonurban communities are more stable, more conservative, and generally not acceptable to rapid change. The power structure of a few, influence many. Young people leave the area and the elderly return. Parental influence is greater. New industry may be seen as a threat to the community rather than as an opportunity for growth and economic expansion. The cultural level is less sophisticated; cultural interests are narrow. Educational programs take precedence over socio­ logical problems; fewer racial conflicts; and less mili­ tancy. The quality of the local sc? ^ols may be low; lack of comprehensive programs, particularly occupational offerings. Disadvantaged groups are less concentrated; have become "spread-out ghettos." Approaches for reaching these groups demand creative leadership. Population density and age distributions differ in the urban and rural settings. Extension courses must be offered in order to in­ volve the entire district. necessity. Regional approaches become a Nevertheless, the college provides an alter­ native course for residents who previously expected to migrate to urban areas. The rural community college must provide programs to meet needs of the local industry as 195 well as prepare residents for urban living and employment opportunities. Qualified# "employable" employees are pro­ duced by the community college for previously understaffed occupations. Smaller classes# closer communication of students# faculty, and administration aid in this endeavor. Cluster training is more feasible in the rural setting. Mobility problems are different than in urban setting. Out-migration demands preparation for multiple-entry skills; in-migration demands new skills for new industry in addi­ tion to education of the community to the potentials of change. Transportation and communication services are poorer in the nonurban areas. This limited service in­ fluences economic growth in the area. Geographic locations# natural resources# and land use potentials differ greatly from urban community col­ leges. Capitalizing upon scenic locations# climatic con­ ditions# and vast campus sites offers unlimited opportuni­ ties to the nonurban community colleges. Sections of the county# rather than neighborhoods# become the "action" groups in the rural community college. In contrast to the vastness# the advantages of smallness include such opportunities as communicating with an entire rural organization in order to develop more relevant# more effective programs. 196 Recommendations As the study progressed, and during the course of the analysis of the data, recommendations concerning issues related to the community services dimension of the small, nonurban community college became apparent. These recom­ mendations, hopefully, may serve as guidelines that may be used as a broad frame of reference for the community ser­ vices dimension in the nonurban setting. Administration It is recommended that each community college establish a full-time community service’s administrative position. The small, nonurban community colleges, particu­ larly the new institutions, are faced with attracting stu­ dents, scheduling classes, hiring faculty, securing finan­ cial support, and other important concerns. Their adminis­ trative staff generally does not have time to develop adequate public information services, to encourage collegecommunity relations, and to serve the expressed needs of the community not provided for by the regularly scheduled college programs. Many rural community colleges have witnessed the diviseness of the college district with respect to the location of the college campus. Though the location of the campus may seldom be satisfactory for all segments of the district, the college must develop pride in the insti­ tution and its potential for service to the entire area, 197 rather than exclusive pride that the campus is located in "our town." The college district's acceptance of the col­ lege and recognition of services it may provide can best be encouraged by the concentrated efforts of a full-time community services administrator. There is a need for programs which are not a part of the degree-directed curriculum; to meet the demands for educational, occupational, and cultural enrichment for all segments of the community; creative leadership is essential. Actively seek financial support for community services programs from state and federal sources. Become competent in preparing proposals and pur­ suing financial resources. for services activities. Strive for state appropriations Work closely with your college president and business manager in communicating the college's proven commitment to serving community needs; verified in terms of community requests, public partici­ pation, and follow-up studies of the upgrading influence on the rural communities. Faculty It is recommended that faculty involvement in the planning, programming, and evaluation oi: community services activities be encouraged and expanded in each institution. In the nonurban community the faculty and com­ munity may not be aware of the need for community services activities. So many of the faculty grew up in the area 198 that they may tend to be less aware of the opportunities for change. Administrators may be more aware of the poten­ tials of community services because of their involvement in college-community relations activities. Faculty commit­ ment to the community services dimension is essential. The college faculty and administration may tend to be "too urbanized" in their approach to programs for the nonurban community. A major deficiency in nonurban edu­ cation has been the failure of educators to recognize differences in rural and urban needs and the accommodation of those needs. Nonurban educators have imposed the same type of curriculum, in the same type of facility found in urban centers, upon the nonurban students. The large faculty turn-over in rural areas indi­ cates a need for increased faculty participation in com­ munity affairs. Developing a "community services attitude" may be a first step in encouraging faculty and staff to become community-oriented. In addition to smaller classes and the feeling of belonging in the small community, the nonurban community college should capitalize on its geo­ graphic location, scenic advantages, and land use poten­ tials in encouraging faculty commitment to the institution and its philosophy. In-service programs for nonurban staffs should be developed. These- programs are necessary to maintain a constant awareness of the unique problems and opportunities in the rural area. Such elements as the learning and 199 counseling needs of the r u r a l , low income, and migrant citizens have been overlooked too long. Community services orientation is another approach to educating the faculty and staff to the potentials of the community services dimension. The community college must seek a reputation of quality and dimension in all its endeavors. services activities are no exception. The community There should never be reason to entitle community services "second rate" or less than the college curriculum standards. Faculty mem­ bers particularly will appreciate these high standards of competency and evaluation. . Coordinate community services programs (whenever feasible) with related areas of the community college curriculum. Faculty assistance is encouraged in planning pro­ grams. The thrust of the college and the community ser­ vices dimension move together, with the realization that offerings go beyond a classroom and campus perception; even beyond the local community. College-Community Relations It is recommended that cooperative planning, programming, and evaluation with community groups and agencies be expanded. The nonurban community is composed of numerous special interest groups. Planning ahead by developing tentative schedules for future programs is essential. This planning procedure is greatly enhanced by the coopera­ tive efforts of interest groups that are able to tell you 200 what their needs are. Working with a "handful" of truly interested people may furnish the most productive input in developing effective programs. The resources of the community college represent a wide range of leadership potential which should be utilized to recognize and serve community needs. In the nonurban setting, the community college is viewed with pride; it becomes the center for the majority of the edu­ cational and cultural experiences of the district. Through cooperative and coordinative efforts the college encourages community involvement and establishes a framework within which solutions to the inevitable demands of change may be sought. In the rural area, coordinative efforts become essential to avoid scheduling conflicts. Many small com­ munities have very active recreational and cultural sche­ dules. In order to defer saturation of the public's en­ richment experiences, cooperative planning with community groups must be increased. Community services may serve as a coordinating office for educational and cultural activities. Provide coordinative leadership in "community action" activities which strive to solve com­ munity problems. In the rural community the college has an oppor­ tunity to provide creative leadership in the public1s quest for solutions to the area's changing needs. Com­ munity action groups may seek assistance in such issues a s : 201 1. Financial aid for the disadvantaged. 2. Increased availability of low-cost housing. 3. Increased job opportunities. 4. Legal assistance for the poor. 5. Health services for the area; for the poor. 6. Attracting new industry; small business; tourism. 7. Developing recreational facilities. 8. Securing state and federal grants. In addition to serving in the catalytic role, the community services division should encourage and seek sources of fund-raising potential in the communities; identify available sources of funds. The Disadvantaged Develop programs for and promote awareness of the unique problems of the rural Provide programs directed toward poor people's needs* These programs to be based upon actual needs, not needs that "others" feel may be needs of the disadvantaged. This necessitates the development of programs for the utilization of para-professionals. Use "native" counselors in the field; recruitment by personal door-to-door contact. Utilize small group sessions; directed toward individuals. Special programs which may be provided would include: 202 1. Leadership training for disadvantaged indi­ viduals and groups. With the assistance of native counselors identify potential leaders in the disadvantaged community. Work with small groups. 2. Tutorial programs for poor and migrant young people. Utilize college students. Possible implications for future teacher, elementary education, and teacher aide programs. Also may develop into child care center; encourage mothers to attend short courses on child care, home management, home decoration, meal planning, etc. 3. English for migrants/Spanish for employers. Also Mexican/American History; Mexican/ American relations; other ethnic concerns. 4. Related educational needs of the disadvantaged. Transportation; costs of education; clothing; child care services; social experiences. The Community Services Dimension Capitalize on the unique characteristics of the nonurban setting. The geographic location, the natural resources, the land use potential, the scenic beauty, the climatic conditions, the pace of life, the density of the popu­ lation, the residents and their values, all must be 203 incorporated in the programs developed within the community services dimension. Each factor should be a positive ele­ ment in presenting effective activities. Programs which use the area's potential will raise the economic level of the region, making available addi­ tional financial support for increased educational en­ deavors. This trend should gain momentum as economic levels rise, quality programs are provided, and urban residents seek recreation and services in the nonurban setting. Develop community counseling services. To be available evenings, weekends, and through­ out the area. Further, to encourage and coordinate defini­ tive research and evaluation in the counseling program. Nonurban areas need increased occupational counsel­ ing services; develop county-wide coordination of school counselors, vocational/technical personnel, industry, and state employment agencies. Develop counselor orientation workshops; remove vocational/technical stigma; present realistic occupational outlook; keep counselors informed. Provide services for senior citizens of the district. Encourage the development of improved job place­ ment opportunities. This is a further service to non-high school graduates which will be coordinated with community school directors and secondary schools. Develop a Handbook of Referral Services for the district. This should be a cooperative effort of school 204 counselors, ministers, law enforcement and legal personnel, medical personnel, social services, mental health, vo­ cational rehabilitation, and other agencies involving referral potential. Encourage community use of college facilities. Arrange for meetings of community groups to be held on campus. Schedule public school, service club, medical, agricultural, business, industrial, and other organizational meetings on campus throughout the year. Arrange for regional meetings of those groups to be held on campus. Promote campus tours for senior citizens, public schools, etc. It is recommended that the community services dimension not become isolated from the college community. The functions and philosophy of community ser­ vices must remain based in the community college. No matter how thoroughly the needs of the district are met; no matter how sweeping the outreach responsibilities be­ come; the community services dimension must never com­ pletely detach itself from the college. It must not become too structured, nor too channeled; e . g . , become primarily the public relations function of the institution. Course sequences within the community services dimension should be developed. The acceptance of this recommendation very likely will depend upon the answer to this question: Is it possible to structure course sequences in community services 205 without discouraging adult participants? The rationale for this recommendation is based upon the increasing number of adults and non-high school graduates who are enrolling in community services offerings at nonurban community colleges. If course sequences were available, an individual might realistically "set his sights" on college attendance upon completion of a "trial experience" in non-credit programs. The sequence concept would also insure more than a hodge­ podge of unrelated experiences which may prove more dis­ couraging than necessary. Effective counseling services are essential to the implementation of this recommendation. Develop off-campus extension centers through­ out the district. Coordinate efforts of community schools, adult education programs, and four-year colleges to provide educational experiences for residents of the district. Consolidation of participants from neighboring towns may be necessary to insure minimum class requirements. Faculty from the four-year colleges may serve as instructors. Visiting "experts with a briefcase" are generally wellaccepted and offer quality courses in extension centers. Extension centers serve to strengthen the public information opportunities of the community college. Communicate with and involve students. Generally, students are not aware of community services opportunities, but are enthusiastic in supporting and participating in programs which they recognize as 206 serving community needs. Students from migrant or dis­ advantaged homes may serve as excellent "counselors” in developing programs for those segments of the population. Students may serve as campus tour guides; counselors; tutors; advisors for film series, plays; speakers bureau participants; and in community action projects. Suggestions for Future Research On the basis of the analysis of the data of this study, suggestions for future research are presented as follows: 1. A study of the background of residence and experience (educational, occupational, pro­ fessional) of faculty and administrators in the nonurban community college would be help­ ful. The answers to such questions as the following may be sought: How much and in what manner are attitudes of faculty and adminis­ tration influenced by their experiential frame of reference? Is there a tendency for faculty and administration to become "ingrown" in the nonurban community college? urban and rural tendencies. Compare Are local (home town) faculty members less likely to be inno­ vative and to seek change in their teachinglearning procedures? 207 2. A study of the characteristics and credentials of community services administrators is needed. Are there discernible patterns evolving through­ out the state, the region, the nation in the selection of these administrators, and their subsequent leadership of the community services dimension. Develop administrative guidelines for rural and urban community services pro­ grams. 3. A study of faculty commitment to community services. How well do faculty understand and accept the community services philosophy? may this commitment be strengthened? How Are there significant differences between the attitudes of academic and occupational faculty regarding community services? 4. A study of community services faculty. Sources of recruitment; salaries; evaluation; etc. Develop an in-service program for general and specific community services offerings. 5. A study of nonurban communities, their needs and their potentials, would be very useful. Such a study could be replicated in several communities to determine commonalities and divergencies of needs with respect to the nature of the community (agricultural, in­ dustrial, recreational, etc.) and the nature 208 of the residents (age distribution, educational- occupational-economic levels, etc.). Community needs analyses are very limited in the nonurban community colleges at the present time. Guide­ lines for developing definitive surveys are needed. 6. A study of the role of the university in the community services dimension of the community college. What are the expectations of the community college with respect to university cooperation? offer? What services can the university Develop programs for community college- university cooperation within the community services dimension. 7. A study based upon developing a state plan for financing community services and community college programs is needed. 8. A study of the disadvantaged population served by the nonurban community college: the poor, the migrant, the unemployed and underemployed, minority groups and others. Explore oppor­ tunities for financial support of programs; analyze community services and community action opportunities for the rural college district. 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"Personality Ad­ justment of Rural and Urban Youth: The Formation of a Rural Disadvantaged Subculture." Rural Sociology, XXXIV, No. 1 (March, 1969), 43-55. Oliver, Albert I. "Curriculum Improvement and the Smaller Secondary School." NASSP The Bulletin, XXX (February, 1966), 36-48. Sewell, William H . ; Haller, Archibald 0.; and Portes, Alenjandro. "The Educational and Early Occupational Attainment Process." American Sociological Review, XXXIV, No. 1 (February, 1969), 82-^2. Reports Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations. Urban and Rural America; Policies for Future Growth. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, A — 32, 1968. 214 Alam, Bilquis A. "Perception of Opportunity and Occu­ pational Expectation: A Racial Comparison of Rural Youth." Paper read at Southwestern Socio­ logical Society Meeting, Dallas, Texas, April, 1968. Aller, Curtis C. "The Expanding Range of Occupational and Training Services for Rural Youth." 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Little Rock, A r k . : South Central Regional Education Laboratory Corp., 1967. Eldridge, Donald A. "The Rapid Growth of Community Colleges and Their Accessibility in Rural Areas." Paper presented at National Outlook Conference on Rural Youth, Washington, D .C., October 23-26, 1967. Fuller, Gerald R . , and Phipps, Lloyd J. Development of Human Resources Through a Vocationally Oriented Educational Program for Disadvantaged Families in Depressed Rural Areas. Interim Report No. TT Urbana, 111.; University of Illinois, September, 1968. Haller, Archibald O.; Burchinal, Lee G . ; and Taves, Marvin J . Rural Youth Need Help in Choosing Occupations" Circular Bulletin 235. East Lansing, Mich.: Michigan State University, 1963. 216 Kirkbridge, Keith. A Study to Identify Educational Needs of Non-College Bound Students m a Rural Public High School of Six Hundred Students. Final Report. Olympia, W a s h . : Washington Research Coordinating Unit, August, 1968. Lindstrom, D. E. Problems in Finding Jobs for Migrant Youth. Research in Rural Sociology. Urba na, 111.: University of Illinois, College of Agriculture, October, 1967. Loughary, John W. Guidance and Counseling in Rural Job Corps Centers. Final Report^ Monmouth, O r e . : State System of Higher Education, September 15, 1965. McMurtry, Gene. Small Farmers and Development of Rural A reas. Leaflet No. §7 "People and Income in Rural America— What are the Choices?" Cooperative Extension Service. Michigan State University or Agricultural Policy Institute, North Carolina State University, 1969. Mauch, Art, and Brandow, George E. The Rural Problem Identified. Leaflet No. 1, "People and Income in Rural America— What are the Choices?" Cooperative Extension Service. Michigan State University or Agricultural Policy Institute, North Carolina State University, 1969. Mauch, Art. Low Income Farmers, Rural Youth, Farm Labor— Problems and Opportunities. 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The People Left Behind, A Report by the President's National Advisory Commission on Rural Poverty. Washington, D .C.: Government Printing Office, 1967 Ramsey, Ralph J. "Services and Environmental Adjustments Needed by Rural Youth Who Move to Urban Com­ munities." Paper presented at National Outlook Conference on Rural Youth, Washington, D . C . , October 23-26, 1967. Ryan, Ivan. A New Attack on Rural Poverty, An Experimental and Demonstration Project. Final Report. Marquette, M i c h . : N o r t h e r n M i c h i g a n University, August 31, 1966. Severinsen, K. Norman. Vocational-Educational Information Workshop for Rural Guidance Workers'! Final Report of Project Number 6-2208. M a c o m b , 1 1 1 . : Western Illinois University, June, 1967. Shiftman, Bernard M. "Adjustments of Rural Youth to Urban Environments." Paper presented at National Out­ look Conference on Rural Youth, Washington, D . C . , October 23-26, 1967. Some Dimensions of Poverty in Michigan. Report No. 19. Rural Manpower Center. East Lansing: Michigan State University, September, 1969. The Concerted Services Approach to Developmental Change in Rural A r e a s : Summary Report^ North Carolina: Center for Occupational Education, North Carolina State University, 1969. U.S. Bureau of the Census. Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 19^7. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1968. Statistical Abstract of the United States. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1968. U.S. Department of Agriculture. Rural People in the American Economy, Agricultural Economic Report N o . 101. Washington, D . C . : Economic Research Service, 1966. U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. "Statistics of Rural Schools." A U.S. Summary, 1955, 1956. Rural School Survey, Circular No. 565, 1955-56. 218 U.S.. Department of Labor and U.S. Department of Commerce. Social and Economic Conditions of Negroes in the United States'! BLS Report No. 332. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1967. Utilization of Mobile Facilities for Development of Entry Work Skills for Arkansas Rural Unemployed and Low-Income Earners: A Feasibility Study. Reno, Nevada: Nevada University, J u l y , 1967. Wilber, George L. Factors Related to the Migration of Rural Youth~to Urban AreasT Washington, D.C.: National Committee for Children and Youth, September, 1963. Unpublished Materials Behm, Harley Dale. "Characteristics of Community College Students: A Comparison of Transfer and Occupational Freshmen in Selected Midwestern Colleges.” Un­ published Ph.D. dissertation, University of Missouri, Columbia, 1967. Benson, Donavon E. "Factors Influencing the Occupational and Educational Plans and Pursuits of Nebraska Farm Boys." Unpublished Master's thesis, Uni­ versity of Nebraska, 1968. Goodrich, Andrew L. "A Survey of Selected Community Ser­ vices Programs for the Disadvantaged in InnerCity Community Colleges." Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Michigan State University, 1969. Katz, Jerry M. "The Educational Shibboleth: Equality of Opportunity in a Democratic Institution, the Public Junior College." Unpublished Ph.D. disser­ tation, University of California, Los Angeles, 1967. Kimball, Kenneth Robie. "Leisure and Education for Leisure: A Study of an Emerging Priority." Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, State University of New York at Albany, 1967. Myran, Gunder A. "The Structure and Development of Com­ munity Service Programs in Selected Community Colleges of the United States." Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Michigan State University, 1969. 219 Shill, James Franklin. "Educational and Occupational Aspirations, Expectations, and Abilities of Rural Male High School Seniors in Mississippi." Un­ published Ph.D. dissertation, Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, 1968. Abstract: Dissertation Abstracts, XXIX (1968), 128. APPENDICES APPENDIX A LETTER OF INTRODUCTION MICHIGAN STATE U N I V E R S I T Y bast lansing . M ichigan 48823 COLLEGE OF EDUCATION • DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION AND HIGHER EDUCATION ERICKSON HALL January 29, 1970 Alfred D. Shankland, President North Central Michigan College Petoskey, Michigan 49770 Dear President Shankland: As you know, the nonurban setting, and particularly the small, nonurban community college setting, has been ignored and over­ looked in favor of a concentrated effort to explore the urban college and its challenges. Almost nothing has been written about our nonurban community colleges in recent years. Mr. Wally Hamrick, a doctoral intern in our Kellogg Community Services Leadership Program at Michigan State University, has selected a number of small, nonurban community colleges which he will visit during February and early March. He is particu­ larly interested in interviewing the administrators in those colleges to establish their perceptions of the potentialities and priorities for developing community services programs, and, hopefully, to identify the unique functions which exist in the nonurban community services programs. Your college is one which he plans to visit. With your per­ mission he will contact your administrator who has been desig­ nated as being responsible for community services. He will then be able to arrange a visitation date and a schedule of inter­ views. Please respond at your very earliest convenience so that this study may commence. Your support and cooperation are greatly appreciated. We be­ lieve this study will provide important information for our community colleges and community services programs. Sincerely, Max Raines, Professor Administration and Higher Education 220 APPENDIX B VISITATION AGENDA AGENDA For: Wally Hamrick, Michigan State University Administration and Higher Ed. College of Education Michigan State University Date of Visit:_______________________________ Institution:_________________________________ COMMUNITY SERVICES ADMINISTRATOR: Please arrange an interview with your President, Academic Dean, Vocational/Technical Dean, Business Affairs Dean, and other administrators. Each interview should be planned for approximately 45 minutes. Please complete columns 4 and 5. If in your judgment, the time schedule requires adjustment, please record the changes in column 2. It would be appreciated if a completed agenda could be distri­ buted to each participant along with their copy of the COMMUNITY SERVICES QUESTIONNAIRE and INTERVIEW GUIDE. Thank you very much for your help. 1 h TIME 2 TIME CHANGES 9:00-10:30 3 INTERVIEWS Orientation Session and Interview with Community Services Administrator 4 PARTICIPANTS 5 ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITY Director: Others:________ ___________________ 10:30 ________ Interview #2 _______________ ___________________ 11:30 ________ Interview #3 _______________ ___________________ 1:30 ________ Interview #4 _______________ ___________________ 2:30 ________ Interview #5 ________________ ___________________ 3:30 ________ Interview #6 _______ 4:30 Critique with Community Services Administrator APPENDIX C INSTITUTIONAL DATA INSTITUTIONAL DATA Name of College Address ______________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Year Established _________________ Accreditation____________ Students Enrolled Fall Term 1969 Full-Time ______ Total Head Count _______ Part-Time Equated _____________ Academic Program __________ Vocational/Technical___________ Students Served by Community Services Programs» 1968-69 Total Head Count _______ Enrolled in Credit Courses _____ (approximate) Enrolled in Non-Credit Activities __________ (approximate) Professional Staff Employed by the College Administrators Counselors Instructors _______________ ___________ ____________ Full-Time_____ _______________ ___________ ____________ Part-Time_____ _______________ ___________ ____________ Equated_______ _______________ ___________ ____________ Total Professional Staff Members Employed in Community Services Administrators Counselors Instructors Total _______________ ___________ ____________ Full-Time _______________ ___________ ____________ Part-Time_____ _______________ ___________ ____________ Approximate 1968-69 Operating Cost Per Student 222 ____________ APPENDIX D CHECK LIST FOR INSTITUTIONAL MATERIALS Name of Institution Check List For Institutional Materials To Supplement Interviews ADMINISTRATION, FINANCIAL, AND GENERAL INFORMATION __________ College President's ANNUAL REPORT __________ ORGANIZATIONAL CHART of the Administrative structure __________ Budgetary Information for the total college operation including community services. (Including salaries, equip­ ment, supplies, etc.) __________ Specific budgetary information related to community services __________ Tuition and Fee Information __________ Accreditation or other Self-Study Materials __________ College Calendar __________ College Catalog __________ Faculty and Student Handbook COMMUNITY SERVICES INFORMATION __________ Community Services ANNUAL REPORT __________ Statement of Objectives __________ Curricular Information: Registration forms and procedures, Program outlines and syllabi, Brochures, Publicity, etc. __________ Evaluation Information on Programs, Instruction, Students __________ Research Reports: Community Analysis, Surveys, Follow-Ups __________ Information on Facilities used for Community Services _________ Faculty Information: Contracts, Selection, etc. __________ Job Descriptions of Community Service Staff. __________ Community Services Enrollment Statistics for 196 8-69 223 Roster. APPENDIX E INFORMATIONAL LETTER TO ADMINISTRATORS MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY hast lansing* M ichigan iisd COLLEGE OF BDUCATION • DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION AND HIOHBR EDUCATION ERICKSON HALL February 197 0 Dear Community College Administrator: Thank you for your interest and cooperation in this study. I realize that you will have to spend a certain amount of time in completing the questionnaire and being interviewed, there­ fore, it is my sincere intent to focus our attention on the four major considerations of the study: (1) a definition of community services; (2) needed community services activities in the small, nonurban community college; (3) the importance of functions within the community services dimension; and ?T) the unique characteristics of small, nonurban community colleges and their settings. As you know, the nonurban setting, and particularly the small, nonurban community college, has taken a back seat as the nation's interest and resources have been directed toward the problems of the Urban areas and the larger institutions. It appears, however, that more attention will be given to our nonurban settings and the needs of the residents of those com­ munities. Your community college is certainly in a strategic position in your community, and I am very much interested in your perceptions of the role of community services within your college and throughout its service area. I would like to tape our interview in order that I may make a thorough analysis of the information. Please complete the QUESTIONNAIRE prior to the interview. Once again— Thank You for your assistance. Wally Hamrick, Study Director Department of Administration and Higher Education College of Education Michigan State University East Lansing 48823 224 APPENDIX F COMMUNITY SERVICES QUESTIONNAIRE COMMUNITY SERVICES QUESTIONNAIRE The emergence of Community Services as a mainline function of the community college has brought with it some semantic difficulties. Such terms as Community Services, Continuing Education, Adult Education, and Community Education are used in diverse ways by colleges and their administrators. For the purpose of this questionnaire, Community Serv­ ices activities may be considered any combination of the above efforts, as they express the communitycentered orientation of the programs and the dicotomy between Community Services and formal degree programs. The major concerns of this questionnaire are in establishing: (1) a definition of community services; (2) needed community services activities in the small, nonurban community college; (3) the importance of func­ tions within the community services division; and (4) the unique characteristics of small, nonurban community colleges and their settings. This questionnaire will be used in the forthcoming inter­ view. Please have the completed questionnaire, along with the other requested materials, at the interview. TIIANK YOU. Wally Hamrick Department of Administration and Higher Education College of Education Michigan State University East Lansing 48823 1970 225 226 COMMUNITY SERVICES QUESTIONNAIRE Community Services Philosophy 1. Most Community Colleges have a statement of their philosophy of Community Services. (A) What is your college's philosophy of Community Services? This may be included in your present catalog. If so, please indicate source, rather than duplicating here. (B) How well does the program of Community Services now offered reflect this philosophy? Please indicate below. Minimal CC) Partial General Substantial Total In your judgment, to what extent do the college's Board, Faculty/Staff, Students, and Community understand and support the Community Services philosophy? Please indicate below. H o A i. a Minimal Partial General Substantial Total Board ........ Faculty/Staff. Students .... Community .... Priorities 2. Most Community Services programs have several different kinds of activities as a part of their total program. (A) Please RANK the following activities according to your percep­ tion of their importance in your community services program. Let number 1 indicate the highest priority. Counseling Services _____ Extension Centers _____ Short Courses, W o r k s h o p s _____ Outreach (Disadvantaged) _____ Cultural Activities __ Leisure/Recreational Offerings College-Community Coordination Public Forums, Civic Action ___ Public Information (PR) _____ Community Analysis,Surveys ____ Program Evaluation Community Use of Facilities OTHERS: (B) (C) 227 What are the 3 to 5 most important activities that are a part of your program? Please refer to specific activities, not to general areas as shown in the previous question. For example Adult educational/vocational counseling in migrant areas. Which of the programs have had the best acceptance in terms o attendance, community response, positive feed-back, etc.? 3. Are there particular individual and community needs in your college service area that you perceive as priority items - "for now and/or the future? Potentialities 4. Looking ahead into the next few years - What potentialities do you perceive as existing within your college and in your community for the continued development of effective Community Services programs? For example, this may be expressed in terms of changing community needs, perceived changes in the area, needed programs, etc. Please giv examples of programs if possible. 228 5. In your judgment, should the Community College act as a change agent in your community? (A) That is, should it actively involve itself in: identifying com­ munity problems; determining goals and methods of solving those problems; coordination of agencies to deal with the problems; taking action toward achieving goals; keeping agencies moving; and evaluating progress toward goals. YES (B) NO If your answer is Yes, then How should the College act. If your answer is No, please indicate Why N o t . 6. What methods of encouraging community involvement and active partici pation in the planning, programming, attending, and evaluating of Community Services programs are most successful in your community? Please describe briefly. (For example: advisory committees, public info,etc.> 7. What: do you perceive as the unique functions related to Community Services programs in the small, nonurban Community College which differ significantly from such functions in larger and/or urban institutions? In other words, do nonurban programs differ from urban programs? If sc HOW? For your reference, you may wish to respond in terms of these are« Counseling Services Extension Centers and Classes Short Courses, Workshops Social Outreach(Disadvantaged) Cultural Activities Recreational/Leisure Offerings Community Analysis (Needs) College-Community Coordination Advisory Committees Public Affairs Forums Civic Action Efforts Faculty As Consultants Public Information (PR) Professional Development Staff Recruitment; Budget Conference Planning Community Use of Facilities Program Evaluation Definition of Community Services 8. Now that we have viewed Community Services' philosophy, priorities potentialities, and unique functions in the nonurban setting - based u your experiences, your programs, your perceptions - HOW DO YOU DEFINE COMMUNITY SERVICES? THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND COOPERATION APPENDIX G INTERVIEW GUIDE interview guide ADMINISTRATIVE PERCEPTIONS OF THE COMMUNITY SERVICES DIMENSION OF THE SMALL, NONURBAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE TOPICS 1. 2. 3. 4. The Nonurban Setting College-Community Relations Emergence of the Compassionate Revolution The Challenge of Change The interview will be concerned with: (1) a definition of community services; (2) needed community services activities in the nonurban setting; (3) the impor­ tance of functions within the community services division; and (4) the unique characteristics of small, nonurban com­ munity colleges and their settings. The actual topics discussed will be drawn from this Interview Guide and the Commun­ ity Services Questionnaire which should be completed prior to the interview. Wally Hamrick Administration and Higher Education College of Education Michigan State University 1970 230 231 INTERVIEW GUIDE An Outline of Possible Discussion Topics for Interviews with Community College Administrators TOPIC I THE NONURBAN SETTING 1* How would you describe your college's service area? (Economic, Social, Civic, Cultural, Educational climate) 2. How would you describe the residents? (Education, age distribution, attitudes and aspir­ ations, occupations, socio-economic status, dis­ advantaged and advantaged, support of college pro­ grams ) 3. What are some of the district's problems related to: Education (schools and college), Business and In­ dustry, Transportation and Communication systems. Financial Base (What is district tax base? Public's attitude toward taxes?). Religious institutions, Utilities and Sanitation, Recreational and Cul­ tural Opportunities, Governmental Services (local, state, federal), Health, Law Enforcement, Welfare, Legal Assistance, Employment, Housing, Discrimi­ nation, Migrants, Minority groups), Urbanization, Population Mobility. OTHERS? 4. Has a "Community Needs Analysis" been made? When? Is a copy available? What NEEDS were identified? 5. What are the major "Action" groups in this com­ munity? TOPIC II COLLEGE-COMMUNITY RELATIONS 1. What efforts initiated by the college are presently in operation or planned for the ne?ir future, for coordination of community resources for community improvement ? 2. What methods of gaining public support and good­ will have been most successful? 3. Do you feel the college is establishing an identity and image which corresponds to your adopted pur­ poses and philosophy? 4. If not, how might this best be accomplished? 23 2 5. Does every segment of the population have an aware­ ness and understanding of the opportunities avail­ able to them through your college's programs? 6. Are provisions made for every segment of the popu­ lation when programs are planned and scheduled? 7. How many residents are involved in the advisory committees or other capacities which encourage their active participation in many facets of pro­ grams and their planning? 8. Based on realistic needs, what are the potentiali­ ties indicated for developing effective community services programs in your college's service area? 9. How effective are your public relations efforts? 10. Do you feel your publics are well-informed of the college's purpose, as well as its programs? What efforts are made to keep the publics informed? 11. What facilities are utilized for community ser­ vices programs? On-Campus and Off-Campus? 12. How strong is community support in all sections of your service area? Are there some sections "For" the college, while other sections are "Against" the college? TOPIC III EMERGENCE OF THE COMPASSIONATE REVOLUTION 1. Is there a community pride evident in your community? 2. What are the sources of pride in your community? (Schools--Resources— Industry— Historical Site— etc.) 3. Would you say that your community's values have changed significantly in recent years? In what way? What caused this change? 4. What seems to be the obvious trends in your resi­ dents' attitudes toward life in the nonurban setting— educational/occupational aspirations, choice of occupations, mobility, etc.? 5. Are the college's programs relevant to the resi­ dents' needs now and in the future years in a changing society? 233 6. What role does educational and vocational counsel­ ing play in your overall college program? What counseling services are provided for community services activities? Is Off—Campus Counseling available? What are the stated objectives of the Adult Counseling program? Are those objectives being met? 7. What provisions are being made for Community Edu­ cation? Are there Community School Directors in the area? Are programs coordinated with Community School programs to avoid gaps and duplications? 8. Are cultural programs available to the community? What types? For all segments of the population? 9. What provisions are made for the disadvantaged? The Migrants? The Minority groups? The Aged? 10. What positive efforts are evident in attempting to develop programs to encourage community and indi­ vidual self-help? TOPIC IV THE CHALLENGE OF CHANGE 1. Is there evidence that the community is accepting change as it occurs in the economy, social and family life, education, and other areas, or is there a tendency to maintain the "status quo?" 2. Is your community aware of its potentialities, or is it resigned "to a slow death?" What are your area's potentialities? 3. Has an increase in leisure time become a problem? What provisions are being m a d e a t the college and through community services to prepare people for this leisure activity? 4. Are In-Service programs for counselors being held? Is there a coordinative effort being made with school and college counselors, mental health and social agencies, ministers, law enforcement, medical, and other related services to provide a real service to the people of your community? 5. What changes are occurring in your community? Does the college have a role in providing edu­ cational solutions to society's problems? What is that role? 6. Is research utilized by your college and by the community services division? Has evaluation be­ come an important part of your programs? APPENDIX H INTERVIEW GUIDE FOR COMMUNITY SERVICES ADMINISTRATOR INTERVIEW GUIDE FOR COMMUNITY SERVICES ADMINISTRATOR 1. Give a brief description of your educational and professional background. How do you feel your background relates to your present position? How might it have been strengthened? 2. What are the major objectives of your community services program? 3. What facilities are utilized in your programs? 4. What is the location of your position in the administrative structure of the college? 5. What major activities occupy your time? Which of your day-to-day activities have proven most effective in developing community services programs? 6. What is your procedure for developing a community services program? Is there a step-by-step approach? 7. What are the sources of financial support for community services? Is there a particular method of financial support which has proven most success­ ful for you? What are the major areas of cost? 8. To what segments of the population are your pro­ grams directed? 9. What are the major difficulties that a community services administrator faces in developing his programs? 10. What insights do you offer for developing and increasing faculty commitment to community ser­ vices? What criteria do you use in hiring your instructors? What are their working conditions (pay, hours, travel, etc.)? 234