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In most surveys, 80 percent of community college students report that they would like to eventually transfer to a four-year institution and earn a bachelor's degree. However, a new report released on January 19, 2016 by the Community College Research Center (CCRC) at Teachers College, Columbia University, the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program, and the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, suggests that only 14 percent of the 720,000 community college students studied achieved that goal. As the report notes, the discrepancy between these numbers is problematic. In fact, even among those who managed to transfer to four-year programs, only 42 percent graduated. Moreover, the dropout rate among marginalized and low income students was especially high, leading David Jenkins, Senior Research Associate at CCRC, to conclude that "Too many students are failed by the current system of transfer between community colleges and universities." While the current report stops short of prescribing solutions, CCRC and the Aspen Institute plan to develop and release a "playbook" that will help institutions create effective transfer policies for community college and university...

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Almost exactly a year ago, President Obama outlined his proposal to offer two years of free community college tuition for students in order to lower the cost of attendance and increase student access and attendance. Since then, the idea of providing free tuition for students to attend community college has captured the attention of national media. But, as Ted A. Lewis explains, access is only one piece of the student success equation. To find out more about the various strategies developed by community colleges in order to meet the demand of an estimated 65% of jobs that will require some sort of college degree by 2020, check out this article from Community College Daily.

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This fact-filled, 112-page report assembled pro bono by Deloitte Consulting for the New England Council examines the past, present, and future of advanced manufacturing in New England. Far from a moribund pronouncement about the offshoring of production jobs, Advanced to Advantageous: The Case for New England's Manufacturing Revolution argues that the region is poised for big breakthroughs in advanced manufacturing. The draft begins with a four-section chapter on key findings from interviews with New England's diverse stakeholders, including segments on Where We Are Now, Where We Are Going, How We Get There, and An Action Plan for New England. The report then delves into chapters on such topics as Industry Growth Trends, Employment Trends, Emerging Economics, and other issues, before examining five Industry Clusters. The colorful charts, graphs, and tables peppered throughout the document make this report as readable as it is informative. Readers can find more information on the Advanced to Advantageous report by visiting the ATE@20 blog or by reading this article from the New England Journal of Higher Education.

Great to see so many of our colleagues at the 2015 ATE PI Conference just a few weeks ago in DC!  Just wanted to let everyone know that a lot of materials from the conference, including presentations, photos, and videos of the Thursday and Friday morning plenaries, are now available on the conference site at http://aacc.nche.edu/2015ATE.  

The National Science Foundation (NSF) invites teams of community college students to propose innovative STEM-based solutions for real-world problems identified within the theme of “Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy, and Water Systems” in the 2016 Community College Innovation Challenge (CCIC). All entries must be received during the competition submission window, from October 15, 2015 to February 15, 2016. More information can be found on the challenge website.

ATE Central and AACC are pleased to announce the release of the 2015 ATE PI Conference mobile app! The app and companion website are designed to help you make the most of your conference experience. Use your phone, tablet, or Internet browser to create a personal schedule, stay up-to-date with the agenda and speaker lineup, search the attendee directory, and more! The app is available for iPhone or iPad as well as Android, Blackberry, and Windows devices. To download the app, search your app store for "ATE PI 2015" or simply follow the appropriate link from your mobile device.

For up-to-date information on the 2015 ATE PI Conference mobile app and more about the meeting, follow @ATECentral and @Comm_College on Twitter, or visit ATE Central at Booth #002 (Oct 21-23)!

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When the American Association of Community Colleges unveiled its Next Big Things program earlier this year at the 95th AACC annual convention, many educators and community college administrators appreciated the breadth and depth of the vision. Goals included improving students' pathways to four-year institutions, better tracking student progress, sharing information between institutions on how best to retain students, and other essential steps toward improving outcomes for community college students. Following up on the early appreciation for the program, the AACC has now released a Next Big Things Toolkit, which includes sample press materials, in both PDF and Word format, as well as a colorful and informative 28-slide Powerpoint presentation that is designed to be adapted to the needs of any community college implementing the program. To learn more about the Next Big Thing Toolkit, or to download the resources, readers may click here.

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Diana Cowern went to MIT and worked in a hard science lab at Harvard before taking a job as a software engineer and eventually launching her own YouTube channel, Physics Girl, which boasts over one hundred thousand subscribers. This article from the U.S. News and World Report features some interesting background on Cowern, an embedded video about the Magnus Effect from the Physics Girl channel, and insight about the creation of a popular YouTube Channel. For ATE Projects and centers interested in drawing in more women, an interview with the Physics Girl herself offers some ideas about how to encourage girls to pursue STEM subjects.

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With recent calls from the White House to outfit a new generation of students for STEM careers, it’s no surprise that the National Science Foundation has just earmarked $12 million for the "revolutionizing" of six engineering and computer science departments around the country. The grants are part of the RED (Revolutionizing Engineering Departments) program, a multiyear initiative that seeks “to create and support an innovative and inclusive engineering profession for the 21st Century.” For more on the grant award, as well as links to the RED program and several videos of NSF assistant director for engineering Pramod Khargonekar’s words on the future of the field, readers may click here.

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A recently released report by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reveals that, among students who earned their associate degrees and other certificates during the 2008-2009 school year, more than two-fifths went on to earn a bachelor’s degree within the next six years. 

The number was far higher for younger students. In fact, of those students who were age 20 or younger when they earned their associate degree, over 60 percent went on to earn a bachelor’s degree over the next years. That number fell to just over 40 percent for students between the ages of 21 and 24, and fell again (to just over 30 percent) for students over the age of 24. 

In addition, the report covers a number of other interesting data points, such as what percentage of students who completed a certificate went on to complete an associate degree; how long it took the average student to complete a bachelor’s degree after earning an associate degree; and other interesting facts.