Abstract
The community college is a uniquely diverse sector of American higher education as students from a wide range of academic and personal backgrounds enroll for a multitude of reasons. This diversity was not necessarily the intention of the founders of community colleges, but it is a condition that has emerged over time as a result of their expansion and has become part of their mission of providing access to postsecondary education. There are currently over 1,000 community colleges in the United States, enrolling more than seven million students nationwide. In the fall of 2012, community colleges enrolled 50 percent of undergraduate students attending public institutions, and 38 percent of all undergraduates (NCES 2013).1 Today, community colleges enroll students reflecting an infinitely diverse range of ages, races, and nationalities. There is a complexity not only in the background of community college students but also in their educational goals. Individuals are brought together in community college classrooms with seemingly little more in common than the classes they are taking. This diversity is an important asset of community colleges, particularly when the faculty finds ways to incorporate it into their teaching.
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© 2014 Amy E. Traver and Zivah Perel Katz
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Morest, V.S. (2014). The Community’s College: Contextualizing Service-Learning in the Mission and Development of Community Colleges. In: Traver, A.E., Katz, Z.P. (eds) Service-Learning at the American Community College. Community Engagement in Higher Education. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137355737_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137355737_3
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