What is a community college?

The community college is America's contribution to education in the 20th century. The roots of the community college movement may be found in the junior colleges of the 1920s and '30s, which offered the first two years of a postsecondary education. Today, there are more than 1,170 comprehensive community colleges across the country. The community college's broad curriculum, its responsiveness to community needs and its accessibility to all local residents distinguishes it from the old junior college.

Recent research shows that public community colleges serve 44 percent of all U.S. undergraduates. Forty percent of first-time college freshman are enrolled in community colleges. Across the country, 6.7 million students are enrolled in community college credit programs, and 5 million are taking community college noncredit courses. Because of the equal opportunity for education offered to its supporters, the community college has been called the "characteristic educational institution of the United States."

A local college serving local needs

A local college serving local needs Johnson County Community College was founded in 1969 to serve the residents of Johnson County, Kan. JCCC is governed by a seven-member board of trustees elected at-large from the community to four-year terms. The board governs the college and sets the budget and local tax levy. Every other year, in odd calendar years, three trustees face reelection.

State legislation has enabled communities to create college districts that are supported by state funding and local taxes. About 60 percent of JCCC's operating funding comes from county taxes and motor vehicle taxes, the remainder comes from student tuition and state aid.

The college's management budget, which represents the actual amount the college spends in a year, is $205,074,181. It is composed of the operating budget, totaling $134,422,428 and the budgets for all other funds such as capital outlay auxiliary and restricted funds, totaling $57,336,996.

How well does JCCC fulfill its mission?

Innovative, high-quality curriculum

• JCCC offers a full range of undergraduate credit courses that form the first two years of most college curricula.
• Courses are offered throughout the day and evening, on Saturdays and on Sunday afternoons, via computer and over the Internet. Telecourses are available on video-cassette or nightly and on weekends on Time Warner Cable, channel 17, or Comcast Cable, channel 22, or SureWest Cable, channel 17.
• Class size averages 25 to 30 students, which is much lower than at many larger colleges and universities.

Preparation for college/university transfer

• The college has more than 100 transfer agreements with regional colleges and universities, which assure admittance without loss of time or credit.
• More than one-third of JCCC students enrolled in fall 2008 planned to transfer to another college or university.
• More than 97 percent of respondents to a 2007 survey of former students who had transferred to a four-year college or university indicated they had achieved their education objective at JCCC.

Occupational preparation and retraining

• More than 50 one- and two-year career degree and certificate programs prepare students to enter the job market in high-employment fields.
• Ninety percent of respondents to a survey of students who had completed a career program at JCCC in 2006-2007 indicated their career program skills were related to their current job, and 97 percent of their employers rated the overall job preparation their employee had received at the college as "good" or "very good."
• Continuing education classes are available to help county residents hone their working skills or acquire new ones, either for the jobs they hold now or to prepare for new careers.
• Professional education is offered to individuals who are required by state licensing boards, certifying agencies and professional associations to obtain continuing education units (CEUs). Professions currently served include real estate, health and human services, mediation, early childhood educators, payroll and human resources managers, and individuals in technical trades.

High enrollments

• With more than 35,000 students enrolled in credit and continuing education classes each semester, Johnson County Community College is the state's third largest institution of higher education and the largest of its 19 community colleges.
• JCCC is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association, www.ncahigherlearningcommission, (312) 263-0456.
• Individual college programs are accredited by associated professional organizations.
• JCCC is a member of the League for Innovation in the Community College.

A diverse student body

• About 20 percent of Johnson County's recent high school graduates come to JCCC.
• However, the average age of JCCC's students is 25.6, which means that many older students take JCCC classes, either to fulfill personal goals or to change their lives by acquiring a college education or career training.
• About 75 percent of JCCC's students reside in Johnson County. Female students make up 54 percent of the student body. About 15 percent are non-Caucasian.
• About 65 percent of JCCC's students attend classes part time.

Dedicated faculty and staff

• The college has 1,009 full-time faculty and staff. Another 1,700 people work as adjunct faculty or part-time staff.
• Most faculty members have master's degrees, and many have or are earning doctorates.
• Faculty and staff have won many awards for excellence.

A beautiful, well-maintained campus

• The 234-acre campus, which opened in 1972 with six buildings, is located near the population center of the county at College Boulevard and Quivira Road. Today, there are 20 major buildings on campus. The newest are the Regnier Center and the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art.
• The Carlsen Center, a comprehensive performing and visual arts complex, presents one of the largest multidiscipline performing arts series in the region.

Supportive student services

• JCCC offers students state-of-the-art computer labs (both PC and Macintosh) as well as fully equipped health care, language and science education labs.
• The college's Academic Achievement Center helps students meet their academic goals in spelling, reading and math. In addition, free tutoring in specified academic areas is available.
• The Math Resource Center provides instructional/tutorial support on a drop-in basis to all JCCC students.
• The Writing Center helps students and the community with writing skills and operates a hotline to answer grammar questions.
• The Counseling Center provides assistance with student information, orientation, academic advising, personal/career counseling, college adjustment and developmental programming and classes.
• The Career Services Center provides career development and job search resources, career counseling, assessments, job listings, internship information, business etiquette and career events for students and alumni.
• The Hiersteiner Child Development Center provides care and education for children age 1 year and walking through age 6 years, as long as the child turns 6 after Sept. 1.
• Testing Services administers COMPASS and COMPASS/ESL for entry-level assessment, waiver exams, proficiency exams, the ACT national and residual for selective entry programs, the GED examination, distance learning and instructor make-up testing. Prior learning assessment is available by appointment. Testing Services provides ADA accommodations through Access Services.
• The Student Success Center, housed in the Student Center, is a one-stop shop for new, continuing, returning and prospective students. Staff and faculty from all Student Services and Learner Engagement offices are located in this one area to assist students with most of their needs and questions, including admission, registration, records, financial aid, counseling, career and access services.
• Student Life and Leadership provides numerous student engagement and leadership activities that enrich and enhance the college experience.
• The JCCC Billington Library has more than 107,000 books, videos and audio recordings and holds more than 500 current periodicals with extended journal and full-text content available via 85 online databases. The library provides patrons with Internet access. In addition, wireless networking is available to JCCC students, staff and faculty; laptops configured to work with the library’s wireless network or network cards may be borrowed for in-library use. Through the library’s access to a national interlibrary loan system, students may request materials not available locally. Instruction on the use of various electronic database resources is offered to currently enrolled students, giving them access both on- and off-campus. Reference assistance is offered by phone, e-mail or in person by MLS-degreed librarians. Students with disabilities may access both print and online library resources using assistive technology available in the library.

Programs for special student groups

• The college's Honors Program stimulates and challenges academically talented students.
• Access Services for Students with Disabilities provides accommodations for students with documented disabilities through a variety of services including (but not limited to) note takers, readers and scribes for exams, extended time for exams, assistive technology or materials produced in alternate format. Interpreters and transliteraters are available as are assistive-listening devices.
• The Gallaudet University Regional Center (GURC) at JCCC offers extension courses, training workshops and technical assistance to address the educational, transition and professional development needs from birth through adulthood of deaf and hard of hearing people, their families and professionals who work with them throughout a 15-state region.
• Developmental and basic reading, writing and math courses are available using traditional classroom techniques or multimedia technology.
• International and Immigration Student Services serves individuals wishing to come to the U.S.; those presently in the U.S. on a visa; those in asylum or refugee, pending permanent resident status (having filed an I-485 application for permanent residence); or those with undocumented status.
• English for Speakers of Other Languages courses are available at many levels.
• Because not every student can take courses taught in the conventional classroom, JCCC also offers online classes, telecourses, self-paced study, courses taught by arrangement, weekend classes, classes at local high schools, late-start classes, accelerated classes and credit through prior learning assessment.
• JCCC’s Adult Basic Education and GED programs served 2,363 students in 2008-2009, 1,947 of whom completed at least 12 hours. Almost 1,200 of those students studied English as a second language, 242 received their GED, 141 received citizenship, 126 went on to post-secondary education, 841 retained and improved their employment, and 46 received employment.

Collaborative programs with other schools

• About 2,000 area high school students take courses for college credit through JCCC's College Now program each semester. Another 700 high school Quick Step students enroll in classes on the JCCC campus for college credit. More than 500 Technical College Preparation (Career Pathways) area high school graduates continue their career education at JCCC each year.
• JCCC's College Close to Home program offers general education credit courses off campus in the evenings at high schools in DeSoto, Eudora, Gardner-Edgerton and Spring Hill, and at Bishiop Miege North, Lawrence Centennial School and KU Edwards Campus.
• In addition to transfer/articulation agreements with many four-year colleges and universities in Kansas and Missouri, JCCC has degree completion agreements in place with Avila University, Baker University SPGS, Bellevue University, Colorado Technical University, DeVry University, Donnelly College, Emporia State University, Fort Hays State University, Franklin University, Friends University, Kansas State University, MidAmerica Nazarene University, National American University, Ottawa University, Park University, University of Central Missouri, the University of Kansas Edwards Campus, University of Phoenix, University of Saint Mary, Washburn University and Webster University that offer courses in the evening or via the Internet, CD-Rom, or a combination of methods of delivery.
• Arts education programming is provided for students in rural areas of the county and at the Carlsen Center.

International education

• International education spans the entire range of college activities at JCCC, from credit and continuing education courses to study abroad and an award-winning international service project in Mexico. JCCC offers many international courses in business, humanities and social sciences and 10 foreign languages and provides opportunities for students to study in one of 30 countries. JCCC's six partner colleges from around the world bring international faculty to the college, and experts on international topics visit the campus each year.
• JCCC is one of 23 U.S. regional centers for the Asian Studies Development Program of the East-West Center and the University of Hawaii and a member of the Community Colleges for International Development and the International Partnership for Service Learning.
• Two JCCC teams have been selected to participate in the University of Pennsylvania’s prestigious Japan Seminar, a year-long program on the history and culture of Japan.
• The college received a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Exemplary Grant in 2004-2005 and a Title IV International Education Grant for 2006-2009 to enhance its international curriculum and faculty development for Arabic culture studies. JCCC faculty continue to earn Fulbright awards for extended study and immersion in various countries.
• The college received a Fulbright Group Projects Abroad Grant for the summer of 2008 to support 14 faculty in a curriculum development project in Morocco.
• Five JCCC students received the competitive Freeman Asia Award and Gilman Scholarship for the 2008-2009 academic year for study in Morocco, Japan and China.

Lifelong education and workforce training

• JCCC's continuing education program is the largest, most comprehensive in the Kansas City area.
• JCCC's Center for Business and Technology provides contract training in management and supervisory skills and a Supervisory Assessment Center. Training runs the gamut from call center entry level to executive mentoring and coaching.
• The center has one of the top three computer software and information technology training programs in the country. State-of-the-art hardware and software, combined with top instruction, are assets to companies and individuals in Johnson County and the greater Kansas City area.
• In 2008, the Center for Business and Technology began offering Lean Six Sigma training and certification.
• About 18,690 people enroll each year in more than 600 certification, recertification and relicensure workshops, seminars, independent study, computer and information technology classes and contract training events.
• More than 4,500 employees of area companies take advantage of contract training courses specifically tailored for them and presented at the college or on site at the workplace.
• Credit classes are offered at area businesses, including the Lawrence Energy Center and Johnson County Corrections, through the college's On Your Site program.

Social/cultural/recreational enrichment

• During 2007-2008, JCCC's more than 2,200 personal enrichment classes, on topics ranging from gardening to money management, attracted more than 12,100 enrollments.
• Almost 55,000 tickets were issued to performances in JCCC's Carlsen Center in 2008-2009.
• The series is allied with the major performing arts organizations of Greater Kansas City, encouraging cultural partnerships that bring festivals, workshops and performances to the campus. Since opening in 1990, the performance spaces in the Carlsen Center have welcomed more than 1.5 million attendees.
• More than 20 percent of all the events, activities and performances in the Carlsen Center are sponsored by community groups or local arts presenters.
• The Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art at JCCC is the largest contemporary art museum in the four-state region and the only contemporary art museum in Kansas. The museum houses exhibition space, including major temporary exhibition galleries, permanent collection galleries, a new media gallery and an intimate “focus” gallery. In addition, a project gallery is devoted to area artists. The museum also houses Cafe Tempo (seating 110), a 200-seat auditorium and two art education classrooms for children and adults.
• JCCC collects contemporary art from around the world. The work of more than 850 local, regional, national and international artists is represented in JCCC’s collection, which features a diverse range of painting, photography, clay, sculpture, works on paper and new media. In addition to the museum, the college’s collection is installed in “focus” areas in the corridors, dining halls and other highly visible and accessible locations around campus, sparking a spontaneous engagement with art for students, faculty, staff and visitors.
• In April 2006, Public Art Review magazine named JCCC as one of the top 10 university/college campuses for public art in America, citing the outdoor sculpture and the paintings, ceramics, photography and works on paper installed throughout the campus.

Affordable costs

• Cost per credit hour is $69 for Johnson County residents, $84 for Kansas residents outside Johnson County, and $159 for out-of-state residents.
• Student Financial Aid oversees the awarding and disbursing of more than $26 million in scholarships, grants, work study and loans to students to assist them in financing their education. They also provide advice on institutional, state and federal aid programs to students who may be eligible.
• Costs vary for continuing education courses.

Easy enrollment

• JCCC has an open admissions policy. Students wishing to attend the college must file an application, submit official transcripts and complete an assessment process. Students may register for classes via the Web.
• Enrollment in continuing education classes is continuous by phone, fax, Web, mail or in person throughout the semester.

Athletics on campus

• Men and women participate in 18 intercollegiate sports. Men compete in basketball, indoor track, outdoor track, cross country, half marathon, tennis, golf, soccer and baseball. Women compete in basketball, indoor track, outdoor track, cross country, half marathon, tennis, soccer, volleyball and softball.
• The campus has excellent indoor and outdoor athletic facilities. The indoor facilities include the 3,500-seat gymnasium, the Barbara Gill Lifetime Fitness Center and the Fieldhouse, a 43,000-square-foot area with a 200-meter six-lane track and a multifunctional area that can be configured for basketball, volleyball and tennis. The outdoor facilities include six tennis courts, baseball/softball diamonds, a 10-lane track and soccer fields.
• JCCC is sanctioned under the National Junior College Athletic Association and participates in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference. With 10 national championships, more than 70 top-five national finishes, 100 region titles, 135 conference titles and more than 150 All-American athletes, the Cavaliers are successful both on and off the fields and courts.

Promoting economic development and partnerships

• JCCC returns about $2.70 to the community for every tax dollar it collects. JCCC's total tangible economic impact on the community is more than $182 million annually.
• It's estimated that JCCC's partnership with Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad and the city of Overland Park adds an additional $50 million to the county's economic base.
• To support industry training needs, the college partners with the Kansas Department of Commerce to help companies access workforce training funds. Through this partnership, companies have accessed more than $176.5 million from the Department of Commerce since 1983 to support local workforce development.
• In 2008 the Small Business Development Center provided free management consulting and technical assistance to 156 existing business owners and 216 aspiring business owners. Small business training was provided to 983 workshop attendees. The SBDC is funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Kansas Department of Commerce and JCCC.
• The National Higher Education Benchmarking Institute coordinates two national data collection/data sharing consortia: the Kansas Study of Community College Instructional Costs and Productivity and the National Community College Benchmark Project. Between 250 and 300 colleges across the country participate in one or both of these projects annually.