Spotlight on Community Colleges

During the Council for the Study of Community Colleges annual conference in April 2026 in Salt Lake City, Spotlight on Community Colleges recorded a live episode featuring a panel of wonderful guests. This conversation focused on the idea of "The Community College in Tumultuous Times: Reflections and Future Possibilities," a period for making sense of the changes unfolding in our institutions over...

According to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), about 60% of community colleges offer sports programs. This translates to approximately 60,000 student-athletes in community colleges around the United States participating in more than two dozen sports. According to Eddie Comeaux and Eric Davidson, student-athletes have higher GPAs than their non-athlete counterparts; communit...

The American Association of Community Colleges estimates that about 40% of headcount enrollment at community colleges is in non credit-bearing courses and programs, yet much remains unknown about noncredit education. On this episode of Spotlight on Community Colleges, we talk about what we know about noncredit occupational training in community colleges - and what we still don’t know. We are going...

There's a lot to love about community colleges, and one of those components is the employees who themselves are in, healthy romantic relationships. The two-body problem, as it is commonly referred to, entails how spouses or significant others must account for finding similarly specialized role in the same geographic area, or if possible, the same institution. On today's episode, we welcome on one...

Today on Spotlight on Community Colleges we focus on issues related to campus climate in community colleges. In other words, how might faculty, staff, administrators, and other constituents perceive institutional policies, practices, and routines that influence satisfaction, efficacy, and success.  Deconstructing this complicated and nuanced topic is a panel of guests who have a deep understanding...

On this episode of Spotlight on Community Colleges we take a peek into the world of community college fundraising! Guests Dr. Everrett Smith (Associate Professor, University of Cincinnati) and Charles Silver (Development Director, Scottsdale Community College) join in the conversation to share the research on community college fundraising and the unique considerations that practitioners face, resp...

This episode of Spotlight on Community Colleges centers some of the most understudied yet vital members of the higher education community: community college trustees. These are the incredible folks who volunteer their time to act as fiscal stewards of their institutions, guide institutional mission and strategy, monitor operations, hire the CEOs, and ensure that their colleges and students can flo...

The community college financial aid landscape is fraught with challenges related to income verification and making satisfactory academic progress, but also opportunities associated with supporting students' payments and financial literacy training. This episode of Spotlight on Community Colleges deconstructs the current realities of community college financial aid. Today's guests discuss the vario...

Drawing in tens of thousands of international students each year, community colleges welcome these learners to higher education. Similarly, transborder students attend community colleges, each day crossing the border to attain their education. Yet the turbulent political and immigration landscape is creating challenges for community colleges and, in tandem, international and transborder students....

The Council for the Study of Community Colleges (CSCC) represents an academic home for many scholars and practitioners invested in these higher education institutions. On this episode of Spotlight on Community Colleges, we are joined by Dr. Jason Taylor (Associate Professor, University of Utah; President-Elect, CSCC), as well as CSCC members Dr. Nicole Contreras-García (Assistant Professor, Florid...

On this episode of SPOTLIGHT ON COMMUNITY COLLEGES we feature a conversation on building and maintaining equitable teaching practices in community college science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM education. We are joined by two community college educators: Dr. Melonie Sexton (psychology professor) and Ms. Josephine Pino (biology professor). Today's discussion is framed around a consensu...

For decades community colleges have served as an alternative higher education option for students, yet not always are these perceptions framed positively by the media and influential forces. On this episode of Spotlight on Community Colleges, we feature a conversation featuring two guests who help us make sense of the various ways the American public frames and views these institutions: Dr. Chaunc...

On this episode of Spotlight on Community Colleges, we disentangle the many constantly changing challenges and threats to higher education via anti-DEI legislation. This episode, recorded in February 2025, features a conversation with two guests who hold important perspectives on these important issues and how they may impact community colleges: Dr. Jeremy Young (Director of State and Higher Educa...

In this episode of Spotlight on Community Colleges ("Community College Student Mental Health), we speak to two individuals who share their experiences and thoughts on how to best serve students who may face challenges as they pursue their education: Dr. Amanda O. Latz (Associate Professor, Ball State University) Tony Williams (Vice President of Student Services, Coconino Community College)  Check...

On this episode of Spotlight on Community Colleges ("Women of Color in the Community College Leadership Pipeline"), take an opportunity to recognize the incredible leadership conducted by women of color in community colleges. Joining on this panel discussion are three key leaders who have brought meaningful, transformative change to their educational institutions: Dr. Daria Willis  (President of H...

In the second episode of Spotlight on Community Colleges ("Meet the Spotlight on Community Colleges Hosts: Drs. Erin Doran, Carrie B. Kisker, and Brett Ranon Nachman"), learn about the practical experiences and research that have guided the work and lives of each of the three podcast hosts: Dr. Carrie B. Kisker (Kisker Education Consulting), Dr. Erin Doran (University of Texas at El Paso), and Dr....

Welcome to the first episode of Spotlight on Community Colleges. In this inaugural episode, our hosting team (Drs. Carrie B. Kisker, Erin Doran, and Brett Ranon Nachman) establishes context on what to expect from the podcast! This podcast, a project of the Council for the Study of Community Colleges, will serve as a space for administrators, researchers, faculty, and additional stakeholders to hol...