Target 2020: Why Community Colleges?
According to the American Association of Community Colleges, 46% of undergraduate students are currently enrolled in America’s community colleges; approximately 6.5 million students with an average age of 29 years old.
This student population also reflects the diversity of the Millennial Generation as 35% are students of color and 60% are female. With the increase in enrollment around the country, and with more students attending college part-time while working more than 20 hours a week, community colleges are becoming diverse laboratories for Millennial innovation and civic participation.
But, a recent Brookings Institution poll shows that fewer than 46% of community college students successfully graduate within 6 years, and in order to ensure they can afford their education, 27% of community college students have fulltime jobs and more than 47% receive some form of financial aid. With the prohibitive costs of attaining a degree from a 4-year institution, this paints a hopeful picture of the next generation of leaders in our business, non-profit and government sectors, showing that though students face a number of barriers in attaining their educational goals, members of the Millennial Generation are making a concerted effort to pursue higher education.
With government investments in America’s community colleges, including grants supporting community college innovation, expansion and additional course offerings, and the support for postsecondary education from private institutions like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mobilize.org believes it is up to Millennial students to identify the obstacles they face in completing their education and to develop solutions they can champion and implement in their communities. We also believe that Millennials are well equipped to lead projects in their communities that will help address college completion and that will produce measurable results.
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