Unique Education Course Gives Students Perspective into Community College Life

Fayetteville, Ark. — Like any business in our increasingly mobile society, finding and keeping well-trained teachers is a continual challenge, particularly for community colleges. It is estimated that community colleges throughout the United States will, in the next 10 years, replace nearly one-third of their 105,000 full time faculty. And with a nearly constant influx of students, more than 10.5 million strong across the nation in 1999 alone, there is constant demand for well-trained professionals to teach courses and serve as administrators and staff. More than 1000 community colleges across the nation are bustling with a renewed energy, vigor and mission, 23 of them right here in Arkansas.

With this in mind, a new University of Arkansas program offers graduate students from a variety of fields the chance to prepare for rewarding careers as community college teachers and administrators. Jim Hammons, a professor of higher education in the College of Education and Health Professions, has spearheaded the effort with help from Karen Stauffacher, assistant dean in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, by creating a series of courses designed especially for community college teachers-to-be.

Hammons, former dean and campus director of two community colleges, developed the new teaching program to fill the educational gap of those students specifically interested in working within the community college environment and to provide a pool of potential employees into which both local and national colleges may tap.

"The Community College Teaching Program is a way for students to fulfill dreams of teaching college-level courses without the mandatory research requirements common to traditional university and college settings," said Stauffacher, assistant dean in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences and a main force behind the program's development. "With the help of some good solid research on what it takes to be a community college faculty member and advice from our advisory committee, we've been able to prepare a curriculum that is challenging and stimulating. We offer a program to graduate students that makes them highly employable as future community college faculty—these students hit the ground running."

Dori Gould, a doctoral candidate in environmental dynamics who was part of the first cohort of students enrolled in the Community College Teaching Program, admits at the outset that she never knew she'd consider teaching at the community college level.

"I knew almost nothing about community colleges," Gould said. "And certainly, when I began, I took classes to further refine my own teaching. But it was so interesting to learn about community colleges because their focus is solely on teaching—they don't have to do research, there's no 'publish or perish' agenda."

"There's a snobbery regarding community colleges," Gould added. "But the Community College Teaching course has wide applications and relevance to a variety of people. It was so inspirational—not a class went by that a light bulb didn't go off in my head and I said 'Wow, I'm going to use that in my own class!'—it's that kind of atmosphere. The program has made me much more marketable. It opened this whole world that I never even thought of."

The program metamorphosed Gould's own professional goals, too. "If I stay in academia and teaching, I would choose to teach at the community college level," she said. "It's reassuring to know there are people who care about teaching more than research grants and money—community colleges offer such a nurturing environment."

Stephen Skinner, a UA graduate with a degree in physics and a master's in physics education, found the program's emphasis on practical teaching methods and ideas a refreshing alternative to traditional education courses. While he admitted having little interest in getting a Ph.D. as a means to teach in a higher education setting, Skinner found the Community College Teaching Program helped him reach his career goals in a dynamic, less lengthy way.

"I enjoyed the program a great deal," he said, "and was more quickly and better qualified to teach after taking it." Skinner also acknowledged that community college faculty have the opportunity to be totally dedicated to being educators while still having time to get involved in their community. "If I want to do pure teaching, community college is the place to be," he said. "I want to be able to make a difference somewhere."

"The community college environment is a special one," Hammons said. "People really want to learn—students are engaged, excited and academically 'lit.' Teaching in and working in that environment is extremely rewarding."

With 30 students enrolled in the community college program so far and promise of steady growth, both Hammons and Stauffacher are certain of its continued expansion and success. "With programs like this one," Hammons said, "we can be sure that we're fulfilling both the student's professional needs as well as the needs of community colleges in the state and nation. It's a winning arrangement for everyone involved."