Weaknesses Demog.
It is difficult to terminate long-term employees who may not have a vision for what the cc can be, employees who resist change, and employees just waiting to retire. Their attitudes can greatly affect the entire
organization.
5 Admin.
7 Inadequate Faculty Compensation, Inadequate Space, Equipment for training on most updated technology, Aging infrastucture Admin.
Many CC employees, both instructors and staff, are reaching retirement age. They are retiring in record numbers. Though they can be replaced with individuals at a smaller salary, the knowledge acquired over
long careers is gone. It takes many years for a person with the proper credentials to gain "OJT" knowledge. Funding seems to always be of great concern. I think our legislators know how valuable we are to the
state, but I often wonder if our own communities know. I personally am quite concerned about use of the words "non completers." Many students do not come to us for the purpose of completing a two year
degree. Many come to learn one specific skill. Once they have learned that, they are a completer. We have to come up with a different way to identify these individuals. They should not be called non
completers. Increased mountains of paperwork are obstacles. Some of the requirements seem unnecessary.
9 Admin.
One of our weaknesses lies within our beaurocracy. We continue to receive budgets that are based on the system FTE formula for numbers of students being served, but consistently are asked to revert or reserve
a substantial amount of those resources that are not accessible for us in program delivery. We are also limited by the North Carolina Administrative Code and are audited at a level that is not consistent with other
systems of higher education in the state. We spend an inordinate amount of time working through beaurocratic processes when we should be spending that time on the delivery of instructional programs to our
11 students. Admin.
12 Community Colleges are the lowest funded segment of education. CC are below University and K-12. Low funding limits growth, services and future opportunities. Admin.
Inability to bring community college salaries up. Degree requirements are more stringent for faculty at community colleges; salaries should reflect that and surpass high school salaries. Without an increase of
18 even a cost of living amount, faculty will soon tire of being "good sports" and leave for an income that can provide for a family. Admin.
20 Resisting change, whether it be in how we organize ourselves or what we offer to our communities. Admin.
Community Colleges need to become more proactive in addressing the educational needs of their constituents because outside events can change the direction of the local economy overnight and these institutions
25 need to be ready to focus on these changes in their communities. Admin.
Insufficient salary dollars to retain faculty/staff, offer free courses and have enough to start up new courses, Lack of sufficient qualified faculty in local area willing to work for low salaryRetiring work foe,
Lack of sufficient faculty willing to work evengs, Lack of external oversight of programs (they run inefficient), Lack of flexibility in use of provided dollars (too many restriction, Lack of recognition of
26 the importance of staff and their contribution to the college Admin.
NCCCS rules: Auditing procedures unclear; turnaround time for new program approval (up to 2 years) is a stumbling block to innovation;
the FTE formula is archaic. Our forty-year-old system needs to be analyzed thoroughly and realigned to support innovation and entrepreneurial initiatives that will get us to our next level. Declining resources,
technological advances and global competition present us with many opportunities. Bureaucratic mechanisms slow our potential responses to these opportunities. Florida community colleges are migrating
towards being four-year institutions; Canadian colleges are trying international program offerings; some in the midwest are looking at national markets (not just their county/state).
27 Admin.
In our county, the economic downsizing, tobacco buy out, and unemploymnet rate has created a very serious situation. Students are not doing a thing for retraining. The county is not supporting the community
college in the manner that other counties are being supported. Our building is very very old, and looks like place that is not inviting, and customer service is lacking. There is an overall morale among staff to
create a good atmosphere for the communty, however it is a contagious. The local K-12 school district has had a long history of not working with the community college, therefore lack of support for sending
students. This county does have a lot of industry left to provide future opportunities, and limits growth and hindes continuous improvement. There has been years of disapppointments which in turn has given the
29 college a bad rap. Admin.
Lack of capital for professional salaries and equipment monies to keep up with technological changes. State of the Art equipment is a hallmark of the Community Colleges but more money is needed to keep the
33 technology current due to rapid technological changes. Admin.
Fiscal Support (Support for programs and capital funding appears to be be on a year to year basis. The legislature's mood can change, causing budget shortfalls. A longer range approach to program developmen
and capital expansion would be beneficial). Diversity of programs (Our strength of being a part of the solution to community problems can become a weakness if we spread ourselves too thin for the resources,
human and fiscal, that we have to work with). Perception of academic prowess (Many parents still think that the only higher education worth pursuing is the university education. The days of the "tech school"
have passed for the comprehensive community college. The perception of the community college education as a second-rate education still remains with these parents and appears to be supported to some extent
by high school administrators and counselors. This is an image problem that needs to be reviewed at a state level). Rigidity of programs (Our strength of having continuity throughout the system can become a
weakness, if we are not able to offer courses when employers need them (e.g. non-traditional schedules, waive certain prerequisite requirements)). The General Occupational Technology diploma or degree offer
implementation to determine its general feasibility.
34 Admin.
Limitations and red tape at the state level on new or innovative program ideas: first, if a college desires to offer a new program, the process for approval is too long and hard, second, if they want to start a new
and innovative program, by the time it gets thru the process it is no longer new or innovative. third, larger community colleges tend to dictate the outcome of new programs at smaller adjacent community college
Fourth, Students should have the opportunity to get training in there chosen field at their local community college. The barriers should be brought down that prevent new programs just because there isn’t an
industry in that service area. Students should be able to obtain their training at home then go to work in any part of the state. Everything boils down to the FTE. All though it is an obvious statement that the FTE
is how a college gets its funding, it however should not be what drives a college. At almost ever instructor conference, or get together, everyone is always talking about the top down pressure on increasing FTEs
Even in the question above, limited growth is listed as a weakness. Growth is important, but not at the sacrifice of quality. Presidential salaries should not be based on the FTE. This gives false motivation for g
44 Admin.
There is much discussion about pending retirements. I think we have the human and educational resources in this state to respond to large numbers of retirements. The challenge is in helping the senior and the
long-term employees stay flexible and current. Often there are a few in an organization who do not want to leave or retire, but who are also reluctant to move forward with the organization, or better, to lead the
positive change. Perhaps for a person with little influence or responsibility this is not critical, but it is certainly critical for formal and informal leaders to provide vision and to greet change with enthusiasm when
it is needed. This is true for the system as well as the colleges. We need to harness both the experience and wisdom of long-time employees and the enthusiasm and flexibility of new employees. We need to
always be alert for new ways of looking at things which will provide us an edge and make us better. One thing that may be a weakness is our traditional reliance on public funding, which is less plentiful now.
Colleges must invest time and human resources in searching for new funding sources. In addressing any needs, community colleges are not traditionally well-organized politically, although this has improved in
communicate well in the political arena.
45 Admin.
FUNDING - there has to be a better way. While I'm all for accountability in government, the current funding formula is shortsighted and skewed. Pork barrel politics creates vast inequities; capital construction is
nearly impossible for smaller campuses. Individual colleges are pitted against one another in a constant battle for FTE creating an atmosphere of protectiveness and distrust, when we could be working as a team
48 to solve local problems and begin new initiatives. The funding system is broken and desperately needs to be fixed. Admin.
Cumbersome approval processes at the state level. The need exists to be responsive to industry and aware of their sense of urgency. If they needa program quickly, and there is demand for it, we need to be able to
navigate the approval process quickly and effeciently. Some efforts have been made in this regaurd, but the process needs to be revolutionized. The turn around time should be a matter of weeks, not several
50 semesters. This much change! Admin.
51 The lack of full time qualified instructors. We hire a great deal of adjuncts but stability in educational programs can not be maintained with part-time instructors. Admin.
Funding is a double edged sword. For all the years of my personal community college experience we have managed to provide something for everyone with limited support from the legislature. We have done it
so long and so well that now it has become the norm rather than the exception. That strength may become our weakness as more and more is demanded of us and less and less is given us in funding. Equitable
funding could serve to limit the number of students we can serve, hinder our ability to attract and keep a highly qualified and diverse faculty and staff and limit our opportunity to respond with "just in time"
53 training. Admin.
Three weaknesses of the community college are: lack of awareness of what our colleges do for their communities (More publicity about college activities and plans and more involvement in the community is
needed.); lack of funding both for the colleges (legislators and community awareness needed to help increase funding) and the students (WIA is having fund-related difficulties and the Pell grant could use more
funding.); and, lack of innovation in programming to ensure job opportunities for its graduates. Funding continues to be a major weakness. Without funds to pay qualified staff and faculty and to purchase the
54 current equipment and technological needs, we cannot offer students what they need to be trained for future jobs. Admin.
Flexibility. The community college's have to be afforded the same flexibility that the universities and school systems have in order to prosper. Collaborate agreements between universities for programs,
purchasing and technology would allow the community colleges to compete on equal ground. Universities and Public Schools have the flexibility to make sound, reasonable and cost efficient decisions based on
their needs. The community colleges would benefit greatly from this flexibility as well. The safe guards are in place to eliminate problems and the oversight is also in place to assist anyone who may have
55 difficulty. Admin.
Our system really needs to take a system-wide approach to serving the spanish-speaking populations, and also to become politically active to make the needs of our community colleges (capital projects, etc.)
61 known to our legislators. Admin.
Lack of succession planning for replacement of retiring community college workforce (faculty & staff); low salaries for full time faculty & staff as well as adjunct faculty, especially in continuing education.
62 Admin.
We are becoming too bureaucratic, and there is too much control being siezed by our system office. The individual colleges cannot remain flexible and responsive to local needs because of this. Also, continued
66 tuition increases threaten our students' ability to afford our programs. Admin.
The biggest weakness I see is funding. I believe community colleges are doing the most they can do to provide educational opportunities. I believe that the North Carolina Community College System is on the
cutting edge of education. There have been many new programs developed over the last few years as a result of changing technology and occupational fields. Enrollment at the community colleges continues to
increase. With that said, because of the growth I believe that one weakness that could arise would be the threat of community colleges becoming too large and losing that sense of "community" that makes
71 community colleges unique. Admin.
Lack of state and county funding; lack of facility space; the perception among some leaders that community colleges are lesser colleges; lack of competitive salaries for faculty and professional staff; (there must
be increased funding from county and state funds if community colleges are going to be able to achieve their missions). This is the single greatest weakness in the system. There has to be adequate funding to
start new programs, particularly allied health programs. Faculty and professional staff salaries must be competitive if community colleges are going to attract the best faculty and staff. Some turf issues among
colleges in the system (example: colleges that refuse to work with other colleges within clinical sites in allied health programs). This must change if colleges are going to reach rural areas and address health
76 needs. Urban colleges cannot monopolize clinical slots. Admin.
Funding formula - we should be funded in the same manner as the university, not treated as the red-headed step-child. The system is too cumbersome. It takes too long to get a new program approved. This limits
our ability to respond to opportunities as quickly as we need to. Lack of equipment money - we need to be able to provide state of the art equipment for our students. The idea of "service areas" is totally out-
dated. With today's technology, programs in Willington can be provided to students in Asheville. The fact that we have so many colleges with so many presidents is a financial burden to the state. Salaries are not
80 competitive to attract faculty for new programs. Admin.
90 Faculty and staff salaries, Antiquated facilities Admin.
95 Limited resources Admin.
96 One of the greatest weaknesses is a lack of Admin.
Faculty and staff in key positions are spread too thin, covering multiple responsibilities, due to limited funding. College’s reliance on part-time faculty and staff has increased due to limited money resources. We
do not get the “buy-in” from part-time people that we do from full time. The resources needed for professional development and orientation for new employees is in short supply due to budget restraints. This will
affect the community colleges as we anticipate retirement and are working on succession plans, to ensure the quality of our programs and services. Marketing for some of the smaller colleges is limited due to
budget constraints. Physical space needed to support new teaching methods, new program and service areas, and student life activities is limited in most of our community colleges. Due to budget limitations,
we are not able to upgrade our computer labs and computers for our faculty and staff as we need to. With technology changing as rapidly as it is, we need additional funding to keep our computers upgraded on a
98 regular basis. Admin.
Funding (all), The time it takes to get a new program started. No financial support for new start up, as was in years past; you have to rob one program to start another. Then you end up with older programs having
old equipment, facilities, and no way to keep all programs at maximum quality level. Budget cuts have reduced funding in 2 major areas: professional development (travel money is the first to go at most colleges
in tight year) and equipment. Colleges are having to make do with old equipment; now all equipment is old, needs replacing, and also need to support equipment for new programs. Most of my professional
development came from attending conferences, etc. This will have a major impact on the future quality of the services provided by our institutions. Assessment of technology skills and training will be essential; it
is no longer just an option to use technology to improve the efficiency of our organizations, but a requirement. All faculty and staff must be proficient in using technology in the classroom or in providing service
Administrators, faculty, and staff are slow to embrace cutting edge methods and procedures--research in health industry has immediate impact on practice; we need the same to happen in education (i.e. benefits o
learning" vs. lecture), Competitive nature of new program start up (neighboring colleges grant approval, creating rivalry). We need to look at regional needs, and share the opportunity to
offer new programs across the region, not just the largest colleges. Smaller colleges have a hard time competing with larger ones who want to start all the new programs and not leave
much for the smaller ones. System needs revamping. Implement a formal accountability measure for local support of community colleges (funding for facilities maintenance and
construction). It is required by law, but no one is checking to make sure local support is being provided.
102 Admin.
Salaries below market demand in critical areas, Convoluted funding structure + uncertain funding level each year plus same funding for high and low-cost programs, Lack of funds to respond to new
opportunities, Shortage of funds for administrative/support positions, Problems with new Colleague system, Over-extending of colleges (due to funding based on enrollment) via new centers and campuses and th
resultant competition for neighboring institutions, Old thinking that 2-year degrees are our cornerstone (when short-term courses are gaining in importance), Many employees nearing retirement (We will lose the
expertise. Also, they are resistant to change.)Increasing oversight that drains resources without adding value
105 Admin.
Money. With our current budget, we barely have enough money to maintain our program. There is no money for growth and very little for upkeep/replacement of current facilities and equipment. The faculty
106 salaries are among the lowest in the nation. Admin.
lack of adequate financial resources, lack of space, state curriculum process prevents or hinders quick responses to meet customer needs, lack of professional development opportunities to help faculty stay current
107 Admin.
108 funding and salaries Admin.
Our strength can also be our weakness. With such a diverse populationa and mission, it is hard to secure the resources required to support our programs. Additionally, I feel that community colleges have a habit
of overexteneding themselves whereas the quality of a program is not there becuase of the lack of resources. You cannot be everything to everyone all the time. As a result, we need to be careful before we begin
new programs, careful to insure that they will be of the highest quality. A lot of this comes back to funding. A major weakness of community colleges is they are often overlooked by the legislature in effort to
110 meet the needs of public schools and universities. Admin.
The budget continues to offer the colleges challenges. The equipment allotment is very low for colleges to meet the demands for technology. We must have the resources to be able to instruct our students on
equipment that is consistent with that found in the workplace. Our buildings are aging and we must have resources to meet the enrollment demands. The ability to provide open access is a challenge. Additional
regulations that restrict the college's flexibility such as the 2% transfer result in more difficulties in providing our students opportunities. Funding for non-instructional positions is very limited.
113 Admin.
Loss of valuable experience from a multitude of retirements in faculty and administrative jobs dictates that more professional development will have to take place on campuses. County and city budgets can
118 seriously impede the CC's ability to continue providing exceptional service if these funds are not available. Admin.
The inability to offer the programs most critical in hard economic times. Periods of economic downturn are the optimal time to make the biggest impact on the education of the people of North Carolina. Adding
119 programs at these times, instead of cutting budgets, provides an investment in the economic future of the state. Admin.
Local funding – some schools not provided enough funding from county commissioners. Without adequate local funding, infrastructures continue to deteriorate. State funding for faculty salaries – minimum
salaries for faculty/part-time faculty are mandated by the SBCC; however, the funding formula is sometimes manipulated (up or down) and at times we are told to ignore this when out total budget is good. As
faculty salaries increase and “real” FTE funding declines, it takes more and more FTE to pay for each faculty member. Lack of differentiated funding for high-cost programs. Any mandate without accompanying
120 funding. Admin.
We cannot pay our instructors a decent part-time salary due to the limited instructional funds we receive, therefore, we cannot always get top notch instructors. Nor do we receive enough funding to retain top
notch, mid-level administrators. The System Office does not always know what is best at the college level, but still implements policy and then the colleges struggle to implement at the local level. Best example:
123 Colleague. Admin.
The open door policy our community colleges allow access too many who are not prepared to pursue higher education. By way of remedial and/or developmental educational programming, we are able to help the
under prepared develop their human potential. As the cost of education continues to increase and the legislature continuously require more accountability, decisions will have to be made about the essence of our
mission. That is can we continue to serve the vast hordes of under prepared students that come to ours doors. A major internal weakness is that we do not serve this population well. Another internal weakness of
the community colleges is a lack of significant diversity in staffing and faculty. Without diversity in leadership, future opportunities, enrollment growth and continuous improvement will be limited due to a
127 paralysis of group think. Admin.
Public funding has not been commensurate with the rising cost of educating such a diverse population in the current technological environment.
134 As educators, we lack the knowledge and experience necessary to secure private and grant funding. Admin.
148 Limited funding - inability to acquire and maintain high tech equipment needed to train workforce. Admin.
There is a need to increase the diversity of the community colleges'faculties and administrative staff by increasing their ethnic and social diversity; to maximize the educational benefits of diversity, and to
154 increase the number of instructors who can and will use diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students. Admin.
The red tape and paperwork that sometimes slows the process down and the opportunity to meet the need passes before the college can get it through the system. Funding is always an issue. Smaller schools have
a difficult time competing with larger community colleges for grant funding, etc. Auditors and keeping things legal and honest are most important but a many times rules and policies prevent us from serving
155 students and meeting needs. Admin.
Several weakness that could hinder growth/opportunities in the future: Increased competition from satellite campuses built too close to other community colleges. Enrollments that stay flat or do not increase
enough to receive necessary funding for future growth and continuous improvement. Colleges desire to develop programs, but not being able to because of limited resources, FTE formula cuts, and high costs
programs that take so much of the budgets. Inability to be able to budget for professional development hinders growth of the whole institution. The salaries of faculty and professional staff could make it more
difficult to retain quality faculty and staff. The need for more counselors to assist students with a wide variety of needs personal, financial, emotional, and learning deficits. Other costs budgets that barely or may
not meet the expenses for the department and do not allow for development or travel. Outdated equipment and technologies that could force students to look elsewhere to meet their educational or training needs.
The ratio of adjunct to full time faculty continues to be an issue of concern. We need more full time faculty to assist in advising, carrying full loads, and participating at all levels of the college.
156 Admin.
Internal weakness exist that already hinder growth. We do not have adequate facility to offer the number of classes we need to serve students. We have experience tremendous growth enrollment, but funding ha
not allowed staff to expand to accommodate the growth. Our county suffers from budget constraints which are passed on to us and leave us understaffed to maintain building and grounds and underfunded for
157 repair and rennovation. Admin.
The most obvious one is inadequate funding, Poor leadership (legislative; local Boards of Trustees; System Office; local Presidents, administrators, and faculty), Power struggles among the community colleges,
165 public schools, and university system instead of cooperation and working together. Poorly prepared faculty and staff that normally results in decreased quality. Admin.
Insufficient funding for programming, staff, and facilities is a weakness. We have a lack of long-term funding for technology and capital improvement throughout the system. It is critical for institutions that
teach current trends and applications in technology to be current with the state of the industries they serve. Our state lacks a plan to provide a sustainable technology refresh program for every community college
in the state. Course loads are too high. With the growing need for online courses, there is little time available for the development of an expanding online curriculum. We do not have the resources to provided
adequate compensation for faculty to create new courses and at the same time, teach a full load. It is difficult for administrators to grant release time to faculty for course development because of the lack of
resource to hire part-time adjuncts to fill in while new courses are developed. Staff and faculty development programs are badly needed. Each institution has a unique set of training needs for its employees.
Resources should be allocated to support training in the new technologies that are on our doorstep.There is a shortage of support staff at most campuses in our system. More technology based courses require mo
technology development. Faculty resources can be leveraged by providing sufficient support staff to help them teach in a more effective manner.
167 Admin.
168 The lack of a comprehensive plan for communities will hinder growth opportunities for community colleges, businesses and jobs. Admin.
Public funding has not been commensurate with the rising cost of educating such a diverse population in the current technological environment. As educators, we lack the knowledge and experience necessary to
173 secure private and grant funding. Admin.
Difficulty in keeping qualified personnel when private sector can pay better salaries, for example local hospitals can pay our nursing instructors larger salaries and bonuses. Continual struggle to raise salaries to
state and regional averages. Often, due to funding, equipment does not match current equipment used in the workplace. Inability to expand needed programs because of construction costs, land acquisition needs,
174 and staffing. Tuition increases that may prevent many students from attending the community colleges. Admin.
176 Approval process for curriculum programs too lengthly; causes the process to be reactive rather than proactive. Admin.
A system that is so focused on meeting the needs of all persons can easily become a "dumping ground" for those entities that are collapsing under their own weight. The four-year schools and universities look to
the NCCCS to deliver assistance in many areas for which the community colleges reap little benefit. For example, when the community colleges offer students from four-year schools and universities the
opportunity to gain summer class credits (which is not only a common occurrence, but also an occurrence that is promoted by many four-year institutions) and is denied any FTE funding for summer classes, one
must question to what extent such actions constitute a "helping hand” or exploitation. From the other side, high schools continually search for new ways to work with community colleges in educating our young
people, truly our most valuable resource. However, with the relatively questionable performance of our state primary schools and the success of our community colleges, I am convinced that the high schools hav
moved from a "cooperative" mindset to a "let-community-colleges-help-because-we-can't-handle-these-students-and-the-desired-educational-outcome" philosophy. Once again, the concern here is not with the fa
received many "fixes," but remains an antiquity in a new age. Thus, the community colleges' reputations of schools who can achieve now change from a benefit to a liability. The concern here
is that limitations are placed upon community colleges due to a lack of state funding support, a problem compounded by the demands of other institutions who view the community colleges
as the evolved solution to the educational concerns of a new society.
177 Admin.
183 Retention of staff and faculty Admin.
185 funding, especially for equipment, salaries and professional development Admin.
Transfer of college level credits could create some problems. The state and federal funding always will be a factor as well. The cost of keeping up with techonology could prevent future opportunities.
187 Admin.
190 Need for new programs of study. Need for community leaders and business leaders to see the value of a community college education. Limited funds. Admin.
Funding for communnity colleges continues to decline, requiring that institutions seek non-state funding sources. Smaller community colleges often do not have adequate resource development staff to be
successful. Many community colleges have experienced a recent enrollment of displaced workers at a time when their facilities have become outgrown, outmoded or in need of repair. The funding formula for
community colleges does not allow for very rapid enrollment growth or rapid response to industry training needs. Many community college faculty and staff are retiring and continuity and experience may be lost.
191 Admin.
194 Essential financial resources for all programs. Providing and maintaining adequate facilities for program growth. Admin.
There are numerous internal challenges. The failure to quickly and effectively adapt to changing economic and educational times is the greatest weakness. The unwillingness, on both a state
and local level, to discontinue outdated and expensive programs with little enrollment and uncertain employment opportunities is a central weakness. With limited resources, the system
needs to be more willing and flexible to eliminate anachronistic programs and reallocate funds to expanding programs that offer a more certain future for the students. For example, it was
clear five years ago that the future of the NCCCS rests in two areas: University Transfer and Allied Health. Yet even today, schools offer courses in areas with little future at the expense of
these programs. The system and the local colleges need to embrace a more dynamic and pro-active vision of the role their colleges play in the economy, rather than serving in a solely
199 reactive role. Admin.
blurred vision - we try to be too many things to too many people and thus we are not perceived as experts in any area; mass retirements - many of our faculty and staff are nearing
retirement. Are we prepared for an orderly changing of the guard> Too comfortable - things are going pretty good in the cc system, will we become complacent and not make the changes
201 we need to make to be competitive. Admin.
the biggest weakness is lack of proper funding. While faculty and staff salaries have been improved over the past several years, we still have a long way to go to make our state competitive
202 on a national basis Admin.
depleting funds/reverting before year end. Having to withhold payments to supplier, etc. because of no money from state. Bad image, should be practicing quality business ethics along with
204 the quality education we provide Admin.
4 Funding would have to be a weakness. As colleges struggle with enrollment growth, it is difficult to find funding for new programs. Faculty
Salaries are not competitive to recruit and keep strong, effective faculty. The legislature seems to view CC faculty as lower class instructors when compared to university faculty, as evidenced by funding, both in
6 salary, equipment and enrollment growth. Faculty
Funding is key to community college. State funding always lags. We need other sources. Private foundations, for profit foudations, grants and people credentialed to attract grants are important. The community
college has never sought research faculty members and has been almost proud of that fact. Researchers attract money and can be excellent classroom instructors. We may have to be fluid in our funding much the
14 way we have with our programing. Faculty
LACK OF FUNDING FOR DISTANCE EDUCATION, LACK OF SUPPORT STAFF
16 Faculty
Community colleges are supposed to be designed to adapt to changing economic conditions of their service area in order to meet job training needs. Unfortunately, inertia typically sets in and some programs are
22 allowed to continue to exist long after demand for those programs has ceased. Funding for new programs is therefore sometimes restricted or not available. Faculty
The demands on faculty are too demanding. In addition to having to teach an average of 20 semester hours per week, most faculty are involved in numerous non-classroom activities.
24 Faculty
By and large, community colleges have become nearly as generous with their grades and granting of degrees as they are with their admissions policies. By that I mean they probably
are not as academically rigorous as they should be. The three community colleges I've worked for have, of course, talked a great deal about "standards of excellence," but those standards are hardly borne out
when average work is routinely given excellent marks. It is simply a truism that many of the grades given at community colleges are badly inflated. As a result, their dean's lists are too long, their roster of honor
graduates too extensive. No opportunity or growth or improvement will amount to a hill of beans until we call mediocrity, among students and faculty alike, by its real name. And we will not do that until we
discard the fashionable, but wholly useless (and dishonest), customer model for the relationship between student and school. Learning is not an entitlement; it is an achievement earned by labor. And some labor
is done better and more completely and masterfully than other labor. Until we acknowledge that fact, until we stop pretending that intellectual growth is as automatic and egalitarian as any admissions policy,
we will not improve our community colleges in any way that matters very much.
31 Faculty
36 The inability to procure and keep good faculty. The budget crisis we are having in NC at this time. Faculty
Funding is our number one weakness. Stonger partnerships with industry leaders and legislators must be pursued so that the fiscal responsibilities can be shared by those who will benefit from the skilled
37 graduates that we produce. Faculty
A lack of funding for equipment and positions.We do not change very quickly. We are designed along the university model of the 1950's. We do not get rid of programs that do not work any more. We almost
have tenure in some of our positions that do not benefit students or the workforce. We are falling behind in technology because we "carry" so many non productive programs. Many of these are vocational that
should function at the high schools. There is no incentive for schools to get rid of programs that do not work or have very limited enrollment. If the school discontinues a program, there is no incentive to start a
59 newer one that benefits the economy of the state. A significant reliance on part-time instructors. Faculty
Ridculously small operational budgets, lack of equipment to run programs and lack of financial incentives to attrack high quality faculty. Also, the very poor healthcare benefits for staff and faculty and the
outrageous 32% increase in healthcare premium costs for state employees for dependent coverage. In 25 years of working in education and healthcare I have never seen such an increase occur so quickly to a
group of employees for dependent coverage. I feel these issues prevent community colleges from attracking and keeping quality educators which overall limits the growth of the colleges in general. Quality
faculty and staff have strong work ethics which inturn enhance growth and development of creative programs and curriculums which entice students to enroll. More students means a great cash flow.
75 Faculty
Finances. We have a President and a Board of Trustees, as well as a community that supports us tremendously! There have been times when the state has not had finances, but our college, because of the very
78 dedicated folks I mentioned earlier have used dollars wisely, so that we could continue in what we need to do. Faculty
81 Some schools are too small to offer multiple sections of some classes. Not all curriculums are offered at every community college. Faculty
aesthetics, funds for new technology, equipment etc., funds for added instructors, increased contact hours per instructor could potentiate burn out and /or limit optimal availability to students for their success.
83 Faculty
Micromanagement. My experiences have shown me that failure to allow rising leaders to effectively "lead" creates an environment that does not yield the success that it is capable of. As with all things, new
horizons should be faced with optimal knowledge of past success and failures. While at the same time we should also be open to taking heed to the energy, motivations and perspectives of those the earnestly
display enthusiasm for continued growth; even when it may not ostensibly reflect what has always been done in the past or what tends to be mandated by higher authorities. When we charge individuals with
completing a task, they must be afforded the opportunity to effectively complete said task. It is an injustice to place them in a position to lead when they are actually only going through the motions, and the
decision has already been made by the delegating authority.While I can't stress the need for community enough, I also see a failure to broaden the horizons of the students by giving them a stronger world view.
The failure to instill this perspective has already been key in perpetuating continued ignorance toward and about various sects and cultures (and needs of those cultures) within the immediate area (i.e. Hispanics,
our programming. It seems that with the guidelines of the employment commission and our A.A.S. offerings, we are leaning in a direction of "training" our students to re-enter dwindling
areas of the workforce... revolving door. If we place emphasis on "educating" our students we can better create a society of thinkers. If you give a man a fish... If you teach a man to
fish...Lastly, institutional effectiveness cannot take place if we fail to acknowledge the and make moves to assist those that have been historically not as successful as others. Our failure
to aptly view the statistics of minority students and to make moves to bring them to levels consistent with our majority population highlight all of our "weaknesses".
85 Faculty
Funding has to be the number one issue. Without commitment to increased funding it is difficult to establish new programming to meet the new economic demands of our state. Without additional funding to
attract qualified instructors programming standards will be compromised. We need additional funding to hire full-time faculty and reduce our dependency on adjunct faculty.
86 Faculty
87 Lack of funding for equipment to keep on the cutting edge of technology, Lack of funding for salaries to attract and retain qualified personnel, Lack of space for expansion Faculty
lack of salary equity in comparison to what instructors can make in industry. Day and night work hours with increasing number of preparations and increases in class size. Funding - enrollment funding is based
91 on past year not current enrollment. Faculty
The inequity in funding that exist between community colleges and 4-year universities is unwarranted. Unlike 4-year state universities community colleges cannot develop their own sources of revenue. Depsite
104 this inequity community colleges are expected to deliver the same acadmeic standards. Faculty
Funding is an internal weakness. There are programs that we would like to offer but the funds are not available. More programs mean more opportunities for the students in our service area.
111 Faculty
I feel that one of the weaknesses is that the focus of the community college has been moved from Technical to Vocational to college transfer. We are mot a fun college we are a Technical and Vocational
Education Department. If we would put more infancies on Vocations and Technical training it would better prepare the individuals for jobs and they would not have to go to a four year institution. If we are to
114 survive we will have to put the money in the tool and equipment that is needed to train the people. Faculty
The biggest weakness in the community college system today is the lack of funding, particularly for the summer semesters. Most colleges have to cut back on the courses offered, especially during the summer,
121 because funding is not available for resources including faculty. Faculty
128 I think theat the open enrollment policy in some ways may contribute to the difficulty that some students face in meeting course requirements. Faculty
Budgeting: The legislature seems to favor the university system. The university system is more visible, but probably receives favor since many legislators are products of the university. Until the community
colleges can produce legislative leaders who will promote the community colleges, the colleges must work to increase awareness themselves. Resistance to change: I understand and support the concept of local
autonomy, but it does sometimes hinder progress. Students' needs and wants change: take for example the increase in popularity of distance learning classes. Instructors find themselves trying to meet the
demands of students who e-mail at all hours of the day, while dealing with administrators who do not recognize any time off campus as "instructional" time. The fear of relinquishing "control" of instructors will
hinder the future hiring of great instructors. Morale: It's disheartening to work so hard to accomplish a goal such as meeting the performance standards only to hear "sorry, I know we promised you a reward, but
there's no money". In addition, faculty salaries remain low compared to the rest of the Southeast and across the country. Both situations will contribute to future difficulty in attracting and retaining faculty. If th
perhaps the system could use its size to broker more deals with industry--discounts to community college faculty and staff at businesses such as
grocery stores, Wal-Mart, drug stores, etc... After all, being able to put food on the table is the number one goal of many families. Right now, the pervasive feeling across the campuses
is one of unappreciation.
140 Faculty
The internal weaknesses that currently exist that could limit growth or hinder improvement is the inability to adequately provide qualified faculty and staff to serve the enormous needs of the students served by
143 the institutions and facility space. Faculty
lack the ability to gain local government support; do not use the community (students attending the college) as a voice, individuals give money to 4-year colleges all the time..why can't this be the same for
145 community colleges? Faculty
The bureaucracy limits our ability to adjust to community needs as much as we need to. We do not receive enough funding to keep our campus in a shape to project the professional image which is important to
146 reaching our target markets. In some ways we treat students as high school students in that we keep a rigid roster (Required by SACS). Faculty
147 Money for facilities and equipment to meet the needs a fast changing workforce. Faculty
Restraints that are brought down from the "powers at be" at the state level who may not value the importance of the community college and the impact the colleges have on their communities.
150 Faculty
152 I believe that no sports department state wide is definatly a big weakness of ours, also the articulation agreements with high universities makes it more diffcult. Faculty
153 funding--having "to do a lot with a little,"space, salary competition with public schools and 4 year colleges Faculty
Low faculty and staff salaries continue to plague the system. It is difficult to recruit and retain well-qualified employees. In my area, lack of funding from the county makes it difficult to maintain the campus,
158 hire maintenance and custodial staff and improve the college. Faculty
164 Lack of adequate resources, diversity of student skill levels, aging faculty, lack of support services particularly for growing programs. Faculty
I hate to say this, but legislative mandates can sometimes interfere with our doing our jobs most effectively. I don't doubt the sincerity of the legislators and I realize that they want accountability, but our success
is not always something that can be quantified. The generals do not always have a good perception of what the troops are experiencing and what the true situation is in the trenches.
170 Faculty
I believe that the rates that amounts of funds received from the state office are so low that it is causing colleges to axe programs and course selections due to lack of funds to grow programs. The major weakness
is that there isn't enough funds coming from Raliegh. Also, the low lack of pay. I was a high school teacher previously and could have remainded in that position and made more teaching at the high school level
that at the community college level. That in my opinion is ridiculous. The lack of full 12 month contracts for faculty is driving quality faculty to other states or to work in the non-educational marketplace. We
are far below the national average in pay.
172 Faculty
Lack of online courses. We must compete with other institutions in this area. Another weakness is not all community college employees understand the purpose and philosophy of the community college. They
think it is the same as any other college or the same as high school. Orientations need to be given to all new employees. Budget is always an issue because there is never enough money. We are sometimes
duplicating high cost programs across the state. In the last 7 years a number of new dental hygiene programs have opened in the state and all current programs have increased enrollment. This has created a very
depressed job market for graduates across the state. For very expensive programs, we need to look at more than the need in that one community before opening other programs. That money could be used for
programs that need expansion while still meeting the need statewide. We may becoming involved in areas we should not. Programs are starting for high school students to complete 4 years of high school and
earn an associate degree in 4 years. If the high school and college courses are as rigorous as they should be, this would be possible in only a few cases. We may be trying to serve a population that we should not
178 Faculty
Lack of funding as compared to other segments of higher education, Low faculty salaries, Large number of experienced faculty and staff retiring
180 Ineffective marketing and delivery of programs Faculty
Faculty pay is the most glaring weakness. Currently, NC community college faculty pay is 46th in the nation and dead last among the sixteen Southeastern states. Just think for a moment what swamp-soddened,
192 mosquito-infested backwaters that puts us behind! And North Carolina claims to be a national leader in education! The fact that we are over 20 percent below the national average in salary is constantly corrosiveFaculty
The fact that NC community college teachers rank 47th in salary hinders new faculty recruitment.
196 Faculty
obviously, we are always in neeed of additional financial resources for facilities, equipment, and personnel. Competitive salaries must be available in order to hire and retain quality faculty
205 and staff. The lack of state funding for summer semesters severly limits our summer course offerings. Faculty
weaknesses of the system as a whole includes financial burdens. Financially speaking, opportunities are lost due to small budgets when compared to other educational entities. Additionally,
an aging employee population is another weakness that could tremendously affect the future of the system. Much knowledge and insight that is noton paper will be lost when the aging
206 population retires. Faculty
The resistance to change from faculty and staff is a weakness. People feel threatened by change. The community college has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years, which has increased our need to stay
competitive in technology, staffing, and development of innovative ideas. The old, manual way worked for a smaller student body, but with the increase in student enrollment it is essential we stay on the cutting
edge of educational services. We must continue to develop resources to reach our "audience" through on-line, weekend and night classes. This is critical to meet the educational needs of our local working folks.
3 Staff
Inability / unwillingness to assess local trends and plan for the future (my college), Inability / unwillingness to take advantage of federal grants (my college), Lack of professional development opportunities for
13 seasoned staff Staff
Faculty and staff leaving the system (retirements, low pay, no opportunity for advancement). Lack of up-to-date equipment to train employees. Lack of space to grow at the present location.
19 Staff
21 Lack of majors. We are limited by our programs offered. Staff
28 FUNDING! Staff
My wish is for the community college to become more proactive and less reactionary when it comes to designing and implementing programs. It was great that we were able to assist so many when the wave of
layoffs hit (from tobacco industry closings to textile manufacturing going overseas)but we were not ready for the influx of new students. Also, I think that there should be more communication between the
colleges that share communities when it comes to building new campuses. Establish agreements that minimizes offering duplicate courses in the same area.
35 Staff
The internal weaknesses of the community college are lacking of funding; shortage of staff and faculty to truly provide quality services and education to the community. For some county, companies are closing
46 and people are moving away from the area which will hinder the growth of community college enrollment. Staff
49 The undocumented students ratio is growing please review the recommendations. Together let’s welcome and meet our diverse population goals and the general needs for the college. Staff
63 Fear or unwillingness to change. Staff
Inadequate funding for student support services. Colleges do not receive funding to teach summer courses. Program approval process makes it difficult to offer programs for future jobs (vs. those already
64 available). Most foundations in NC will not fund community colleges. Too many courses taught by part-time faculty. Staff
73 Limited opportunities to interact with students due to commuting. Staff
We need to be more flexible and responsive to community needs. It takes at least two years to get a program going at the communnity college level. That's way too long. Many times we see a need for a program
74 and by the time we get it up and running, the need has already peaked or is declining. We can do better than that. Staff
One weakness we face is lack of space. This includes office space for providing confidential counseling to students to adequate classroom space. We also have issues with inadequate meeting facilities as well a
79 parking issues. Another weakness is very low salaries for clerical staff and faculty. It is hard to find quality employees when the salary is not competitive. Staff
82 Budgets and underfunding, State legislators don't fully understand our issues, Second rate treatment as opposed to the University System Staff
The fact that community college employee salaries are behind the market is a serious internal weakness that could hinder continuous improvement. I think that current community college employees are truly
devoted to the success of the students and are loyal to the mission of the college. However, we must recognize that with the increasing number of baby boomers preparing for retirement, a new generation, my
generation, of workers is entering the workforce with a different mentality. The mentality of the new generation has money as more of its focus and is more willing to follow the money than previous generations
of workers. In previous generations, workers were okay with graduating from school and working for the same company until retirement. We recently had a retirement reception for a lady who came here after
graduate school and stayed here for 25 years. I don’t foresee that being the case with the new generation of workers. I haven’t read or seen any research statistics on this subject, but being new to the workforce
and having had conversations with friends, I noticed that we shudder at the thought of working at the same place for more than five years. We as a generation, have a problem with the notion of delayed gratificat
that if the community college system doesn’t make a strong effort in the future to make employee salaries competitive with the market, the turnover and inconsistency in staffing will
limit growth and seriously hinder continuous improvement.
84 Staff
red tape in getting programs approved, designed, and implemented; the ever-present desire to protect one's turf and keep programs that are no longer economically needed; salaries for both staff, faculty, and
adjuncts which are so low it is difficult to recruit and retain well-qualified employees; decision-making by the state office with saving money as the main focus rather than on the actual needs of the system
92 (Datatel train-the-trainer implementation being a prime example); continual increases in health benefit costs, which make salary increases either meaningless or actual salary cuts Staff
94 Weakness: Lack of proper funding to offer new programs, maintain current programs and upgrade equipment, and low salaries for faculty and staff. Staff
money is not pumped into community colleges like it is for universities/public schools; poor pay does not help attract committed professionals who are asked to give it their all but not compensated in return,
97 indeed some must sacrifice to work in the system. Better training to do our jobs (2 hours training on Datatel) Staff
100 Cultural inertia, i.e., do it that way because we've always done it that way. Staff
The internal weaknesses lie in the amount of funding appropriated for equipment in labs and other areas. The future of material science in many areas (health care, manufacturing, electronics, etc.) is extremely
important in capitalizing on future growth opportunities. Without the funding for advanced labs and equipment, the continuous improvement of developing the regions human resources are very limited.
Therefore, creative and overextended community college employees are sacrificing their own time, schedules, and continued professional development to ensure that the existing students are receiving a valuable
education. The emerging workforce will suffer if the funding appropriations are not increased to focus on new and advanced labs and equipment.
101 Staff
112 We need to provide more programmers in MIS to support future technological requirements. Staff
116 Resources (the lack of or inconsistency) - mainly buildings, equipment, and competitive salaries for faculty and staff. Staff
I think the biggest weakness is a lack of communication - this is internal and external. The public does not always respect the community colleges. They don't understand all that we offer and all that they can get
117 out of it. Maybe they think because we are smaller, we are not a good as the bigger institutions. I believe because we are smaller, we are in some ways better. Staff
Budget always plays a role in what we can and cannot do. There are many opportunities that we would like to pursue - but lack of funding prohibits us from doing all we would like to do. A lack of space - and
122 lack of budget to build more facilities - also limits what programs can be added. I feel like we all do as much as we can with the money we are given. Staff
Strategic and operational planning be an ongoing and continual basis not something done at a retreat, with full participation by the whole college, not just a select committee or planner. Put long term institutional
survival and excellence ahead of any single component of the college and be action-oriented, not document-oriented. Look at program areas with low enrollment that are not cost effective and make necessary
changes or discontinue them. Communication and business barriers need to be open, not broken. Someone in administration needs to be available at all times for problem solving.
124 Staff
125 The lace of resources at times. Staff
being all things to all people with limited resources,adequate faculty in a competitive environment, we should implement or strengthen a skills assessment for graduates, students are not adequately prepared to
126 compete in today's information and technology rich environment Staff
Lack of stable funding to equip programs and to hire (and KEEP!) qualified faculty and professional staff. Not remaining vigilant about publicizing what we do a)for individual students, b)for our local economie
132 and business, and c)what the system accoplishes as a whole. Staff
The most obvious and the biggest weakness is the lack of adequate funding. The dismal condition of faculty and staff salaries is well-known, and often voiced. Community colleges have, however, continued (so
far) to recruit high caliber, dedicated employees whose hearts lie with the best interests of the students. Perhaps a bigger problem with funding is a lack of resources needed to buy, maintain, and replace
equipment, supplies and technology required to provided students with state-of-the-art instruction, a situation that not only directly affects instruction, but also contributes to discouragement, burnout, and attrition
of faculty. Another area of weakness arises from one of the areas of strength. Because community colleges in NC have a relatively great amount of autonomy and local control, they are also sometimes subject to
poor decisions, including staffing and organizational decisions, based on petty local politics. A third weakness is related to both of the first two. Inherent in inadequate government funding is the need to seek
133 private funding, This need to curry the favor of entities with deep pockets has the potential to lead to poor decisions, made for the wrong reasons with input by the wrong people. Staff
Communication is very weak. Students do not have exposure to the views of different instructors. An example is one instructor teaching 95% of one student classes. This statement comes directly from our
137 students. Dependence on plant closings and Pell Grant for our student enrollment is our greatest weakness. Staff
139 The retirement of existing faculty and staff. Communication failures. Contentment of the status quo. Staff
Limited (affected) by state and county politics. Public's perception of "quality" or "value". Attracting and keeping quality employees (Instructors and staff). Lack of high dollar equipment for high tech programs.
141 Wages. Staff
142 Lack of funding to expand at the time the expansion is needed. Salary disparity with industry and larger institutions. Staff
149 Inability to have enough money for equipment Staff
funding - most cc's are experiencing rapid enrollment growth, but funding is based on previous year's FTE enrollment, so funding lags behind student population; governance - too many layers with overlapping o
nondefined scopes of authority: trustees, presidents, county boards, state board, System Office, legislature; technology - most cc's have programs that have to train in or use cutting-edge technology, but program
funding, equipment money, and salary money is not sufficient to keep up; trying to be all things to all people -between vocational, college-prep, basic skills, literacy, we have to serve everyone from illiterate to
rocket scientist, from school drop-outs to ph.d's - mission is becoming dilute, staff spread thin; NCCCS system is too big, with too many colleges to support and too many duplicated programs
151 Staff
160 Career sevices in helping graduates find jobs. Retention progams to help students sty in school. Staff
171 Space, Space, Space; compensation of faculty/staff. Staff
Open door policy (sometimes a "Catch 22), Funding, Trying to meet the needs of occupational diploma graduates without proper, credentialed staff, instructors, and appropriate programs, Must keep "attitude"
that "everyone" is not "BA" or "BS", college bound - offer more trades, Must idenify programs that will help people find jobs and then offer those programs. Look carefully at direction of offering "innovative"
high school to high school age students. Do we want to push "minors" more? Are they mature enough for workforce earlier than 18?
175 Staff
residual reputation as technical schools, battles of cc presidents against each other - other staff and faculty can collaborate if the presidents don't get involved, funding a year in arrears and lack of start-up funds
189 for new programs Staff
195 Lack of money to expand, lack of space, lack of equipment to maintain buildings and low salaries to attract and keep state employees. Staff
The system at large has a growing inability to plan beyond the implementation of the projects that it takes on. This short fall demonstrates itself in the misuse or under-utilization of
resources that were intended to save the State, and in the end the taxpayer, money. An example of this would be the gross under-utilization of the Information Highway facilities that are
located close to each college. There have been countless meetings held across the state that required travel to only view a PowerPoint presentation. The State has invested millions of dollars
to facilitate distance learning and collaboration, yet seems to refuse to use the same technology that we want others to use to save money and time.
197 Staff
198 Open door policy. Lack of funding. Low salaries. Staff
2 Make more transferable courses. Student
Support from state and local government is the prime weakness. Though the community college tuition and fees are considerably less than the Universities- there are still people who can not afford to go to schoo
In a country as great as ours, no person should be denied an education because of money- or lack of. When we educate our public, regardless of age or wealth, it is a win/win situation for the entire state. A stong
weakness with the system is the one year contract the employees are asked to sign. Instructors who work hard and do their best should not be offered tenure, but at the very least should have job security. Even
employees of convenient stores are offered job security based on performance. Our instructors posess degrees of many levels- to offer them job stability is recognizing the fact that they are not completely
10 expendable. Student
Unfortunately, the community college doesn't always receive the fundings needed to expand and respond to the growing needs of the system. Many students are now deciding to use the community college as a
38 tool to prepare them for a university. Student
More instructors needed to teach courses in the evening that may be offered only as day classes. For example, Nursing seems to be offered only in the day and this is causing a back log due to the enrollment for
this program. If more classes could be offered throughout the day and evening, then more students could enroll allowing them to start with the program instead of being on a waiting list. This causes students to
40 become anxious and change his or her degree in order to start class and finish with a degree. Student
Community Colleges do not have certain benefits that universities do for students like lat hours for the library to be opened and longer holiday breaks. Items in the library for check for allied health and
information systems technology as well as other curriculms. To name a few of the many items: manakins for cpr, lap tops for home use. The book store mark ups are too costly and are becoming higher than
tuition, but yet we get so little back when we sell our books back. Students are going to the nearby universities for lots of these things and will thus decide if lots of the benefits are at the nearby university I
42 should think about going there. Student
a tendency to fall into 'group-think', lack of classrooms to expand upon current curriculums, Libraries are not all that large, On-site food services are often inadequate to serve the student population
43 Student
Perhaps the most frustrating issue I have witnessed is the lack of administrative support many instructors experience.Without this important network, it is hard to keep students enthusiastic and involved in any
56 aspect of their school. Student
Because of the nature of community college, students are few incentives for students to stay around the campus any longer than they have to. This attitude makes it difficult for clubs and other extracurricular
67 activities. Student
Saturday classes would benefit many more nontraditional students. Tenured instructors who are waiting around for retirement without caring if they are really productive could be a hinderance.
68 Student
Coming from a small community everyone knows everyone and if you have done something someonne does not approve of it will hurt you in the long run. The Budget is also really tight at our school which
72 makes having student activities kind of hard at times. Student
88 I believe to keep these community colleges growing and being more productive they need more funding. The less money we recieve the less we will be able to provide to the students. Student
Recently, the biggest weakness of the community colleges is their limited capacities and the high increase in students. Community colleges are now overcrowded with the recent drop in the economy and so many
103 students recieving financial aid for their education. Student
I think that the lack of space is a problem that many Community Colleges face. As we can see from the latest census, North Carolinians have seen an influx of people in their counties. In my personnal opinion, I
129 think that more attention should be payed to the community college system because of our ability to train and retrain people. Student
Things like no summer tutoring funds, space... this is a big problem. We need more space as we continue to grow. Example the computer club had recieved notice that the area Christian acadmey was moving and
the MTCC Computer club could have all their computers to work with. Due to lack of room at MTCC, the Computer Club has been unable to obtain the graishous gift.
131 Student
When any institution introduces a modern technology where by there leaves no alternatives the question must be asked...Why! A student enrolled in a full-time degree program should be given the option of taking
144 online course. I feel there is a particular need for online classes, so long as it is an advantage for the student, not to promote that venue of education by forcing full-time student to participate in a mandatory class Student
i am not really sure
159 Student
There are a select few individuals who are employed by the community college that take their position for granted. Some who seem to be there not to teach but to pass the time and to receive a paycheck? Some
have the idea that processing test scores and compiling grades makes an instructor. A true instructor does so much more. Just because someone has experience in their field of study and holds a masters degree
does not necessarily mean that they should be an instructor. Some are born to teach, others are not. Those who are not should not be allowed to instruct. The community college needs to take student evaluations to
heart and listen to what the students are saying. The students know sometimes better than a supervisory figure whether an individual is doing their job. This can make students not want to go into particular fields
161 of study and can hinder growth and improvement. Also, community colleges sometimes aren't kept technologically advanced because of funding, etc. Students should be able to have the best learning environmenStudent
only d l
The ibl weakness that I h ld h community college is that therebi not enough communityi exposure or advertisement. i ll l ki
see in our l k Th is i f i h b f d h d h f i f i
162 Student
166 Some students not taking part in some of the activities we have as a school. Mainly maybe its the size of the school and no place to have big activites. Student
The administration of the community college needs to be flexible enough to change certain policies and procedures depending on what best suits the current student populations needs. For example, when the
169 population of the students are of mostly parents, the schedules should work out to be close to that of the counties school system's schedule. Student
Not having adequate funding to attract educators that will address demands in the area. The system is continually underfunded because it's more fancy to give funding to a big university. The CC system doesn't
have the alumni support of advocacy versus major universities and there is a constant lobbying issue, which is tough on cc's. CC's have to fight to sell themselves to the state for funding, but it's the lifeblood of
1 the workforce. Trustee
money, money, money, Local conservative politics that may be weary of change, Change is difficult to some, there is comfort in what we already know exists & how we have always done it
8 Trustee
15 The funding paradox that exists with poorer communities. Those with great needs do not have the needed capital and operational support from their limited county revenue sources. Trustee
This is difficult to answer in a general way, Money for growth and new programs will always be a consideration. The ability of the smaller schools to raise money locally is so difficult. At McDowell Technical
17 Community College limited campus size is a serious problem. Trustee
Current program approval procedures delay the responsivness of the college to workforce needs (however, this can usually be managed through corporate/continuing education. Funding is not responsive to need.
Examples: funding is based on the previous year's enrollment; the funding formula for FTE is subject to change (funded for fulll enrollment growth, yet FTE value decreases);faculty salaries remain non-
competitive; and equipment funding does not provide for real world technology (computer and non-computer). While this is external to the legislative process, the System office is understaffed and has difficulty
23 providing the data to the legislative bodies to support improved funding. Trustee
30 Limited and uncertain funding compromises the quality and quantity of fulltime faculty we are able to attract and retain. Trustee
Limited budgets and shortage of state-of-the-art equipment and facilities. Shortage of quality instructors due to salary. We have many dedicated educator who are employed by the colleges because they believe
32 strongly in the system. Sometimes politicians influence duplication of program in the same area. Trustee
pay. Difficult to attract talented faculty and staff. Also, no ability to recognize those that exceed in their jobs. Everyone gets the same increase across the board - no regard to individual performance
39 Trustee
Funding for programs, buildings, facilities, equipment, maintenance, etc. is insufficient for continuing success of the CCs. Integration of immigrants into CC programs is not keeping pace with the high numbers
of immigrants coming into the state, numbers that are projected to multiply. State leadership takes CCs for granted, assuming that because the CCs have been successful in their history, they can continue to be
41 successful with minimal funding. Trustee
Again, it comes down to the dollar sign. It's been apparent that our system is growing rapidly and our capital needs are expanding likewise. However, funding remains insufficient. In the past we've done well at
continuing to provide good quality even under tighter funding. I think those days are over and as our student population grows we will have to have more money for salaries, general operating expenses and
47 capital growth. Trustee
Funding is always an issue, although the recent bond issue has helped meet the needs of many of the state's community colleges. My greatest concern is funding for staff and instructional salaries. It is imperative
that we pay our staff and instructors competetively to ensure we attract and retain the best talent in our instgitutions. Additionally, funding for the maintenance of our existing buildings and equipment must
continue to be a priority to achieve system-wide objectives. While the word weakneses is too strong, these are two critical challenges facing the system throughout the state.
52 Trustee
I fear that the number of institutions while providing the convenience may prove to be the downfall. The overhead cost of so many administrative units is overwhelming in tough economic times.
57 Trustee
58 budget that prevents needed growth Trustee
Resting on our laurels. Being content with what we are doing and have been doing. Big turn over in faculty and staff that is now taking place. In order to keep the System on the leading edge of what is needed,
60 properly trained individuals that we can afford must be found. Trustee
65 Money. Money for capital and higher pay for personal. Trustee
One of the biggest areas of concern deals with the ability to provide adequate training for much needed areas such as health care. Practicum opportunities are somewhat limited which limits the number of
69 students in any one training cadray-the need is here but the CC is having a great struggle meeting the training needs. Trustee
Lack of money for faculty/staff salaries when trying to hire the best teachers/administrators; lack of money for facilities and upgrades when trying to stay competitive in programming; lack of money for
70 scholarships when trying to serve qualified students. Need to continue to build strong advocacy at all levels to inform/motivate legislators and decision makers. Trustee
The funding formula which depends upon the growth from the previous year and not the possible growth that other state institutions have for funding purposes. The lack of funding or assistance in keeping
77 equipment up to date for the technical programs. Trying to capitalize on what IHE's are already accredited for such as teacher education. Trustee
The local Board of County Commissioners has not developed a strategic plan to address economic development for the county. This issue does not give the Community College a focus for curriculum planning
nor a strategy to best use limited financial and human resources. The County Commissioners must share thier plans ,when developed, with the citizens of the county and adjacent counties. Community Colleges
89 face enrollment growth with local budget cuts. Trustee
funding and physical facility, adequate compensation and career paths for faculty and staff, lack of recognition/respect of value and importance with accompanying struggle to recruit the best people into
93 community college careers Trustee
Lack of cohesiveness of administration, faculty, staff. Not all working toward goals and mission of the community college. Lack of vision of administration. Inability of faculty/staff to keep abreast of changing
technology related to instruction. Failing to provide training for faculty in strategic planning, recruitment, conflict resolution, team building, working with business and industry, etc. Need for Internation Center.
99 Need to drop programs no longer viable and add programs for jobs of the future. Trustee
109 Budget restrictions, Low faculty salaries Trustee
Lack of sufficient funding, constraints of FTE, low faculty and staff salaries, minimal flexibility due to state regulations regarding resourses.
115 Trustee
Internal bickering among the president, faculty, staff and trustees could be could present a tremendous obstacle to community college growth. I have read and heard about such situations in various parts of the
state, but fortunately we are not confronted with this at our college. Our president's primary focus is not personal, but geared to the growth and success of the staff and students. The faculty and staff take seriously
the needs of the students, both educational and personal. Our board of trustees is a harmonious group seeking that which is best for the college. We do not have hidden agendas, but look at the issues in a
professional manner. We may not always see things in the same light, but we're not disagreeable when when a decision is made.
130 Trustee
Obviously, the biggest weakness is a lack of funding (resources) to support new ideas, new programs (start-up funds), and student support services. Our student population has many students "at-risk" and we
need to have sufficient funds to hire counselors, peer tutors, and preceptors if we really want to help students change their lives and be successful in the college experience. Another weakness that hinders growth,
is the Common Course Libray and the rigid approval process for programs/courses. In order for the system to be successful and respond to the needs of the community, processes need to be more flexible and
able to be quickly approved. It can take 2 years from inception of the idea to application at the local level. By then, the world has changed! While there are some advantages to the CCL, the lack of local control
by the college is an impediment to progress and growth. Of particular concern, is the funding formula for high demand programs (ie nursing and allied health). These programs need to receive additional funds in
order to serve the growing numbers of students for these high demand jobs. We can't achieve our mission without additional support funds. As part of the funding formula, the fact that the community colleges ar
4 year schools with regard to the summer semester is a great loss to the college. Community college students want to continue their education year round, and many programs are forced
to have summer classes (because of the CCL), yet funding for these courses are decreased. Instead of cutting back course offerings, we should be increasing offerings to utilize space and
resources to attract and meet the needs of students.
135 Trustee
FUNDING!!! Our college is in one of the most rapidly growing areas of the state, and the greatest demand that we have in our service area is for healthcare services and technology programs. We are finding it
extremely difficult to start much needed new and expensive programs under the Community College System’s FTE funding system. Healthcare and technology courses are very expensive, and we cannot start
anywhere near the number of programs that we need to be offering with the delayed “one size fits all” funding that we get for programs.I feel that the System Office very much needs to conduct an in depth study
of this problem as soon as possible. I am certain that most if not all of the colleges are suffering from this shortcoming, but probably not to the extent that we are because we are new, and serve such a rapidly
growing area. Our County Commissioners have done a good job of supporting our facilities, but a lack of program funding is killing us! There are probably other things that are weaknesses, but when compared
with inequitable and antiquated program funding systems, they are waay off the screen.
136 Trustee
There needs to be more sense of community. The dining facilities need to be broadened and there need to be more places for students to congregate,,library facilities could be increased, as well as student
138 activities centers. Trustee
163 Aging facilities, state budget constraints, legislators lack of respect for the role our institutions provide people... Trustee
Bureaucracy-The regulations and policies designed to assure quality do not allow us to generate much needed classes on a timely basis. Our competition, proprietary schools such as University of Phoenix, ECPI,
etc. appear to be more nimble at getting classes to the market place. Part-Time Faculty–Part-time faculty are a fact of life. Many are very good, but teaching is for the most part secondary to them. They are not
always technically competent and are rarely available to their students except in class. They have little means of keeping up with cutting edge pedagogy. Leadership–We have wonderful leaders, but not enough of
them. Our colleges exist in an environment of accelerating technical change. Many of our leaders have not operated in this type of environment. Funding–We need to work harder at alternative funding sources.
179 Trustee
181 CC boards and presidents not being aggressive in persuing new technology that will lead to advancing the school and community. Trustee
Funding - by State and Local Governments and the ability to raise funds on a community level. Long Range Master Planning - being able to maintain a master plan and adjusting as needs occur.
182 Trustee
The selection of Trustees who really have an interest in their local community college, and not just anyone ALLOWED to serve through political approval. At times, the opinion and recommendations of the local
184 Board of Trustees are completely ignored, and a political appointment made to "reward" a strong political supporter. Trustee
Inadequate funding of professional development is sending a message that we do not value continuous learning, the provision of which is our main function. Inadequate salaries is causing us to lose key people
and have to replace them with less-qualified. This will hit with force in 3-4 years when many will retire.There are too few people in many vital service areas. We are seeing the result in the financial aid problem
now in the paper, but the deterioration in support services for students is evident. There is also insufficient staff in other key administrative areas, especially among staff stressed by the CIS conversion, e-
procurement, and other administrative demands. Overwork among dedicated staff is resulting in increased illness and turnover). Many staff and faculty hold second jobs to make ends meet, which leaves them
less energy for their community college job, and makes them less loyal. Equipment in instructional areas is beginning to be a problem after 2-3 years of reduced budgets. We are becoming too rigid in some areas
with the consequence that creativity (for example, in scheduling) is being stifled. Some concerns that are better left local have become auditable by being written into the Code. (Example: no acceptable alternati
taken being available to certify pre-requisites.) We lose too many people before they earn credentials - something "sticks" won't cure. It will take more people to provide services and
encouragement, and some funding for supportive things like child care, transportation, and emergency funds.
186 Trustee
188 Probably the approaches different colleges use toward seeking funds. Trustee
193 stigma of being a second tier college, lack of resources Trustee
200 A clean effective matriculation agreement between the CC system and the 4 year college systems. Trustee
inadequate funding for student services so badly needed by the students; needs of small rural colleges are vastly different than the needs of large urban colleges; central control of
203 curriculum places barriers on innovation; funding inequities between different colleges with different needs Trustee