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Position Paper

Matthew Robinson

Wright State University

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The American community college is a place for learners of all walks of life to come and

receive an education. For many of these students, the community college opens many

opportunities that they have not had access too due to not attending a four year institution. Many

community colleges offer similar services that support students at four year institutions, though

with an emphasis on a comprehensive student center that houses all support services in one area.

One area that has not been of major focus for community colleges however has been student

engagement outside of the classroom.

While student engagement has not been the focus, I believe that it is important for this

topic to come to the forefront. It is my opinion that developing a comprehensive student

engagement program is not only worth it, but is necessary for student success. I feel this way for

a few reasons. First of all, student development theories like Astin’s Involvement, Sanford’s

Challenge and Support, as well as Baxter-Magolda’s Self Authorship theory give us a firm

foundation to build a case for student engagement. Second, there already community colleges

that have built or are building comprehensive student engagement. Finally, I believe that

exposing students to an environment that is engagement-rich will make for a better transition into

a four year institution if they choose to attend one. This type of environment will be a benefit to

all students at community colleges, whether they are recent high school graduates or adult

learners. To begin my argument, I would like to touch upon a few student development theories

that will build a firm foundation for the rest of my argument.

Astin’s Involvement theory emphasizes the importance for students to become invested

on campus. Being involved on campus will most likely lead to campus pride and allow the

student to be a part of community that they may not otherwise associate with outside of the

classroom. In terms of Sanford’s Challenge and Support theory, Clubs and organizations will
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offer both new challenges and new support groups for students outside of the classroom. With

Baxtor-Magolda’s Self Authorship theory, having a strong student engagement program will

allow students to take leadership roles that might not have been available otherwise. Students

would also be able to create new clubs and organizations that they feel are needed on campus.

All three of these theories show that the research supports student engagement on campus for

proper student development, regardless of age, but community colleges are already practicing

student engagement.

Two schools in the state of Ohio, Clark State Community College and Sinclair

Community College, have implemented many programs and events for students to be involved

in. Both colleges have sports teams that students can support throughout the year, with sports in

both men’s and women’s. Clarke State in particular promotes a host of student organizations

which includes Student Senate, various honor societies, as well as a Student Theater Guild to

name a few. Clark State also houses a performing arts center which hosts events throughout the

year. Sinclair is also to be celebrated for their efforts in creating an engaged campus with a

student activities calendar that is filled with events every week. Sinclair students can participate

in many events that range from educational to fun as well as get involved in one of the

organizations on campus. Clark State and Sinclair have done a great job at creating engaging

campus environments and I believe are preparing students who will be transferring to four year

institutions for a successful transition.

Students who were involved in community college will be better equipped to handle this

transition into an engagement rich environment. It can be overwhelming to someone who has

never been exposed to the breadth of options that a person can become involved with in the

college environment, so it is very important for community colleges to offer an experience that is
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similar to what is seen in the traditional college setting. This is why I also believe that

community college students, whether traditional or non-traditional, deserve to have an

experience that is virtually the same as a large public university.

I feel the answer to the question of whether students would care about student

engagement services or not is a definite yes. Students will come to a community college for a

number of reasons, whether it be to complete required courses first, to get a certificate for work,

and many more unique reasons. No matter the reason, students expect to get a college experience

that is conducive to learning both in and out of the classroom. This means that community

colleges should not only focus on the academic rigor of the institution, but also what the student

life experience is. Creating a holistic student experience will provide students with the college

experience they expect and will encourage student development. With this in mind, it is

important for us to make sure our programs are having a positive impact on our students.

Assessment is critical in student affairs, especially when it comes to developing a

comprehensive student engagement campaign. Collecting both quantitative and qualitative data

would be paramount. For quantitative data, extensive surveys would be collected to get a gauge

on campus engagement as a whole. I would also take a look at survey data provided by

organizations like the Community College Survey on Student Engagement (CCSSE), which

would give us important benchmarking data. For qualitative data, focus groups would allow us to

hear from students about what they would like to see in terms of campus engagement as well as

why they may not be as involved on campus. By collecting data in this way, students’ voices will

be heard and we can tailor our programs to what they actually want to see. Data collection and

review will be an ongoing process so that we are constantly improving our programs to meet

student needs. Assessment will also help us address funding.

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Unfortunately, funding has come under much scrutiny in recent years for higher

education. Budgets are tighter and programs are being cut to reduce spending. This is why it is

important to show the value of our program with data and have a theoretical foundation, so that

we can continue to secure funding for student engagement. One of the best ways that this

programming model can be funded is to add a small student activity fee to the first tuition bill.

Clark State already assess a fee of $9 that is used to support services, activities, and the student

senate. A fee of $25 or $50 would allow us to do much more in terms of providing dynamic

programming and student organization funding. This fee can be justified again by showing the

data and the theory behind comprehensive student engagement. Also, because this fee can be

added to the first tuition bill, students would not have to worry about being charged at orientation

or later in the year. So, what are some programs that community colleges can implement to

create a comprehensive campus environment?

The first initiative that comes to mind is an orientation program that will introduce

students to college and the campus community. Due to the type of students that would be

attending orientation, many sessions would be offered throughout the year at varying times of the

day. This would accommodate all potential schedules that our students will have. The next

initiative would be to encourage the creation of student clubs on campus. Theme and interest

clubs could have a great impact on the campus community as students become involved in things

that they are interested in. Major specific organizations can also be created to increase the

comradery of students taking similar courses. An added benefit to these programs is the creation

of on campus jobs for students. One other area that could be focused on is athletics. Whether it is

participating or supporting, sports can have large impact on the college experience. Some
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initiatives in this area include a push to attend games, creating club sports or intramural sports, or

creating agreements with local sports teams that provide students with discounted ticket prices.

An additional area that seems to be gaining traction is the creation of on-campus housing

at community colleges. While I feel that housing would be another great way for student to be

involved on campus, we need to take this slow. Whether building resident halls or purchasing

apartment complexes to create housing, it will be very expensive. We also must keep in mind

that housing may not be used by a majority of students. However, living on campus is a great

way for students to stay connected and the RA position would provide additional employment

opportunities for students.

It is for these reasons that I believe it is important for community colleges to invest in

comprehensive student engagement. With theories showing the importance of involvement in

holistic development, community colleges could provide a campus environment that is more than

just taking classes. By creating an active campus community, both traditional and non-traditional

students can receive the same type of experience at a community college as they would a large

four year research university.