Community College of Denver and Conclusion

I think the chapter on the Community College of Denver was the one I was waiting for, not because it's a college in my hometown but because the transition to a learning college came about largely from a collaboration between leadership and the faculty! This collaboration has led to a pay-for-performance evaluation model adopted by the State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education. Additional key changes at CCD include:

• Identification of first-semester at-risk students on faculty rosters
• An "early alert" process to increase retention
• Data collection on student outcomes
• Accountability reporting

In the concluding chapter, O'Banion makes a dire prediciton that "unhealthy" institutions unwilling to do the work of transforming to a learning college will be relegated to the "rubbish heap of history" (p. 225). In Colorado, at least, I am unaware of any community colleges that have closed their doors since O'Banion's book was written. Nevertheless, he emphasizes the following process to ensure survival:

1. Capitalize on a "trigger event, an event that releases energy and creates opportunity" (p. 227).
2. "Test" the faculty to determine institutional values and practices as they relate to teaching and learning (231).
3. Mobilize the various innovations in the college to support and guide the development of a learning college (p. 233).
4. Identify the handful of people who will be change leaders (p. 235).
5. Create a vision for the institution (p. 236).
6. Involve all stakeholders, including administrators, faculty, support staff, trustees, community members, and students (p. 237).
7. Appoint a project manager.
8. Reallocate funds (since new funds probably cannot be found) to support the project (p. 239).
9. Encourage communicaton (p. 24).
10. Employ outside consultants as needed (p. 241).

Not being a college administrator, I can only guess that O'Banion's advice is sound. Most of the colleges in the book seem to have followed this model, especially the step about creating a vision. Schools where the faculty and students were heavily involved in the process stood out for me, as I can relate to both.

O'Banion's book is quite dated, and I'd like to know more about how community colleges have adapted in the last decade to distance education, a sagging economy, and state budget contrainsts. I am most familiar with Southwest Colorado Community College, and from an outsider's perspective, it appears well-positioned for the future. With enrollment up 47 percent last fall, according the Durango Herald, I'd say that it is an example of a college responding quickly to the demands of the workforce. I hope in the future to have first-hand experience as an instructor to see a learning college at work!

Walking the Walk at Palomar Community College

Leaders at Palomar Community College developed an impressive Vision Statement as a result of their efforts to re-engineer into a learning college:



"We have shifted from an identification with process to an identification with results. We are no longer content with merely providing quality instruction. We will judge ourselves henceforth on the quality of student learning we produce. And further, we will judge ourselves by our ability to produce even greater and more sophisticated student learning and meaningful educational success with each passing year, each exiting student, and each graduating class. To do this, we must ourselves continually experiment, discover, grow, and learn. Consequently, we see ourselves as a learning institution in both our object and our method" (p. 193).



When the Vision Task Force presented the statement to all the college constituencies, it was surprised to find absolutely no opposition. Puzzled, the task force speculated that "people thought that the Vision Statement would find a comfortable resting place on a shelf ... Or perhaps, people felt that this emphasis on learning outcomes was just another passing fad to be endured" (p. 194).

Well, the vision statement wasn't merely a feel-good exercise. College leaders implemented it immediately and with fervor. One daring move came when the college hosted a series of learning forums, the first of which was facilitated by students, who "focused on positive and negative classroom and campus experiences and successful techniques that helped them learn" (p. 195).

Another gutsy activity: "The 1995 fall Orientation Day ... Returning faculty members were not told that they would become students-for-a-day until they arrived on campus" (p. 197). Faculty and staff attended three classes, patterned after learning communities, and all demonstrating active-learning strategies. Even the college president got back into the classroom as a chemistry teacher!

Have you ever been involved in a similar scenario, where leaders didn't just talk the talk but also walked the walk?