he nation has entered a "no frills" era where budget cuts, retrenchment, and cutbacks have become commonplace and expected. Giants such as K-Mart and United Airlines found themselves in such great financial difficulty that declaring chapter 11 status loomed as the only option.

"No frills" has cut many services that were previously commonplace. We no longer expect service at the service station, food on airlines, or a human voice on the end of a business telephone call. Retailers such as Wal-Mart and Home Depot have installed self-service check out lanes where customers scan and bag their purchases without need of a sales representative. Cutbacks, cutoffs, and lay-offs are everywhere. Unfortunately education is not immune to the budget slash and curtailment frenzy. In many elementary schools art, music and physical education have either been curtailed or totally eliminated in an effort to supply only the basics. High schools have seen cuts in after school activities and intramural sports. At the college level, administrators are discontinuing courses and programs that do not "pay for themselves."

Newton's Third Law of Motion states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. And, in recent years we have witnessed the reactions and backlash to the "no frills" frenzy, some being very surprising and unpredictable. For example, during the 1990s when automobile manufacturers were on a quest to design smaller and more economical cars, the public backlash was a demand for large SUVs. In a response to a heightened awareness of health issues, Americans suddenly became willing to pay for "designer water" even though tap water was perfectly potable. Finally, in response to traditional postsecondary institutions' indifference toward working adults, many adult students resorted to for-profit postsecondary alternatives such as the University of Phoenix that could provide online curricula and programs that accommodated busy schedules. All of these reactions were unexpected in that SUVs, designer water, and for-profit education are not economical alternatives but rather higher-priced options.

So how does the "no frills" frenzy relate to community college research? The answer is simply that government, foundations, and even the general public have perceived postsecondary research as a frill rather than a pre-investment strategy directing future dollars to be wisely invested. Indeed, much of the higher education research funding has been cut or eliminated. While the U.S. Department of Education supports "No Child Left Behind," policymakers have apparently forgotten that children become adults, many of whom have been left far behind, as indicated by unemployment figures and the increasing need for remediation at the postsecondary level. Foundations are less apt to respond to proposals at the postsecondary level assuming that their dollars accrue a higher return when invested in children. Casting all college students as privileged remains an obstinate belief in a country where only a little over a quarter of persons over age 25 have a bachelor's degree or higher (National Center for Education Statistics, 2004). Perhaps it is a reasonable for some to believe that spending money on those that appear to be on the path of achievement is less worthy than investing dollars in young children hoping that they will someday be so fortunate as to be on the college-degree path. Yet research shows that this line of thinking belies the truth. While about 65 percent of high school graduates enter college within one year of graduation, about a third will drop-out within the first year and yet another third will exit prior to graduation (National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, 2004; National Center for Education Statistics, 2004). Furthermore, we know that of those low-income students who go to college, the majority will begin at a community college and that the vast majority will not earn an associate's degree, transfer, or ever earn a bachelor's degree. Research is needed to better meet the needs of these students so that these rather dismal statistics can improve.

Remediation

While it is true that more Americans are enrolling in college, the proportion requiring remedial, developmental, or compensatory education is increasing at an even faster pace (Education Trust, 1999). Today more than half of all college students take at least one remedial or compensatory course (Adelman, 1999) and that proportion balloons to almost 80 percent when only considering minority students specifically at community colleges (Nora, Barlow, & Crisp, 2005). Unfortunately, only a trickle of low-income students emerges from remedial work into college level work (Hagedorn et al, 1999; Hagedorn, 2004; Nora, Rendon, & Cuadraz, 1999).

We are witnessing a growing trend among four-year universities to relegate those students requiring remediation to community colleges. Research is sorely needed to identify the appropriate teaching methods that will assist these students to be successful. At this point most colleges continue to supply remedial education in the same manner as the original presentation in high school. The assumption is that if students didn't learn the material the first time, repetition will do the trick. Unfortunately, the statistics indicate that this approach is not working and research is desperately required. Further, as more and more students in community colleges are enrolled in remedial and compensatory courses we ignore the effect on high achieving students. Moreover, we do not understand how these changing demographics will affect faculty morale, faculty hiring, and faculty status.

Nursing and Allied Health Professions

There is a growing trend to discontinue undergraduate nursing programs from four-year institutions and to relegate them to community colleges. The University of Southern California, Case Western Reserve, and others have shifted their missions and emphases to include only graduate nursing programs. Syracuse University just announced that it will close its School of Nursing in June of 2006. Other four-year universities are contemplating similar actions. Community colleges are the training facilities for associate's degrees in nursing and Allied healthcare. There is a dearth of research on the success of these programs that generally function within severe budget deficits. This research is especially warranted in light of the current healthcare crisis that threatens only to worsen. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics recently reported that over a million new and replacement nurses will be required by the year 2014 (U.S. Department of Labor, 2004). Research is sorely needed to understand and guide community colleges in recruiting and retaining nurses and other Allied Health professionals. What factors cause nurses with associate's degrees to transfer into baccalaureate nursing programs? Can community colleges, with their bare bones budgets, appropriately train the health care force of the future? How will community colleges continue to keep pace with technology and the fast pace of healthcare change?

Teacher Training

Similar to the situation involving nurses, the nation is experiencing a monumental teacher shortage. Community colleges are often cited as an appropriate response to the problem of preparing teachers to educate America. More programs are starting on campuses across the nation, typically in conjunction with fouryear institutions, with the goal of training teachers to be recruited more broadly. In January 2006 the major universities and colleges in Washington State entered into a direct transfer agreement with the state's community and technical colleges to partner in teacher preparation (Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges, 2005). Another response to the problem is the inclusion of community colleges into fast-track alternative certification programs (ACPs) (Center for Community College Policy, 2003). ACPs provide certification to those baccalaureate holders, regardless of discipline, who wish to teach but lack any experience or training in education methods. These programs are becoming more popular at community colleges as they generally are less expensive and shorter in term than those offered at four-year universities (Center for Community College Policy, 2003). But research is lacking to demonstrate if this method of supplying teachers will work. Will students trained through community college teacher preparation programs remain teaching in schools a decade later? Will these former community college students be more sensitive to today's children? Can community colleges provide quality teaching programs amidst their shrinking budgets?

Online Offerings

In its quest to bring economical educational services to all who will benefit, many community colleges are offering courses and programs online. If ever there existed a subject requiring research it would be online education at the community college level. Much of these ventures are heading blindly into the unknown despite the fact that online education typically flies in the face of what is known about good instructional practice: heavy doses of student-to-teacher and student-tostudent interactions. While it has been shown that social and academic interactions can occur via email, chat, and other practices in the virtual environment, these premises have not been sufficiently tested among the types of students who attend community colleges. The diversity of students in community colleges begs that such analyses be disaggregated by gender, ethnicity, age, and socioeconomic status.

The biggest unknown regarding online community college education is the result of losing a sense of community. A major appeal of online education is its ability to nullify distance and reach individuals located far from the physical campus. But perhaps the biggest asset of community colleges is not the distance of its reach but rather, its depth. Community colleges should serve the local community. This mission does not currently include service to the world. What are the repercussions to students who are technologically inept, older, or have learning styles incompatible with online instruction?

Data, Data, Data

Rather than promoting more data collection, this essay is actually promoting the analyses of data that is routinely collected. Community colleges already have a vast treasure trove of data collected through college applications, financial aid forms, enrollment records, and other institutional forms. The Achieving the Dream Initiative, funded by the Lumina Foundation and currently working with 35 colleges across seven states, has verified that well-meaning community colleges have an abundance of data but lack the resources to perform their own in-depth analyses to promote appropriate policies (Lumina Foundation, 2004). Thus, while data may be prevalent, analyses are in short supply. Typically community colleges lack the resources (both time and money) to analyze these data sources beyond the measure required by state and federal regulations (Hagedorn, 2005). Thus, much of the required research to back sound policy development can be performed using existing data.

Conclusions

Budget cuts in so many sectors generally signal an increase in community college enrollments. The current economic situation makes postsecondary credentials a requirement, not a frill. While only 20 percent of jobs required college education in 1959, that proportion has risen close to 60 percent today (Carnevale & Fry, 2000). Researchers have forecast a "baby boom echo" that will challenge the capacity of all colleges, especially community colleges (Carnevale & Desrochers, 2001). Individuals lacking employment and marketable skills will often turn to the community college for new training and hope. For this reason community college research is extremely important, not a frill. It is inappropriate to offer programs without prior research regarding the efficacy of their effects. This essay calls upon community college professionals to call for and acknowledge the need for additional research. Further, it is appropriate for postsecondary researchers to collaborate with community colleges in writing proposals that inform the U.S. Department of Education and private foundations of the need to further community college research. Community colleges are not a frill but a means to provide educational equity and opportunity.

Dr. Linda Serra Hagedorn is Professor and Chair of the Educational Administration and Policy Department at the College of Education , University of Florida . She also serves as Vice President of Division J (Postsecondary Education) of the American Educational Research Association. She can be reached at hagedorn@coe.ufl.edu.

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