Editor’s Note: As the postsecondary institutions known for their open admissions policy, community colleges enroll a diverse group of students of all abilities and academic goals. Increasing numbers of students enter college directly from high school or after being in the workforce, finding themselves under-prepared for the rigor of college-level courses and lacking the support they need to persist and succeed. Community colleges respond to students’ needs with innovative strategies designed to assist in transitioning them to programs offering certificates and degrees at the associate and baccalaureate levels. Many of these strategies involve partnerships, outreach, support services, and other means necessary to help students realize their dream of a college degree can be reached. This edition of UPDATE features five articles that illuminate current research and practice related to enabling student access and transition to college.

The Office of Community College Research and Leadership (OCCRL) was established in 1989 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Our primary mission is to provide research, leadership, and service to community college leaders and assist in improving the quality of education in the Illinois community college system. Projects of this office are supported by the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB), and are coordinated with the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), along with other state, federal, private and not-for-profit organizations. The contents of our Briefs and bi-annual UPDATE newsletters do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of OCCRL, the ICCB, the ISBE, or the University of Illinois. Comments or inquiries about our publications are welcome and should be directed to occrl@uiuc.edu. This issue and back issues of UPDATE can be found on the web at: http://occrl.ed.uiuc.edu.

STAFF
Debra D. Bragg, Ph.D., Director, OCCRL and Professor, UIUC
Catherine Kirby, Ed.M., Assistant Director, OCCRL and UPDATE Editor, UIUC
Linda Iliff, UPDATE Production Manager and Administrative Assistant, UIUC

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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Champaign, IL 61820
Phone: (217) 244-9390
Fax: (217) 244-0851
http://occrl.ed.uiuc.edu