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Building relationships is the essence of the community college. Higher education administrators learned long ago that building rapport with businesses, state and local government, and constituents is the best way to represent the interests of the community. But that does not make it easy. Board members come and go and the shifting dynamics of group often create clashes of personalities and management styles. It is not unusual for presidents to fear for their jobs, especially if the information they present to the board is different from what was envisioned. Successful presidents say that building relationships takes fortitude, a knack for the art of persuasion and, in many cases, a willingness to step outside their comfort zone. Leaders interviewed for this article recommend a number of steps for fostering stronger relationships with board members and other stakeholders in one's community.

A few years ago you could not attend a higher education conference without a session on green technology, and the sustainability movement. Emerging job training programs in wind and solar were equipping a new generation of energy workers with skills needed to secure high income jobs in clean energy markets. Campuses were doing their part to become stewards of the environment reducing greenhouse gas emissions and installing energy efficient technologies. Then as President Obama called upon the nation's colleges to double the number of students earning degrees or professional certificates by 2020 the green movement found itself looking up at a larger essentially more urgent priority. While the inital fervor surrounding sustainability might have cooled at community colleges, the nation's college campuses did not stop going green. "I don't think [green] has become less popular, but some other priorities have risen to the top," says Todd Cohen, who directs the SEED Center, an effort by the American Association of Community Colleges to promote sustainability at the nation's two-year career and technical colleges. Recent evidence would suggest he's right. By 2013, more than 80 percent of K-12 schools and colleges surveyed by McGraw-Hill had at least some green retrofits and operational improvements. It's not easy to quantify the success of these projects however. Only 8 percent of colleges that responded to the McGraw-Hill survey said it's possible to calculate a return on investment for these projects; few respondents said it was possible to directly measure the nonoperational benefits of green improvements. The challenges extend to operational savings, too. When looking at the impact of green technology retrofits against 10-year operating costs, 39 percent of colleges report savings, but at least half of those say they don't know the impact of their green buildings. Despite these challenges, community colleges continue to serve as leaders in the green movement-with groundbreaking projects and educational opportunities for the next generation of sustainability experts.

In 2000, nearly 5.5 million degree seeking students attended two-year colleges. In the 2010-2011 school year, that figure jumped to more than 8 million, due in part to the economic downturn and steadily rising tuition at four-year colleges and universities. Also, new skill requirements in the job market forced many professionals to seek recertification. Despite historic enrollment gains, about 50 percent of students entering community colleges either drop out or stop taking courses in their first year, according to the Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE). That number is improving, but community colleges still need to identify the reasons students drop or stop out to catch those students who are stumbling and guide them toward a degree or professional certification. The institutions that are making the boldest strides share several common elements, including broad support from trustees and teams of executives and faculty and staff who are dedicated to improving completion rates. These advocates share their experiences of what has worked, what has yet to be accomplished, and what challenges lay ahead.

As they closed the books on the 2012-2013 school year, Long Beach City College continued the task of pouring over years of student enrollment data. They found that after years of offering remedial courses for students who entered unprepared for the rigors of higher education, the college reported and astonishing 500 percent increase in the number of first-year college students who placed in college-level English courses compared to the prior year. The number of students who qualified for college math was double what the college reported the previous year. Administrators attribute the gains at leas partially, to a six-year-old partnership between the college and the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD). As part of its 21st Century Initiative, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) encourages community colleges to work more closely with business partners, local community organizations, and K-12 and baccalaureate institutions to develop clearer academic pathways for three main purposes: (1) to prepare students for the rigors of college-level work; (2) to guide them through the system from enrollment to graduation; and (3) to help them achieve successful and sustainable careers. In order to meet the goals of the completion agenda, community college leaders say K-12 and four-year college and university partners must continue to work across institutions to serve students and create clearer academic pathways to success.

Community colleges, while safe, are not immune to violence. In the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings, community colleges are committed to making campuses safer. From training first responders to understanding and identifying potential threats, the author describes what schools are doing to eradicate their so-called [in] securities and improve campus security.