Opening the Doors to the World: The Rockland Community College Experience.

This two-part paper calls on community colleges to address global as well as local needs and looks at the ways in which Rockland Community College (RCC) in New York has attempted to serve this dual function. Part I looks at the emergence of tertiary institutions in other countries and suggests that the community colleges of the world, sharing the goal of harnessing learning to the needs of their communities, might be linked in a world federation: "World Community College." The paper then argues that community colleges need not choose between the claims of the community and of the world, but instead should develop curricula, programs, and pedagogies that simultaneously serve the needs of both. Next, ways in which community colleges can become involved in global education are considered including attending conferences, reading the literature, internationalizing the curriculum, creating faculty and student exchange opportunities, and establishing cooperative arrangements with other countries. Part II looks at RCC's efforts in search of "World Community College," tracing the development of the college's interest in international education and looking at the philosophical and pedagogical bases and the practices of RCC's Study Abroad Program. The paper concludes with a description of the study and work experiences afforded by Rockland's program in Israel. (JP)