The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
Robert Schwartz
As pressure has grown over the past decade to address the rising income and wealth gaps in this country, public- and private-sector leaders have looked increasingly to the role that America’s 1,100 community and technical colleges might play in providing low-income young people and adults with the skills and credentials needed to put them on a path to economic advancement.
Because of their affordability and open admissions policies, they are the most racially and economically diverse institutions in American higher education. At their best, community colleges are also the most nimble, flexible, market-oriented institutions in our higher education system, working closely with employers to meet regional labor market demands.
What do great community colleges look like that prioritize their workforce mission across the institution, focus on providing economic advancement and mobility for their students, and situate themselves as major players in their regional economic development ecosystem?
Eighteen months ago, I set out with colleagues at the Harvard Project on Workforce to answer this question. We identified five community colleges in different regions of the country, each serving a diverse set of learners and industries, and then developed detailed case studies documenting the internal policies and practices of these colleges that enabled them to serve both students and employers so effectively. Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona, is one of the five exemplary institutions we profiled. We found it an extraordinary turnaround story.
When Lee Lambert was recruited from Shoreline Community College in Washington to become Chancellor in 2013, Pima was in trouble. The regional accrediting association had placed it on probation for a variety of compliance and governance issues. Shortly afterward, a combination of reductions in state funding and enrollment declines led to a fiscal crisis demanding radical action. Lambert quickly learned from his initial conversations with business leaders that they found it difficult to collaborate with the College.
Lambert introduced sweeping administrative reforms. He closed one of the College’s six campuses and sold off its buildings, hired a single point of contact for employers and, in close collaboration with industry leaders, developed Centers of Excellence tied to workforce demand in areas such as Applied Technology, IT/Cybersecurity, Health Professions and Hospitality and Tourism. While these moves generated some initial pushback and resistance, today, Pima is a very different institution.
The Centers of Excellence integrate workforce development across credit and non-credit programs, including industry certifications. They offer cutting-edge facilities and technology to enable experiential learning and provide a focal point for collaboration across sectors. These Centers are designed to meet both industry needs and provide great learning opportunities for students.
At Pima, like many colleges, the workforce division was expected to raise its own revenue by generating short-term training contracts with companies to upgrade the skills of incumbent workers. Lambert decided that workforce development needed to permeate the College and not be siloed into a separate self-supporting division. Today, PCC’s workforce division employs over 100 staff members fully supported by the College, working internally to connect faculty to emerging industry partnership opportunities and working externally to build and sustain relationships with regional economic development organizations, industry associations, and government leaders. As one industry leader told our case writer, “Pima is everywhere.”
With Chancellor Lambert leaving the College to take a similar position at the Foothill-De Anza Community College District near Silicon Valley, California, we join Arizona business leaders in urging Pima and all Arizona community colleges to continue to partner with local businesses and industries to ensure a steady pipeline of workers trained in 21st Century skills. Doing so will keep Arizona businesses competitive in a fast-changing global marketplace and, equally as important, drive economic mobility and shared prosperity for workers and our communities.
