"Community College Students and the Pandemic:" A Review of "Inside Higher Ed's" Special Report

ABSTRACT

In this monumental time of social change, community college news and reports need to be at the forefront of all professionals working in higher education- not just those who work in these unique institutions. Why? There are several reasons, each of which become more apparent while flipping through the pages of Inside Higher Ed's special report "Community College Students and the Pandemic" (St. Amour 2020). To start, higher education is an ecosystem of institutional types, each reliant upon one another to help students and families move up the socioeconomic and education ladders. Interconnectedness, especially during the current crises facing higher education, is a strength as higher education professionals support those whose mobility between institutions has never been more critical. In addition, community college professionals certainly have a front seat view of what truly challenges students and their families when it comes to access to and completion of higher education. Community college stories, both of their students and the institutions themselves, are triumphant, gritty, celebratory, and very, very real. Now is the time for higher education professionals from all corners of the field and institution types to learn from one another. Expand the reports that are read;avoid the temptation to scroll past the headlines not aligned to specific disciplines, functional areas, and communities of practice. This article discuses Inside Higher Ed's "Community College Students and the Pandemic" (St. Amour 2020), a comprehensive collection of the most salient issues in higher education.