Historically, activism has long been a vehicle for student voices to be heard on the American college campus. Specifically for community colleges, student activism dates back to the early 20th century, throughout the 60s, early 70s, and continues today. Most recently, there has been a wave of student protests at community colleges in urban settings, including El Centro College in Dallas, Texas, where a sniper eventually opened fire on on-duty police officers at a rally. Student activism at urban community colleges are plausibly more expected because of the many controversial issues that urban environments produce, including issues around race, gender, crime, and socio-economic inequities. This chapter explores student activism on the urban community college campus during periods of heightened unrest in the United States, and will include an examination of the paradigms that have influenced working with students during these experiences.

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Community colleges located in urban areas face unique challenges and opportunities. How leaders in these institutions respond to this unique setting requires an understanding of the skills that might be required to adeptly work in these environments. Drawing upon survey research from the past 20 years, a research-team developed instrument was administered to a national sample of 466 academic program leaders who held titles similar to a department or division head or chair. With nearly 100 (n = 96) responses, the roles these leaders identified as being most important to their work focused on advocacy and information dissemination. The most agreed upon skills identified were related to sensitivity (including cultural sensitivity), leadership, and judgment, and the most important tasks they undertook were related to communications and creating a positive work environment. These findings suggest that these academic program leaders saw their roles as building supportive environments on campus in highly diverse urban areas, and that they in particular see the importance of serving as communicators between the institution and faculty.

The purpose for conducting the study was to explore and describe the use of alumni societies and associations in community colleges, particularly focusing on the intended outcome of their implementation. To collect data for the study, a research-team developed survey instrument was distributed electronically to 250 community college advancement senior leaders. A total of 106 (42%) usable surveys were returned for use in the study. The results of the data collection and analysis described community college expectations for alumni societies, and that this expectation was primarily focused on fundraising. The societies were also critical, however, in career placement for students, developing career-oriented programs, and reviewing curricula. Survey results also indicated that many community college leaders use alumni societies in creative ways, including assisting in faculty searches, hosting recruitment events, and teaching community education (lifelong learning) courses. Study findings are critical for college leaders who are often faced with difficulties in funding existing or new programing. The respondents to the study illustrated how alumni societies can serve as critical catalysts for improving existing programs and expanding the reach and value of the institution. Findings also suggest that alumni societies are perceived to be strong gateways to developing philanthropic support for institutions.