Public policy, community colleges, and the path to globalization

This study addresses the nature of governmentpolicy toward community colleges in the 1990sand the responses of institutions to thesepolicies. This is an examination of Canadianand U.S. community colleges in two Canadianprovinces and three U.S. states as well asanalysis of government policy in two countries,at the federal, state and provincial levels.Government policies are viewed as directingcommunity colleges toward economic goals,emphasizing workforce training and stateeconomic competitiveness as outcomes,compelling colleges to improve efficiencies,increase productivity, and to becomeaccountable to government and responsive tobusiness and industry. Government responses toeconomic concerns at the provincial and statelevels resulted in economic developmentpolicies applicable to community colleges. Institutional responses among communitycolleges, evident in behaviors such asmarketization and productivity and efficiency,altered college missions, resulting in thepursuit of economic ends by theseinstitutions.