A Landscape Analysis of Civic and Community Engagement in Community Colleges

Authors

Carrie Kisker, Center for the Study of Community CollegesFollow
Carol Cutler White, Mississippi State UniversityFollow
Stephanie King, Mississippi State UniversityFollow
Janet Johnson, EDSTAR Analytics, Inc.Follow
Will Bowlin, Northeast Mississippi Community CollegeFollow

ORCID

Carol Cutler White: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8492-3117

Abstract

Providing opportunities for civic learning and democratic engagement has been central to the community college mission for over 100 years. This report presents findings from the 2024 AmeriCorps Civic Engagement among Community Colleges Project (ACECCP) survey, highlighting the ways and extent to which community colleges demonstrate an intentional commitment to civic and community engagement, illustrating how they incorporate this intentionality into curricular and co-curricular structures, and identifying the barriers and challenges that may preclude some colleges from engaging more fully in their civic mission. The report offers recommendations for future research on the positive impacts of community colleges in their local communities and for two- and four-year collaborative initiatives to expand civic engagement practices.

Publication Date

2025

Spatial Coverage

U.S. community colleges

College

College of Education

Department

Department of Industrial Technology, Instructional Design, and Community College Leadership

Keywords

community college, civic engagement, AmeriCorps, volunteering, service-learning

Disciplines

Community College Leadership | Education

Recommended Citation

Kisker, Carrie; Cutler White, Carol; King, Stephanie; Johnson, Janet; and Bowlin, Will, "A Landscape Analysis of Civic and Community Engagement in Community Colleges" (2025). College of Education (CoE) Publications. 103.
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/coe-publications/103