Mission Evolution and International Community Colleges
With its focus on opportunity and access, the mission of community colleges in the United States has allowed millions of otherwise non-included populations to receive two years of higher education. Thus, these graduates have contributed to the citizenry of the U.S. and to their own social and economic statuses. In this chapter, the authors focused on that mission as it applies to international community colleges, a growing phenomenon in many divergent countries. Instead of locking themselves into a role of offering a standard for international colleges in regards to their missions, the authors offered multicultural foci built on the cultural texts of those colleges. In addition, while it seemed obvious that the impact of the features of the American Community College mission had influence over the rise of international community colleges, their own definitions of services, issues, and needs must take precedence over simple emulation of practices.