| This study recognizes that the world is being integrated into one economic space through a process widely described as globalization. As a result of this integration, the community college mission will adapt over time to a new global environment. Community colleges were created at the beginning of the twentieth century to resolve a host of higher education concerns about the burdens of undergraduate education, as well as the need to educate the population to be responsible citizens in a relatively isolated democracy. Since the two world wars, the arrival of the atomic age, and the advent of global transportation and communications networks, the United States, even at the level of community college districts, is no longer functioning as a distinct, separate economy that trades with "others."; The study focuses on the perceptions of community college leaders about how their colleges must adapt and change to remain relevant in the 21 st century, based on a recognition that globalization is affecting nearly every level of education, society, and the economy. The investigation is grounded in Systems Theory, where globalization, in the external environment, can be distinguished from the many other inputs and pressures within the college system. The Central Illinois Community College is the case in a multisite, interpretive case study that analyzes these perceptions and includes short survey data in an attempt to gain rich data from the Illinois colleges involved. The concluding chapters interpret the respondents' interview and survey data in light of current trends in the community college, and globalization theory, in order to develop recommendations for increasing the community college's relevance in the 21st century. |
