In reflection of 2025, community colleges and higher education experienced an array of events that led institutions to reevaluate their public value proposition, student experiences, commitments, academic programs, policies, partnerships, practices and strategies for advancing their respective institutional missions.
Whether such considerations were spurred by the array of federal executive orders enacted by the Trump administration, reported breakdowns in the federal financial student aid system, the discontinuance of discretionary Minority Serving Institution (MSI) federal funding, reported curriculum restrictions at community colleges, the tightening of state allocated higher education funding, or concerns over the “real” cost and return on investment of higher education for learners, community colleges have had to pivot rapidly and constantly over the past 12 months.
Overall, these forces indicate a fundamental shift: 2026 will favor community colleges that reinvent themselves to ensure institutional resilience, market relevance and programmatic alignment with workforce and community needs.
Read more at Community College Daily.
