Community College News

The start of a new school year is typically an exciting time for college students, filled with new professors, new material, and the promise of progressing further into higher education. However, for California community college students, those first days have been filled with worry and frustration as record numbers have been squeezed out of much-needed courses. Thanks to continued budget cuts throughout the state, more students are missing out on college classes that would help them advance their education and move into careers of their choice. Schools say they have no choice but to spend less, and students feel financial pain.

Tighter Finances All-Around

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that since 2008, the community college system throughout California has received $809 million less in state funding, which makes up around 12 percent of the system’s total budget. When lost funding is combined with the rising costs of running an institution of higher education, the financial deficits become even more pronounced. For example, Diablo Valley College, located in Pleasant Hill, California, has cut around $14 million from its budget since 2009 to compensate for a loss of $5.2 million in state funding and rising operational costs.

The Press-Enterprise states that community colleges nationwide are functioning on at least 12 percent less money than they had during the 2008-2009 academic year. To make up the difference, the entire system has resorted to “workload reductions.” The idea is to preserve services for students still enrolled in

Community colleges in California are struggling, and at this point, it’s anybody’s guess how the problems with higher education in the state will eventually shake out. While much of the late focus on California community colleges has centered on San Francisco City College's accreditation threats, this isn’t the only school getting low marks from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges. Many two-year schools around the state appear to be in trouble, although some are currently in hotter water than others. Can these schools, vital to the student population and the state's employment outlook, pull themselves out of the holes they are slowly sinking into?

Accreditation Sanctions Running Rampant

According to a report in the Sacramento Bee, numerous California community colleges across the state are in trouble with the accreditation commission. Three schools, including San Francisco City College, face the most severe “show cause” sanctions. In addition, 10 campuses have been placed on “probation” status, and another 14 have received “warning” status. All the schools have been given specific guidelines to improve their status by the subsequent accreditation evaluation; however, the three schools in the direst circumstances also have the most work to do.

“The problems colleges have run into with accreditation are abnormally acute at this point in California,” David Baime, senior vice president of the American Association of Community Colleges, told the Sacramento Bee. “The colleges in California have been subject to such savage budget reductions that it has

In the remnants of the 9/11 terrorists attacks, few thought about one lone building from a local community college that was destroyed when the World Trade Center collapsed - except those who had come to call Borough of Manhattan Community College home. Over the next decade, the expanding college was forced to make other arrangements for holding classes – in the student cafeteria and temporary trailers set up in the vicinity of the original building. It was far from an ideal situation, with students reporting that the trailers didn’t always have working heat and served as a constant reminder of the terrible day when so many American lives were lost, including those of eight BMCC students and alumni.

But the school persevered.

This month, Borough of Manhattan Community College opened the doors of Fiterman Hall for the first time in more than 10 years. The beautiful new building is a reflection of light with windowed walls and a breathtaking lighted spiral staircase. It is a far cry from the smoke and debris that littered the area for so long. Now, students are preparing to take classes at Fiterman once again, in a brand new building designed just for them.

The Funding of Fiterman Hall

The day of the attacks, Fiterman Hall was damaged beyond repair. The building was finally razed in 2009, the year that reconstruction began, according to the community college’s website. Prior to razing, funding had to come in to pay for the project. The

San Francisco is in trouble, with a threat of accreditation loss looming and uncertainty over whether the school will even be able to remain open for much longer. According to many who have carefully examined the issues facing the college, the fault primarily lies with the school itself. From ineffective governance to mismanagement of funds, the City College of San Francisco is facing serious issues that could take Herculean efforts to overcome. Now, time is also running short for the school, as the accrediting commission has set a deadline in which the school must begin to show progress in improving their operations overall.

This video discusses how the fate of City College of San Francisco and its 77,000 students continues to hang in the balance.

Implications of “Show Cause” Rating

The accreditation commission recently gave the City College of San Francisco a “show cause” rating, which means the school shoulders the burden of showing why it should remain accredited. This sanction is the most serious of the three options an accrediting commission can offer. The San Francisco Examiner reports that a “show cause” rating is typically only given when an institution is in “substantial non-compliance” with accreditation standards.

Only two California schools have received similar ratings currently, according to the Los Angeles Times. College of the Redwoods and Cuesta College both are working their way through accreditation violations, in

California community colleges have long been at the forefront of technology adoption in higher education. What began as early cloud-based email and collaboration tools has evolved into a system-wide transformation focused on data sharing, artificial intelligence, and scalable digital infrastructure.

Today, cloud computing is no longer just a convenience; it is a core part of how colleges operate, support students, and deliver education.

The Original Shift to Cloud Technology

The transition to cloud computing in California community colleges began with efforts to unify communication systems across campuses.

The Los Angeles Community College District, the largest in the nation, initially moved hundreds of thousands of students, faculty, and staff to a centralized cloud-based platform.

Early cloud systems allowed for:

• Unified student email accounts
• Shared calendars and communication tools
• Online document collaboration
• Cross-campus connectivity

This move marked the beginning of a broader digital transformation across the state’s community college system.

👉 Explore a leading example of a large California campus: https://www.communitycollegereview.com/california/los-angeles

What Cloud Technology Enables Today

Cloud platforms now support far more than communication. Modern systems allow colleges to:

• Deliver online and hybrid learning at scale
• Provide real-time student data access
• Support mobile-first education tools
• Improve cybersecurity and system reliability

Colleges increasingly rely on cloud infrastructure to maintain flexibility, especially after the rapid expansion of remote learning during the pandemic.

In addition, cloud-based learning management systems (LMS) and student portals now allow seamless integration between coursework, advising, and administrative services. This reduces friction for students and improves overall retention and completion rates.

👉 Learn