Jaime Lester

Beyond Numerical Equity? Community Colleges and Gender Norms
By Jaime Lester, assistant professor of higher education at George Mason University
Community colleges show distinctive patterns of gender equity. Women represent 49 percent of full-time and 50 percent of part-time community college faculty (Cataldi, Fahimi, and Bradburn 2005). The student population is predominately female, with women composing 55 percent of full-time and 59 percent of part-time community college students (National Center for Education Statistics 2004). Moreover, community colleges have historical connections to many female-dominated professions (such as teaching), and thereby traditionally serve more female students (American Association of Community Colleges 2004). In part because of these factors, women tend to view community colleges as more family-friendly and their climates as generally equitable (Huber 1998; Wolf-Wendel, Ward, and Twombly 2007). Yet several studies note that women are more likely than men to experience discrimination, workplace bullying, and sexual harassment, all in connection with expectations surrounding gender norms in the workplace (Hagedorn and Laden 2002; Lester 2009).

Linda Serra Hagedorn

Only a Light Jacket Needed: The Climate for Community College Faculty
By Linda Serra Hagedorn, professor and director of the Research Institute for Studies in Education (RISE) at Iowa State University
No politician has emphasized the importance of America’s community colleges with the fervor and commitment exhibited by President Obama. Obama rightly describes the community college as key to the future of the United States. He casts community colleges as instruments to shape and educate those who have traditionally been “left behind,” including underserved minorities, low-income students, working adults, and those whose K–12 educations have left them underprepared for college learning. These students will receive the training and knowledge required for the transformation President Obama describes through contact with one critical group: the community college faculty.